Winter boat storage?

[DuckHarvestor]

Hello everyone,
We bought a new 20' Lund Impact two years ago and i do not have the luxury of storing it in a covered garage or boat-port. I have been tilting the trailer so the rear of the boat is below the front so it drains and keeping the travel cover on it. We do get a fair amount of snow here in Colorado and i try to sweep it off within a few hours of it falling. I am concerned after meeting a guy from Utah at the gorge with a similar, but 10 yr old Lund with a rotting floor in the back of the boat. I do not know how he stored the boat but i do not think my travel cover is fully water proof, especially where it makes contact on the inside of the boat. I believe Lund uses a pressure treated plywood covered with a vinyl material for the floors. Even with this i expect if the wood gets wet frequently it could weaken/rot it.

My question: does anyone with a aluminum boat comparable to Lund use shrink wrap during a snowy winter? I am concerned that when applying the heat to it, it could damage the decals on the exterior of the boat or?

Any insight would be appreciated.

[nofish]

So let's start with this, my boat is a 90s model and it is a Wellcraft boat which is a fiberglass boat.


It has lived outside up until a few years ago. In the summer time I would just put a standard boat cover on it and in winter I would put a plastic tarp over it. I would always keep it at an angle so the water would run off it.

About 5 years ago I felt a soft spot in the floor and pulled up the carpet and found the floor was dry rotting so I had to replace it. it is not a fun job.

I can't say what your lund will do?

[Bduck]

My boat is a 20' 07 Columbia I bought 6yrs ago in Everett WA. That part of the country is a salt atmosphere & damp year-round. I tackled issues as they were presented to me. Approx. 1½yrs later I decided to pull the vinyl covered wood floor to do some extensive cleaning throughout the keel & bilge area. The floor didn't give indication of any rot & felt solid. After removing the 3 sections of floor I found on the bottom (face down) side was covered with a layer of black mold. The mold wasn't just a surface layer but also embedded into the wood which I decided not to attempt an extensive cleaning. Also, I didn't want to see anyone get sick from a mold issue I have. My floor wasn't too bad in replacing and a local lumber shop here carries the marine grade plywood. I purchased same thickness as was in the boat approx. ½", I also bought marine grade vinyl floor. I did this during the heat of summer temps since fishing slows down a little and it allows for vinyl outdoor glue to cure. I did replace carpet on both sides since this is where I found rot issues and embedded salt going vertical from floor edge to under gunnels. I have a 3-car garage which the boat is protected when at home.

[DuckHarvestor]

Thanks guys - I appreciate the input. Sounds like quite a pain to replace the flooring so I am going to do everything reasonable to minimize the chance of damage. If I use shrink wrap I may pay to have it applied next winter and then do it myself (to save money) after that if it looks doable for me.

[kokanee64]

Nice to meet you at the dock at Blue Mesa. Hope you are having a great trip.

We have used shrink wrap on our boats for a long time and I learned early that a tightly shrunk cover can not be reused -- and shrink wrap is expensive.
We have a 2x4 structure we erect and cover that with plastic shrinkwrap. But the only thing we shrink is a belly band melted into the plastic about a foot below the gunnels (use a heat gun). We get 5 years or more out of a cover, depending on winter wind.

If you are interested I'll get some photos of the lumber structure and the applied plastic.

Regards, Roger

[DuckHarvestor]

Good meeting you Roger briefly at Blue Mesa. Prior to seeing you i spent 3 days jigging for kokes and only landed 2! I got on several schools but they had lock-jaw so even the guides were struggling I was told. I heard it got a little better so i hope you and your wife did OK. We had fun with our son, his wife and grandkids. Mostly water sports with a little shore fishing for yellow perch. I caught my first one ever.

Yes, i would like to see pictures of the frame and cover. That would be very instructive since i am still searching for a solution.

Hope to see you again.
Regards,
Gary

[Leonidas90]

Some have found shrink wrapping to be an effective solution for keeping snow and moisture out, especially when paired with proper ventilation to prevent condensation. However, as you mentioned, there's always a risk of damaging decals or other exterior features when applying heat to the shrink wrap.