After you’ve purchased your sit on kayak, the next step is to get it wet and take it for its maiden voyage. But once all the excitement has passed, you then have to think about storing your sit on kayak. There’s no getting past the fact that a sit on kayak is a big, heavy and cumbersome object that the wife (or husband) won’t take kindly to being displayed in the middle of the living room. You do have some options though…
No garage – no worries
The ideal situation is of course to be in a position where you have a large garage or shed that has room for your kayak to be stored. With space always at a premium though, this isn’t always possible. A simple and quick win for storing you boat is to buy a couple of hardwearing weatherproof tarpaulins. You can get these from any hardware store and they will go some way to keeping the elements and wildlife from eating away at your prize possession. The downside of this method of storage is that it can make the space appear untidy. It does make your sit on kayak easy to retrieve for those after work paddling missions though. You can also buy simple to erect lean-to’s that you may be able to position at the side of a building. This is a good method of storage as, although your sit on kayak is outside, it is more or less protected and offers easy access.
Summer vs. winter
Let’s not beat about the bush here: For some people, indulging in a water sports activity during the icy grip of winter is just not going to happen. Too many of us are put off by plummeting air temperatures. This means that during the off season it may be possible to store your sit on kayak in a space that doesn’t require easy access. Come spring, when you are raring to get back on the water, you will have to devise a secondary storage solution – but you have all winter to decide on that!
Pulleys and ropes
If you do have a garage or shed where the floor space is filled with your usual junk and clutter, then consider devising a pulley and rope system with which to raise your sit on kayak up into the roof space. Most garages and sheds have ample room above your head that is not utilised and with a little bit of time, thinking and effort you can assemble something that does the job perfectly.
The inflatable option
In many cases it just may not be feasible to own a large plastic sit on kayak. Many people, particularly those of us who reside in cities, just don’t have the storage space for such a toy. In this instance you may want to consider purchasing an inflatable sit on kayak. These products are great for traveling with and take up no space at all. Simply chuck the bag and pump into the back of your car and hit the water. Inflatable technology has advanced to the point where even though your sit on kayak may be filled with air, they feel rigid enough and behave almost like the real thing on the water. There are some drawbacks – such as needing to ensure you fill your inflatable with the correct amount of air, and the potential for developing a puncture – but these negatives are few and far between and the inflatable sit on kayak option may just be the right choice for you.
Accessories
You will also need to think about the storage of your paddle, buoyancy aid and wetsuit/drysuit. These items are nowhere near as tricky to store as your boat, but a bit of thought will still be needed. Buoyancy aids/ PFDs and wetsuit/drysuits/surface immersion suits will need to be aired to stop them going mouldy. You may want to consider making some form of hanger for these, while your paddle, once dried, could fit discreetly behind any kind of upright object to hide it from view. Alternatively you could choose to keep your paddle with your boat.
Whichever way you look at it, owning a sit on kayak will require some thought with regards to storage. Usually there is a sensible way to overcome any initial problems. While you may have to build something, such as a pulley and rope system, this too can be a fun part of being involved with the sport!