Dinghypro Storage
As the boating season here in New England winds down, we are often asked what the best way to store an inflatable boat is. Well the first thing many owners may not be aware of is that inflatables tend to attract mice and other rodents. Rodents love to chew on the material as it is soft and makes a nice home for them in winter months. So wherever you chose to store you inflatable, make sure it is free from rodents. Some say that dryer sheets or moth balls will help keep them away but we are not sure that there is any real truth to that.
Whenever it is possible, keeping your Dinghy inflated will surely help to keep rodents away. The best method for storage is keeping it inflatable and covered, upside down helps too, inside and away from the elements. Foldable inflatables can be stored in their bags in a warm dry environment or inside your big boat away from harm. Hanging your inflatable either inflated or in the bag is also a good way to reduce the chance of being victim to a hungry rodent.
For larger ribs, especially those with consoles, we suggest keeping the boat well covered or shrinkwrapped if inside storage is not available. Storing the boat bow up to allow any water that gets in to drain will prevent things from freezing and possibly getting damaged. We’ve seen many ribs damaged from freezing water in the bilge due to the drain plug being left in.
DinghyPro has started a winter storage program for our local customers. Our first program for foldable inflatables is inside heated storage in our facility. All inflatables are cleaned, dried, pressure tested and any issues reported to the owner prior to storage. The boats are then stored folded in our heated racks with easy access for any repairs requested during winter storage.
For ribs, we offer storage as well outside and covered or shrinkwrapped depending on the size. All small open ribs are stored upside down and covered . Console ribs can be stored with us as well and DinghyPro offers shrinkwrapping for those boats.