Looking at a 2017 Ranger Z518 this weekend, if I pull the trigger on it I haven’t been able to find anywhere with covered storage.

My thought is it’s a boat, it’s meant to be outside, as long as I get a properly fitted cover for the hull, remove the screens, and throw a tarp over trailer wheels/brakes it should hold up fine but just curious what those of yall with real world experience have seen?

Congrats on your possible new to you rig. Your just fine expectations can come with some concerns to consider.

A decent cover will offer some relief from the elements. Semi extreme temperature changes can trap humidity / moisture if proper ventilation is not accounted for. Mold can even be a concern. Covering the tires can protect them from some sunlight degradation. However, depending on your local, outside storage also comes with the possible animal / rodent exposure. Most concerning, is sometimes boat/trailer wiring in hard to reach for humans locations, can be comprised #chewed.

Doesn't happen all the time, but it happens. Food for thought.

A-Jay

Mine has lived outside under a cover for nearly 40 years - long as you keep a good cover on it and keep up with maintenance, it should do just fine.

Location is important here. The OP is in Georgia so I'm guessing with a quality cover, there shouldn't be much of an issue.

I would never even consider storing my boat outside here all winter. When I didn't have a 3 car garage, I stored it at an indoor facility about 40 miles away for $30/month for 5 months.

There is something to be said about just hooking up the boat in the garage and going fishing. All my tackle is already in there. My graphs are installed. It's 5 minutes and I'm gone. When I get home, I unhook in the garage and I'm done. No removing graphs, tackle, or other items. And no cover to put on and off either.

That convenience alone is worth parking it in the garage for me.

27 minutes ago, gim said:

Location is important here. The OP is in Georgia so I'm guessing with a quality cover, there shouldn't be much of an issue.

I would never even consider storing my boat outside here all winter. When I didn't have a 3 car garage, I stored it at an indoor facility about 40 miles away for $30/month for 5 months.

There is something to be said about just hooking up the boat in the garage and going fishing. All my tackle is already in there. My graphs are installed. It's 5 minutes and I'm gone. When I get home, I unhook in the garage and I'm done. No removing graphs, tackle, or other items. And no cover to put on and off either.

That convenience alone is worth parking it in the garage for me.

Garage would absolutely be my preference, unfortunately not an option since I’m currently in an apartment. Under a canopy runs about $225, indoor $300.

Check out the outlying areas for storage too - sometimes driving 10 or 15 miles out of your way can save you a couple hundred bucks a month.

2 hours ago, ElGuapo928 said:

Mine has lived outside under a cover for nearly 40 years - long as you keep a good cover on it and keep up with maintenance, it should do just fine.

In Arizona -

The 49th driest state in the country

Come on man.

A-Jay

5 hours ago, A-Jay said:

In Arizona -

The 49th driest state in the country

Come on man.

A-Jay

It’s rained at least 5 times this year!!!

6 hours ago, A-Jay said:

In Arizona -

The 49th driest state in the country

Come on man.

A-Jay

Come on @A-Jay, it’s not @ElGuapo928’s fault he lives where snowbirds flock to and hosts spring training in late winter and not point out @gim committing highway robbery at $6 a month for indoor storage.

Speaking of indoor storage @bigbassin', I stored my boat in a public storage facility, the kind with keypad gate, camera security and metal roll up door for a few months. Jury rigged the interior light to charge the batteries. Just another option

Wherever you store it, a big consideration is the availability of an electric outlet to keep the trolling motor batteries charged. Othewise, you'll be lugging them to your apartment.

A second consideration is where the storage is. I preferred as close to where I live as I could find. There will be times you want to work on your rig so the closer to home the better. Also, if you fish multiple lakes, having it close to your home means you're not adding a lot of miles and time to your trip getting your boat and driving to the lake.

I recommend getting a good cover now. Even if you end up in enclosed storage, there'll be times you'll need a cover. I always cover mine when I stay in a motel or campground and when leaving it at a dealer's lot for service.

Not having any idea of your location, I'm providing this link as an example of a great facility. It's has gated access, it's paved, 20 amp service to all spaces, wash down area and vacuum's. https://www.wgrvstorage.com

Good luck and enjoy that Ranger!

I bought my RT178 in '20. It's been outside, under a cover since. I wash and vacuum it regularly. It looks almost new, less a scratch here and there.

On 7/20/2026 at 10:31 PM, J._Bricker said:

not point out @gim committing highway robbery at $6 a month for indoor storage.

Lol 6 dollars a month is a bit of a stretch. It was 150 for 5 months. So 30/month.

But it was indoors had security so that was good enough for me. Our lakes are covered in ice for 4+ months/year so there's really no point in having it at my house during that time period.

My Vexus vx21 is too long for the garage; it sits in my carport usually for Dec. and Jan., rest of the year it is on my lift at the marina and has never had a cover on it. I have witnessed multiple situations where people have removed the covers and discovered cats, racoons, and other critters had been remodeling the interior.

The only animal issue I have had was a couple of summers ago I had a giant wasp nest get built in my splash well.

My wife has pictures somewhere of the idiot in a tyvek suit, full face respirator, welding gloves and half a mile of duct tape sealing everything up armed with 2 cans of wasp/hornet killer out there evicting them.

Although my 2005, 21ft Ranger now resides in my daughters barn which is 25 miles away, I kept it outside for years here in Virginia year round. Couple of things that haven’t been mentioned. First and foremost, what color is your boat? Mine is black/gold and despite my best efforts did get some crazing from heat….not sun, heat. Jury is out on whether it is from heat or just age but if I had it to do over, I may have put folded blankets along the gunnels under the cover. The tops are the only place this is an issue. The rest of the glass is perfect with zero oxidation. Put a small fan under your cover. Make sure no water/snow can pool up on the cover. And a well fitting cover will keep out larger animals like cats, raccoons, squirrels, etc., you will still have to deal with mice and ants. I put sticky traps in the bilge and compartments. I still do because the mice are much worse in the barn than they were in my driveway. I’ve only caught a couple but those traps also get insects and they are usually covered. I used an old cover and cut it to fit the fenders and tires and it worked well. The tires are uncovered in the snow pic because we fish year round and I had a trip. I put the covers back on as a rule even in winter.