# Storing boat in garage while still wet?



## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Dry it as much as possible IMO


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I never dry mine. I just wash it, let it drip for a while and back her in. Almost 9 years and she's doing fine.


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## BrownDog (Jun 22, 2019)

I put mine in the garage after washing it still wet regularly. I open the hatches and run a box fan on it over night and it is usually dry the next morning


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## MatthewAbbott (Feb 25, 2017)

I guess I go overboard... after washing my sled and getting it backed in the garage I completely dry the outside and shopvac all the water I can out of the bilge area. I then put a small fan in the back compartment blowing down into the hull for a day or two or three. All hatches (two in my case) and live well (which doesn’t ever get used but still gets a little water) are always left open.

I hate water left in a boat. Moisture and electronics don’t mix.


FWIW I usually shop vac at least 1 1/2 gallons of water out of the boat that doesn’t drain out of the plug or get pumped by the bilge pump. I really don’t want that to sit in my boat for long.


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## mavdog32 (Apr 5, 2019)

I wipe mine down, but I think I might adopt some of @MatthewAbbott 's habits. After seeing what the water does to a boat with my last one, I am keeping the new East Cape freakin as clean and dry as possible.


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## MatthewAbbott (Feb 25, 2017)

mavdog32 said:


> I wipe mine down, but I think I might adopt some of @MatthewAbbott 's habits. After seeing what the water does to a boat with my last one, I am keeping the new East Cape freakin as clean and dry as possible.


You know it only takes another 15 minutes of actual “work” and you know your boat is dry.


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## Capnredfish (Feb 1, 2012)

I dry everything. I also shop vac out all gutters, hatches, baitwell, bilge, around switches, platform hardware and legs, drain hoses. I leave no water. Especially in Florida summers.


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## Akwakop (Aug 2, 2017)

After I power wash the skiff, I leave it in the driveway for about an hour then put it in the garage. Pop open all the hatches and come back with a big sponge the next day to get whatever water is left near the transom. It's usually not much though.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

MatthewAbbott said:


> I guess I go overboard... after washing my sled and getting it backed in the garage I completely dry the outside and shopvac all the water I can out of the bilge area. I then put a small fan in the back compartment blowing down into the hull for a day or two or three. All hatches (two in my case) and live well (which doesn’t ever get used but still gets a little water) are always left open.
> 
> I hate water left in a boat. Moisture and electronics don’t mix.
> 
> ...


Yep, that moisture will be wicked up by the electrical connections.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Yep, that moisture will be wicked up by the electrical connections.


Shouldn't they all be sealed?


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

firecat1981 said:


> Shouldn't they all be sealed?


In theory but why risk it? Just stating a fact.


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## tcov (Apr 7, 2018)

Anyone ever use a dehumidifier to help suck up the moisture?


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## Capnredfish (Feb 1, 2012)

Pointless in a garage


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## DBStoots (Jul 9, 2011)

After washing, I use a leaf blower to remove all of the excess water, especially from all the little "nooks and crannies", around the console, etc. Then I wipe it down with clean rags, back it into the garage and store with all hatches open. Never any mildew at all. And, the garage floor stays dry.


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## BrownDog (Jun 22, 2019)

DBStoots said:


> store with all hatches open. Never any mildew at all.


I think this is a very important part, even better is if you can run a fan or something to get air flow into the hull with the hatches open.


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## m32825 (Jun 29, 2018)

I wanna know what routine guides follow. They fish every day...


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

m32825 said:


> I wanna know what routine guides follow. They fish every day...


Are you going to be fishing 4-5 days a week? Most of the guides that do don’t bother doing much more than pressure washing because it will be wet again in 6-8 hours anyway. If you are storing your boat for a week or two between trips drying it or allowing it to dry is the best option then you can spray CorrosionX or whatever on the metal that needs it.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> In theory but why risk it? Just stating a fact.


If your gonna have any issues with that, then we better keep our boats off the water all together.

Guess I just look at it differently. A boat to me is mostly utilitarian, a tool to do what I enjoy. If I become a slave to cleaning it the enjoyment level goes way down. I ride her hard and put her away wet. I do open the hatches though, and jack up the front. It leaves maybe 6oz of water in the bilge. It dries by the next day without fans.


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## timogleason (Jul 27, 2013)

I use my boat everyday -I rinse it and flush the engine when done. Not much else. Gonna wear out and deteriorate faster but I wanna go fishing not scrub and dry boats. If I went through all that shop vac and drying mess, I wouldn't fish nearly as much.


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## Zika (Aug 6, 2015)

I use a chamois to wipe down the metal work, engine, console and cushions after washing. Helps prevent water spots (along with a healthy dash of vinegar in the soap bucket).

When I store the boat in the enclosed metal shed I prop the hatches open with 1/2-inch PVC elbows and tubing. They won't collapse, won't stain and keep air circulating in the compartments.


