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storage issues

J

JimmEh

Paddler
Joined
Apr 16, 2012
Messages
21
Location
Nanoose bay, BC
HI

I am looking to move from the kootenays to the comox valley. Its very hard to find places from this distance and I am noticing most places i see are condos and apartments. What do people do for storage if they can't store their kayak at home? I really want to find a place with a garage or at least a carport where it can have some kind of locks around it, not having much luck from here.
 
I can't specifically reply about the Comox Valley, living down in the States. But I do live in a condo in San Francisco, and it is one that does not have any storage for boats.

To start with, you could change gear to more storage friendly, like folding, sectional, or inflatable boats. I ran an article in California Kayaker Magazine on this in the Summer 2012 issue (#9) on these options, and their pros and cons. Can be read for free online http://www.calpaddlermag.com/magazine.html. Truthfully, not great options for most. The gear is either expensive, has limitations, or both. I do have a folding boat (Trak) and a pair of inflatables (Advanced Elements).

What I do is rent a storage area for boats (and other toys and assorted household stuff). I do also have hard shell boats on the roof of my car a lot, sometimes for a week at a time. Locks and the fact that rock garden boats always look pretty beat up must have helped, as I haven't had any stolen yet.
 
Local marinas for sail and power boats occasionally have limited storage for kayaks. I've seen such in Nanaimo, for example. I have no clue of cost or security, which would need to be assessed on a case by case basis anyway.
 
Unfortunately a new boat is way out of my current budget. I can probably find storage with family in nanaimo or ladysmith, really not convenient.
Thanks for tyhe suggestions, i'll have to check out the marinas while i am down in a few weeks.
 
I have no storage space for a hardshell but have somehow managed to accumulate four inflatables and a folder! (Plus another folder under construction).
 
Suggets you contact kayak shops/oufitters and tour companies in the Comox Valley area.
I live in a condo in Victoria and I have also stored my Kayaks with dealers/outfitters and tour companies who sometimes have extra space on their racks which they rent. The advantage to this approach is that you may end up storing your kayak at a place with easy access to water.
 
I find looking for a suite more accommodating than a condo. I will actually put an ad up on http://www.usedcomoxvalley.com/ (or whatever area) and let them know I have kayaks and need a strip of yard to store them in. People think you are reliable and have money if you have kayaks I think. :) Then if I need to, I build a little shelter for my stuff. I prefer my boat to be with me for easy access.
 
Endorsing Sheila's outdoor storage concept.

We have a spot adjacent to our house on the N side to reduce sun effects and a shed roof over a simple set of supports for our double. Not much investment required and the footprint is about a meter deep and 8 meters long. Treated lumber best cost effective material, with plywood gussets at joints for strength. Because we own the house, we used steel stanchions buried in concrete a bit. Even on a rental, might work, because removal followed by easy backfill and reseeding will leave almost no scar. Steel cable lock security and the boat not visible from the street have worked for 10 years.
 
I can barely get people to even talk to me from this distance. I'm in the kootenays, I'm not a nigerian prince and I do not want you to send me anything ;) ugh I hate looking for new places to live.

I do not want a condo or apartment but it seems to be the most available. I can store my boat at my parents for a while until I find a place if I have to. But they are in nanaoose. not easy access.

off topic: If anyone knows a place in courtenay or comox let me know :) 2-3 BR.
 
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