Step 1 — Clean and dry it completely

1. Rinse the whole boat with fresh water, inside and out. River silt holds moisture against the hull all winter, and any material you picked up on the Rock or Kishwaukee should not remain over winter with your boat.
2. Wash with mild soap and a soft cloth or sponge. Skip household degreasers and abrasive pads — they strip the UV inhibitors built into the plastic.
3. Open every hatch and drain every compartment. Tip the boat, drain the cockpit, and pull the drain plug if it has one.
4. Let it dry completely before storage — at least 24 hours, longer for inflatables. Trapped moisture is what causes mildew on foam seats and corrosion on hardware.
5. Wipe down foam seats, backbands, and thigh pads separately and let them air-dry. These hold water long after the hull looks dry.

Once dry, apply a UV protectant made for boats such as 303 Marine Protectant, to the hull and deck. Use a marine or paddlesport-specific product, not an automotive tire shine — some of those contain solvents that dry out polyethylene over time.

Step 2 — Inspect and repair

Storage is the best time to find problems, because you have all winter to fix them instead of discovering them at the launch ramp in April. Walk the boat and check:

• Hull: deep gouges, cracks, soft spots, or oil-canning from last season's storage.
• Hatches and bulkheads: cracked seals, loose rivets, delamination.
• Deck rigging and bungees: sun-rotted cord, frayed perimeter lines, corroded fittings.
• Seat, backband, and foot braces: cracked plastic, stripped adjusters, seized tracks.
• Skeg or rudder: grit in the cable housing, bent blades, stiff deployment.
• Paddles: cracked blades, loose ferrules, worn drip rings.
• PFD: cracked buckles, frayed webbing, compressed foam. Replace a PFD with compressed or waterlogged foam — it no longer floats what it says it floats.

Fix what you can now, and bring anything you are unsure about into the shop before spring, when the repair queue is three weeks deep.

Step 3 — Strip the accessories

Remove and store separately:

• Electronics, fish finders, and any kayak motor or battery — batteries store indoors, off concrete, at partial charge.
• Seats and backbands that detach.
• Dry bags (store them unrolled and open, or they take a set).
• Paddles, broken down at the ferrule.
• PFDs — hung, not compressed under anything.

Leaving a battery or a wet dry bag in a boat over winter is the single most common way people turn a $40 problem into a $400 one.

Step 4 — Choose the right storage position

This is the step that actually protects the hull, and it works differently by boat type.

Hard kayaks and canoes

Store on the side or on edge, never flat on the hull, and never hanging from narrow straps. The strongest part of a kayak is its sides; the weakest is the flat of the hull under sustained pressure.

Method	Verdict	Notes
On edge / on its side, supported at bulkheads	Best	Distributes weight along the strongest structure
Wall-mounted J-cradles or padded arms	Best	Off the floor, out of the way, spreads load
Suspended in wide padded slings	Good	Slings must be 4+ inches wide, placed at bulkheads
Upside down on padded bars or sawhorses	Good	Deck down, hull up — never hull down
Flat on the hull on concrete	Avoid	Flat spots, cold transfer, moisture wicking
Hanging by grab handles or toggles	Avoid	Concentrates all weight on two small points
Standing vertical on one end, long-term	Avoid	Fine for a day; over months it deforms the end

Canoes follow the same logic: store a canoe upside down on padded gunwale supports or racks, never resting on its hull, and never with anything stacked on top.

Whatever the method, support the boat at two points near the bulkheads rather than in the middle, and pad every contact point. Pool noodles split lengthwise work; purpose-built padded racks work better.

Inflatables and SUPs

Inflatable kayaks and iSUPs have the opposite problem — the enemy is creasing and critters, not hull pressure.

• Dry it completely. Truly completely, inside the chambers if water got in. Any trapped moisture means mildew by March.
• Deflate fully, or store partially inflated. Both work. If you have the space, storing an iSUP lightly inflated (around 3–5 psi) and lying flat is gentlest on the seams. If space is tight, deflate and roll loosely rather than folding along hard creases.
• Roll, do not fold. Sharp repeated creases are where PVC eventually cracks.
• Store in the bag, in a climate-stable spot, inside a sealed bin if rodents are a possibility.
• Never store it hot. An attic or a closed car in a warm spell pressurizes the chambers and stresses seams.

Hard (epoxy) paddleboards follow the hard-boat rules: on edge in a padded rack, or flat on wide padded supports, out of the sun, never leaning on a rail against a wall.

Step 5 — Indoor vs. outdoor storage

Indoors and unheated is ideal — a garage, shed, or basement that stays dry and out of direct light. Temperature swings matter less than sun, moisture, and pressure. If you must store outdoors:

• Get it off the ground on a rack. Never directly on concrete or soil.
• Cover it, but use a breathable cover, not a sealed tarp. A plastic tarp traps condensation and creates a greenhouse that does more UV and moisture damage than no cover at all.
• Leave a hatch cracked or the cover vented so air moves through.
• Store it on edge or upside down so snow and rain cannot pool in the cockpit.
• Block the openings against rodents — steel wool in the cockpit opening, or a fitted cockpit cover.

A heated garage is fine, but keep the boat away from a furnace, water heater, or any direct heat source. Sustained heat softens polyethylene and accelerates deformation.

What you need

Frequently asked questions

Can I store a kayak outside in winter?

Yes, if you do it right. Keep it off the ground on a rack, store it on edge or upside down so water cannot pool, and use a breathable cover rather than a sealed plastic tarp — a tarp traps condensation and can cause more damage than no cover. Block the cockpit against rodents. Indoor, unheated storage is still better if you have the space.

Vertical or horizontal storage — which is better?

Horizontal on edge is better for long-term storage. Store a kayak on its side, supported at two points near the bulkheads, on a padded rack or in wide slings. Standing a kayak vertically on one end is fine for a day or two but will deform the end over months of winter storage.

How do I keep my kayak hull from warping?

Never store it flat on its hull, never hang it by the grab handles, and support it at the bulkheads rather than the middle. Store it on its side or upside down on padded supports, keep it out of direct sun, and keep it away from heat sources. Polyethylene deforms under sustained pressure and heat, not cold.

Should I deflate my SUP for storage?

Either works. Storing an inflatable SUP lightly inflated at around 3–5 psi and lying flat is gentlest on the seams if you have the room. If space is tight, deflate it fully and roll it loosely rather than folding it along hard creases. Make sure it is bone dry first, and store it in its bag somewhere temperature-stable — never a hot attic.

Get your boat put away right

Winterizing takes an hour. Fixing a warped hull takes a new boat. Come in and we will help you size a rack to your garage, pick the right cover, and sort out any repairs before the spring queue builds.

Rocktown Adventures · 313 N. Madison Street, Rockford, IL 61107 · (815) 636-9066

Tuesday–Friday 10 a.m.–6:30 p.m. · Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. · Sunday 11 a.m.–5 p.m. · Closed Monday (open by appointment)