Kayaks are big pieces of sporting equipment. As such, they are not always easy to store; you may have to get creative. People store their kayaks in all sorts of different ways and in all sorts of different places. Ultimately, you will need to figure out what works best for you in your space. In doing so, however, you should make sure you adhere to these three golden rules of kayak storage.
Don't subject the kayak to cold temperatures.
The type of plastic kayaks are made from is quite durable. If it gets cold now and then, you should not have any issues. However, if the plastic gets cold and stays cold for weeks or months on end, it can become brittle and start to crack. As such, if you live in a place with cold winters, you do not want to store your kayak outside in an unheated garage, in a shed, or in a storage unit without climate control. A garage that stays about 50 degrees or so should be fine. A chilly basement should be okay, too. It's okay for the kayak to get chilly, but not freezing cold.
Spread out the support.
If you store the kayak on a flat surface, then you don't really need to worry about this. But if you store it on a rack, you really need to make sure you spread out the support. You don't want to support the whole kayak on two 1-inch-wide slats, for example. Doing so may cause some indents to form in the bottom of the boat over time. Storing it across a couple of 2 x 4's is adequate. If you can get a couple more thick slats, that's even better.
Clean it first.
Before you put your kayak up for storage for any more than a week or two, make sure you clean it. And be thorough about this! Pay special attention to any fasteners and any little grooves in the plastic. If you were to leave grime in these areas during storage, it could start to stain the kayak, and on any metal components, it could contribute to corrosion and rust formation.
Storing a kayak is not hard. There are many different racking systems and storage options. As long as you follow the three golden rules of kayak storage, you should find that your boat emerges from storage in just as good of condition as when it went in. Contact a kayak storage service to learn more.
