Canoe Basics

Storing Your Canoe

Like any piece of gear, the better you maintain your boat, the longer it will last. Proper storage is key in the effort to protect your canoe from the sun, weather and theft, and to prevent uneven weight distribution and maintain hull integrity. And the longer you store your craft, the more important proper storage becomes.

Protecting Against The Sun

• If possible, store your canoe under cover. Sunlight is the most harmful natural element to boat materials and will have an adverse affect no matter what type of boat you purchase. Sunlight can degrade just about any canoe hull material, from fiberglass to plastic to epoxy-coated wood (only aluminum canoes are safe). It can also damage wood gunwales and deck plates, as well as cause painted surfaces to fade or crack. 

• The best way to protect against sun damage is to store your boat inside.

• When that's not possible, store your boat in a shaded spot.

• If no shade is available, use a tough, weather-resistant tarp or cover that's suspended above the hull (contact with the hull may promote mold or fungal growth in wet conditions) and entirely covering the boat.

• Covering / wrapping a boat with plastic will cause moisture to build up next to the hull and will fade the gelcoat.

• A note on protective UV coatings:

• There are sprays which can be applied to fiberglass, plastic and vinyl-skinned boats to significantly add to their from-the-factory UV protection. Apply a generous coating at the beginning of each season and prior to storing your boat for any long period of time to help shield it from sunlight and oxidation. 

Protecting Against The Weather

• Prolonged exposure to weather can cause some hull materials to oxidize and/or degrade. 

• Again, storing your canoe indoors is the best protection (although it still may be susceptible to extreme cold—see below).

• If you store your boat outside, make sure it's protected from precipitation and that rain and/or snow can't collect in the tarp and press down on the hull.

• If you store your boat outside or in an unheated building, be aware that repeated freezing and thawing can cause damage to fiberglass boats if water has seeped into seams, joints or cracks in the hull (it will expand and contract as it freezes and melts).

• Extreme cold and/or weather can damage wood gunwales and deck plates. Be sure to maintain all the wood pieces on your canoe as recommended by the manufacturer.

Protecting Against Theft

• The best way to protect your canoe against theft is to store it inside.

• If you store your boat outdoors, keep it hidden from view as much as possible.

• Position it so that it's difficult for a thief to grab it quickly and run.

• In high crime areas, thread a durable security cable through a sturdy part of the boat (like a thwart or carry handle) and connect it to a post, fence or building.

Protecting Against Hull Damage

• Most canoe hulls will deform or bend over time if exposed to uneven weight distribution. Plastic hulls are the most susceptible to damage, but fiberglass and wood-hulled boats can also fall victim over time.

• Spread out the weight of the canoe over its entire length whenever you store it.

• Support the boat at several points along its length, using padded cradles, angled surfaces and/or wide, nylon straps that match the curve of the hull.

• Practices to avoid include:

• Storing your canoe upside down on the ground, which is too harsh on the gunwales.

• Supporting your canoe from its ends only.

• Standing it up on one end.

• Hanging it from its grab handles or thwarts.

• Laying it down on its side on a flat surface for long periods of time.

• Storing it near a significant heat source like a furnace or water heater.

Additional Storage Tips

• If you paddle in salt water, be sure to rinse your boat thoroughly with fresh water before you store it. Salt water can degrade hull materials and corrode metal parts.

• Maintain all wooden gunwales and deck plates following the guidelines of the canoe manufacturer. Failure to do so may cause these pieces to dry out, crack, warp or weather during storage.

• Ideally, a canoe should be stored upside down and off the ground (on sawhorses). This avoids hull deformation. Always rack a canoe on the gunwales as they are designed to bear the most weight. Tie your boat down, too. Strong winds can move even the heaviest boat.

• Keep in mind that your canoe is meant to be used. To enjoy your canoe to the fullest, paddle it in all appropriate kinds of water. Splash through shallows, run rapids, beach it on the gravel bar next to that perfect camping spot, tie it while you land that big one.

• Along the way, the boat will show this use. A nick here, a scratch there. That's part of the history of you and your canoe.

Trapeze Method for Canoe Hanging

Here's a simple way to hand your canoe.  Don't let the fat ropes and heavy cross pieces fool you.  If you are hanging a Canoe, all you need is a couple of 1" dowl rods (or some 2 X 2's, or even some fairly straight sticks from the back yard) cut to 24" to 30" or so. The rope, recommend is 5/16" braided nylon rope because it's nice to work with but feel free to use variations on the theme (other rope). 

Without too much typed explanation, look at the following pictures and do this in your garage, barn, basement, etc.

The only thing you need to make sure of is that if you are putting in some screw-in eyebolts in your ceiling, you MUST be screwing them into ceiling joists and not just the sheet rock or even thin paneling.  If you don't have sheet rock, you can just tie the rope around the ceiling joists and hang them down to your "trapeze" cross pieces. 

Plan on about 30 minutes or less of adjusting the ropes to get the right height that you require.  Also, make sure you allow for your garage door opening as it rolls up to the ceiling. 

Remember, this is only one way to skin a canoe.  Feel free to develop your own ideas and methods.  Good Luck!

One Other Canoe Hangin' Way

You can also hang the canoe right side up by the grab handles with no problems either, although you may not be able to get it as close to the ceiling. 

NOTE: If you have a leaky garage roof, do not hang the canoe right-side-up!