I'm thinking about buying a boat, but I have no place on my property to keep it (deed restriction and my garage is too small).

If you don't mind saying, I'd like to know where you keep your boat when you're not using it (marina?  storage facility? friend's house?) and about how much it costs you per month (or year) to do so.

(I live in Florida, but I'm interested in knowing regardless of where you are located)

Thank you!

Wow, deed restriction can really put a damper on things. I keep one in the barn and the other in the yard.

Before I owned my house I kept my boat in a storage lot. Unfortunately they did not have 24 hour access so I was at their mercy to when I could get my boat.

When I bought my boat I thought I would be able to keep it in the garage. We have a thre car garage that is 23' deep (trailer is 20' 6" in storage configuration).

Unfortunately I didn't realize my garage door was only 8' wide, and the boat w/trailer is 8' 6" wide......

So it sits in the driveway with electronics and seats removed, and covered.

With your situation your garage size might dictate your boat size.

Search the yellow pages, either online or from the phone book and find every storage facility that meets your requirements for distance from your home and whatever lake you want to be close to.  Call them and get their prices.  Then make your choice.  (There is no secret to finding a good place to store your boat except for good, old-fashioned research.)

I live in Kansas City and my housing association doesn't allow me to park my boat in my driveway.  My garage is full.  The place I found has covered and uncovered parking in fenced lots with locked gates, barbwire at the top of the fence, and 24 hour access.  It is approximately one and a half miles from a ramp at Smithville Lake and the cost is $25 a month.  I pay six months at a time for $137 which gives me a discounted rate of $22.83 a month.  

Search the yellow pages, either online or from the phone book and find every storage facility that meets your requirements for distance from your home and whatever lake you want to be close to. Call them and get their prices. Then make your choice. (There is no secret to finding a good place to store your boat except for good, old-fashioned research.)

I live in Kansas City and my housing association doesn't allow me to park my boat in my driveway. My garage is full. The place I found has covered and uncovered parking in fenced lots with locked gates, barbwire at the top of the fence, and 24 hour access. It is approximately one and a half miles from a ramp at Smithville Lake and the cost is $25 a month. I pay six months at a time for $137 which gives me a discounted rate of $22.83 a month.

That's what I was hoping for! I don't know how much the difference might be where I live, but I could still pay more than you're paying and still have it be reasonable.

Just out of curiousity, is the ramp free of cost? If I do this, I'll probably be out anywhere from 3-6 days a week, and launch fees (if any) could possibly add considerable costs...

I'm just looking for "ballpark" numbers to give me a better idea...I'll certainly check out my local area ASAP. Thank ya! 8-)

My Toyota sits in the driveway, my Dodge Ram sits in the driveway, my 1989 Tracker lives in the GARAGE!  A man's gotta know his priorities.  Good luck with your search.

We are lucky, Dirks dad lives in between my house and the lake.  20 mins to dads, 20 mins to lake from there.  He had an old 2 car shed back in the day, it was rotting so we tore it down.  Now there is just a cement slab our 2 boats on it and the old electrical is still live so we have 3 batt chargers in a plastic case so we just back down, unhitch and hook up batteries.  Nice

bob   kbkindle  from indiana   you can put it in my boat barn   no charge   could be a little long trip to fish  but i will take real good care of your boat.   thats what  friends are for  kb

Man, that would suck! I keep mine in the front yard all covered up. I can't imagine not having my boat with me.

I keep mine at a very secure outdoor storage facility about five minutes from my house.  Price - $41/mo. and no hook-up for a battery charger.     I've price shopped and they are all in the $40 range.  The property owners must think that all boat owners can afford to shop at West Marine.   :

I live in Northern Virginia and it costs me $65 per month to store my 14 ft. boat.  I didn't even realize until last Sunday that it has time restrictions.  It doesn't open until 7 am on Sundays.

In my side yard, beside the canoe trailer and camper.

If I buy any more trailers, I'll have to buy a new house as I've reached the limit of my yard space.  ;D

Bob stated:

Just out of curiousity, is the ramp free of cost?

The lake requires a daily fee, but you can pay for a year at a time.  

SteveFinMD stated:

My Toyota sits in the driveway, my Dodge Ram sits in the driveway, my 1989 Tracker lives in the GARAGE!  A man's gotta know his priorities. Wink  Good luck with your search.

You do have your priorities straight!  I would be a single, divorced male if I did this, which would probably be more costly than putting up with storage costs.  

If you only need a little extra space to fit your boat in the garage, this idea might work if your back wall is is not a common wall.

I added a bump-out to the back wall of my garage since that wall is exposed to the backyard. The bump-out gave my 3 extra feet in depth and now I can back my boat straight in. By bump-out, I mean I cut out my back wall, in this case, I made it 7ft wide x 7ft tall. Then, I framed it out, put a header on it, and made it 3ft deep, nailed OSB to the studs, put some siding on the OSB to match the garage and then a few rows of shingles for the roof.

Not only does it give me room for my boat, but since I made it 7ft wide, I also have a lot of extra storage space around the sides of the motor.

When I bought my boat I thought I would be able to keep it in the garage. We have a thre car garage that is 23' deep (trailer is 20' 6" in storage configuration).

Unfortunately I didn't realize my garage door was only 8' wide, and the boat w/trailer is 8' 6" wide......

So it sits in the driveway with electronics and seats removed, and covered.

With your situation your garage size might dictate your boat size.

Almost the same situation here, two car garage long enough for the boat to fit except for the garage door opening.

Sits with a boat cover and tarp on it in the driveway.

;DHave two homes one in middlesex,other in dunn,boat is in middlesex,nc because of the # of thefts in dunn,sits under a 30x30 carport with a cover on it also,no bird poop or bug poop!

I keep my boat in my yard beside my house. Some of these posts only confirms my position on why I will never buy a house where I have to pay home owners association dues.

Big T

I'm still trying to figure out how I can store my boat in the Rec Room. That way every 1/2 hour when I think of something to tinker with, I don't have to run outside.

Seriously though, I keep mine in the garage whenever I can, but mostly next to the garage with 2 covers on it. I've been eyeing them portable tent like garages that a lot of people use. That way I don't have to cover it when I leave it outside in between trips and to keep the sun off it.

I have been real lucky.  I have a friend that has an old newspaper building that lets me keep it there.  It is climate controlled and one block from my office for quick get aways.  When I lose that spot, I don't know what I will do.

Maybe you could try placing an ad on craiglist or one of those penny saver type papers for a private party with extra space cheap. That way at least a person would live where your boat is stored, I have heard those storage places are not very safe on average. Boat dealers and fenced local businesses may also be an option if you ask the right person.

I'm lucky myself to live on 45 acres.

I wish you well.

I found a guy who put up 3 large metal buildings.  He charges $2 per foot. He's building a retirement annuity.  

I'm at his mercy to get it but havent had any trouble yet.  Thats the trade off for keeping it inside.

GO BIG RED

I keep mine in my garage with everything else fishing related. I have a 30' x 40' garage/tackle box. ;D

I keep mine in the garage.That Southern heat can really mess up a boat given time.

Same here.  I pay 54.95  :-/ a month to store my boats.  And they are 37 miles away from me!.  Their is a new storage facility that has open just down the stree from the apartment complex that i live at and they charge $35 a month for outdoors uncovered storage.  Bummer! >