Boat Storage Design Opinions

[cedarcreek216]

I posted this on WW and thought I would get opinions from this site as well.

My wife and I have tossed around the idea of building a dry boat storage facility and have finally found a site that seems could work financially with where we need to be as well as location. There are a few issues we have been tossing around that I wanted to get opinions on. Keep in mind we don't have an unlimited budget, so we are not putting everything possible into the facility, but I would like to make it so tenants will stay as long as they need storage and not have a reason to leave. So below are a few items up for discussion:

1. Is concrete a must or if we keep a nicely maintained gravel bottom and drive adequate.
2. What is the minimum distance between bays that is acceptable to manuver vehicle and boat into stall?
3. Is 12'x28' big enough or is 30' a must?
4. We are already planning o nrunning power to each unit.
5. Should we provide some type of jacket/equipment hanging system in each unit to avoid people doing their own or will people do their own anyway?
6. Will a 10' clear in height door fit pretty much every bought with tower up?
7. Would a unizex restroom be worth the cost of building and maintaining?
8. I thought a power washer would be nice to allow people to wash their boats there, but not sure it's worth the hassle of maintaining it and blowing out the gravel drive if that's the way we chose to go.

Anything else you can think of that you have seen or have in your unit that could be a cost effective way to keep good tenants would be appreciated.

[Neverenough]

Sounds you are planning a nice storage facility! Not sure if concrete is a must but would be really nice. Nice clean unit with clean floors may attract more people just because you could store other items there as well. Towables furniture what ever. When you wrote distance between stalls i assume you mean across from each other in order to back in. that said id say a much room as possible. nothing more aggravating then try to avoid obstacles while backing in your 50k boat. Most tow rigs I see a jacked up 4x4 trucks that have a relatively wide turning radius . With today's boats sizes continuing to grow 30 maybe a better option. A 22 ft ski boat on a trailer with a platform is upwards of 27ft. Power is great! Not sure a out jacking equipment. My boat is about 9ft tall and has no tower anchor light and sit low on trailer. Again with the boat size growing you may not want to limit yourself. Towers do drop but most don't like to set them down. I could careless about restroom but a nice wash bay and vacuum would be really cool. Door openers and electric gates would be nice. It's real easy to spend someone else's money!!!

[shag]

What is the beam on some of the new big boats? 10'?? I would build it bigger and use a 12' door height minimum so there are no clearance problems. A wash area that is concrete would be good. One thing with rock is you will be always smoothing out the rocks... imo.
Maybe a 'drop and store' type setup where the owner drops it and you have someone place the boat with a forklift (with a hitchball). Just some food for thought.... Oh, and a hot dog stand.....

[SkiTower]

I would definitely have something like the forklift suggestion or the tow tractors the dealer uses available (as well as an experienced high schooler to operate it). This would help with those jacked up or inexperienced trucks. I also don't think a power washer is necessary but a hose would be nice. May be okay but I'd be nervous using a power washer on my boat (as well as a power washer is more to maintain and requires a power source). A jacket hanging system would be a simple addition and would be that extra little 'touch'. Would you put the aisle down the middle with stalls to the outside or put the aisles to the outside like most of the general (non-boat) storage units I've seen. And not sure running power to each stall is necessary either.

I haven't looked, but is this a novel idea or are there places like the out there? I had the same thought one day when I was down at the lake. Just haven't pursued it yet.

[AllianceBJJ]

Where are you doing this? We have ours dry stored at Pier 121 in Lewisville right now.

[cedarcreek216]

Thanks for all the suggestions, it's a lot to digest. I am struggling with at what point is big enough big enough. with the direction the new boats are going in 10 years all stalls are going to need to be 15'x35' to fit anything. I thought 12'x30' was big, bigger than most anyhting around here. I think ours is in a 12'x28' right now and it fits easily and the doors are only 10'-0" clear in width. We do have a header issue with the doors so we have to fold the tower down. The problem with adding just two feet to each stall is the price goes up quickly and it starts to reduce the number of stalls we can fit on the property. I know, having more stalls that are more felxible would be better than having more less desirable stalls, but reality sets in at some point. I do think the 12'-0" door height is a must now that it's been brought up. If tenants did not have to put their towers down to store they would be happy to overlook a lot of other things. Keep the ideas coming, we are getting ready to talk to the city about zoning and permitting requirements so I'm hoping things get moving quickly.

We found a site in The Colony that is priced right and small enough to give us the opportunity to see if we can succeed with out throwing everything we have at it. Pier 121 does not have any fully enclosed do they? The front is not solid correct? We have ours stored at Bills boat hotel on Business 121 and 121 but if it was closer it sure would make it easier to go out for an hour or so then throw it back in storage.