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## stussing (Oct 29, 2018)

I am using my empty small Gatorade bottles to keep the lids partially open.


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## efi2712micro (Sep 17, 2015)

MatthewAbbott said:


> I guess I go overboard... after washing my sled and getting it backed in the garage I completely dry the outside and shopvac all the water I can out of the bilge area. I then put a small fan in the back compartment blowing down into the hull for a day or two or three. All hatches (two in my case) and live well (which doesn’t ever get used but still gets a little water) are always left open.
> 
> I hate water left in a boat. Moisture and electronics don’t mix.
> 
> ...


That's my approach ... amazing how much crap I get from my neighbors! they think I am crazy.


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## SomaliPirate (Feb 5, 2016)

tcov said:


> Anyone ever use a dehumidifier to help suck up the moisture?


I have a couple of those buckets of chemical Damp Rid that I uncover and throw in my hatches before sealing them up. It's kept them bone dry when I go to use them again.


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## Zika (Aug 6, 2015)

I keep a tub of Damp Rid and one of those Flambeau anti-corrosion blocks in my gun safe. Does the trick.


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## bryson (Jun 22, 2015)

stussing said:


> I am using my empty small Gatorade bottles to keep the lids partially open.


I don't put mine in a garage, but under a custom-made cover, and this is pretty much what I do. I'll use whatever I've got that will prop the hatches up as high as possible without pushing up on the cover, and it seems to dry out very well. I don't really feel the need to towel dry anything unless I'm doing a "deep clean." My driveway is also slightly sloped and I keep the bow up pretty high, so I don't really have any trapped water.

edit -- I also usually let it air dry for 15-30 min or so before putting the cover on. Any longer than that and I'll probably end up having to clean leaves off before the cover goes down.


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## Backlasher (May 20, 2016)

My boat does live in a garage in a very humid environment so I try to keep the boat as dry as possible. I do follow Zika's approach after washing and then try to let it sit for a while in the sun before backing into the garage. Once in the garage, I open all the hatches (most have hydraulic rams), including the console, cooler, bilge access, two 6" pie plates, and tilt the seat cushion so it will drain any water as well as not trapping any moisture between the cushion and deck. Hook up the battery maintainer and done. I have never had any mold or mildew and the boat looks great (going on 9 years old). Probably about an hour to 90 minutes from start to finish - a bit over the top but gives me time to inspect everything and eliminate most surprises the next time I am on the water.


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## TooLoose20 (Feb 17, 2016)

I have a 1976 aquasport - no moisture when stored is paramount. I dry the boat after washing it and leave the hatches open. It is stored in an open garage and after three years have not had any electrical or structural damage from sitting water.


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## Snakesurf (Jun 18, 2019)

Wash off the deck, clean the scum of the hull and tilt the bow up so the water drains as much as possible out the scupper. Pull it in the garage and put a fan on it for a day or two. Pull it out go fishing and do it again. A lot of people just leave there boat outside with a tarp that traps moister in it anyway, at least mine goes in the garage.


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## Guest (Dec 19, 2019)

tcov said:


> So my boat has been kept under a metal shed with open sides for the last year and will now be kept inside a garage moving forward. My question is should I dry the boat completely after washing before putting it in the garage? For the last year I’ve always just washed it and parked it under the shed for it to air dry no problems. My mind tells me to at least wipe it down some..what’s yall’s thoughts?


I would leave all hatches open at the very least. Not having the ability to air dry like you did before may allow mold to form. You might even place some of those cans that absorb moisture inside the boat.


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## Snookicide (Oct 16, 2019)

As a routine I do not dry the boat or let it sit in the sun to dry. After washing I drive it a short way (quarter mile or so) to get the excess water out of the bilge and flip it around to make it easier to back in. Once in the garage the excess water on the boat and in the bilge will not really change the humidity in the garage and any remaining water is evaporated in a few hours. I do leave the hatches open (including the bilge) to aid with the evaporation. Stored several like this over the past several decades and do not feel anything wore out any faster. Frequency of use started at about 150-200 days a year on the water and has hit stored longer then it should at times. Hope it helps.


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

Guys, I forgot to towel every nook and cranny of my boat before storing it in the garage overnight and now look at my skiff!


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## Half Shell (Jul 19, 2016)

I let it drip dry but my bilge is usually bone dry since my hatches drain overrboard or to the cockpit floor which bails overboard. 

I usually get home after fishing around 7-8, done cleaning by 9, in the shower by 10. No way am I spending another 30 min wiping it dry. 

I used to have a black wakeboard boat in central TX. That hard water and a black boat meant you had to wipe it down with something like Babes Boat Brite (or vinager/water)


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## MatthewAbbott (Feb 25, 2017)

yobata said:


> Guys, I forgot to towel every nook and cranny of my boat before storing it in the garage overnight and now look at my skiff!


Should have got a Chittum...


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