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Winter boat storage?
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.
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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?
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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. 1˝yrs 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. ˝", 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.
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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.
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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
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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