[scott resick]

you may also want to look into your local building codes. If you want a unisex restroom, you may have to do 2 ADA restrooms or scrap the bathroom idea, pressure washers may come with special regulations for draining chemicals and all your power service to each stall will most likely have to be BX wire. All this extra cost may help you plan your build. After your permit is issued you can add what you want, but build growth into your plan.

[johnboyy7]

power yes.
concrete yes. keeps dust down and boats cleaner.
power washer. no, people will not take care of it. may get stolen.
water yes.
my current storage is 10x10x25 with nothing to hang stuff on. built my own.
50ft inbetween??

[GoBig]

For reference, I just moved my 210 into a brand new facility that is ideal. It is a garage facility intended for boats, RVs, hot-rods, and general hobby shops. I have a 12'W x 25'D unit with a 10'W x 14'H roll-up door. With the swim platform removed and trailer tongue folded, I have enough room to walk around and also store the towables, tools, and equipment. It is the perfect size for my 210. I could get a 230 in there but would not have the walkaround or storage room. There is a little over 50' between the stalls which is sufficient to back-in.

The facility has a washstation, onsite air hose, a restroom, and an RV dump. Each unit has an individual power meter with outlets, lights, etc. and water spigot outside. It is pretty much the ideal set up and about the same cost as a standard storage unit (which generally do not include the amenities).

[AllianceBJJ]

The Colony would be good if lake access is very close.

Pier 121 down not have fully enclosed, but we have put some tarps and other coverings up to keep the dust and "prying eyes" out...i beleive they are 12x30, but you can get 34 or 35 length as well.

All of this is a consideration with the G23...you are more than welcome to measure it when I pick it up this weekend to help you see the top end measurements.

[xrichard]

If I recall correctly, max towing width without permit is 8.5'...so you're not likely to see trailerable boats get wider than that. Many of the newer boats (even 21') are pushing against 8.5' on the trailer. 10' door width and 12' bay width should be adequate...though some people will not be able to manage that. Space between buildings is critical to allow people to line up...I have no idea how to calculate that number. But 25' trailers + 20' trucks means most people are already at 45' length...and many are pushing 50'.

For depth, 30' would be great but I think the bulk of folks would work fine at 28' especially since swing tongues are so common especially on the West Coast.

I would visit existing storage facilities (or just call them) to check their measurements. When I was developing apartments, I found most apartment managers were surprisingly open about many issues with respect to design and operations.

I think a bathroom is a good idea and might be worth the investment. If you don't want to spend the money up front, you can always use a porta potti service.

I also think it's worth it to go at least asphault drives and asphault or concrete in the bays. With gravel, I'd be turned off because of the dust.

I don't think a pressure washer is necessary, but a wash bay with hose would be a nice touch.

Forget the racks...people can provide their own.

If you need to save some money on construction, I'd think about limiting electric to one external outlet every several bays. That way folks can access electric with an extension cord if they need it...but you don't have the expense of installing in every bay nor of the bigger electric bill when people leave things plugged in. (Though it would definitely be a selling point to have electric in each bay so folks could leave battery chargers plugged in.)

[cedarcreek216]

The Colony would be good if lake access is very close.

Pier 121 down not have fully enclosed, but we have put some tarps and other coverings up to keep the dust and "prying eyes" out...i beleive they are 12x30, but you can get 34 or 35 length as well.

All of this is a consideration with the G23...you are more than welcome to measure it when I pick it up this weekend to help you see the top end measurements.

The site we found is about 5 minutes from Stewart Penn so lake access is very close.

[AllianceBJJ]

Nice. We have been considering moving ours, but convenience is a huge factor.

West Frisco to pier 121 and the privte ramp is a pretty good setup, just a bit pricey...

[cedarcreek216]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I am relieved to hear the majority feel 12'x30' would be sufficient. This size allows me to maximize the site with what I feel is sufficient drive space. The door height is something I need to consider, sounds like 12' should be the way to go.

Sounds like my wife wins on the no power washer and I think the appropriately spaced out shared outlets is a good idea rather than in every stall. I just want to provide something as I know without power to hang a light I would not be able to get mine in our unit at night.

[cedarcreek216]

Nice. We have been considering moving ours, but convenience is a huge factor.

West Frisco to pier 121 and the privte ramp is a pretty good setup, just a bit pricey...

I was thinking we could get $125-$150 for a nicely thought out and built facility, what do you think? Isn't Pier 121 close to $200 a month?