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General Activities => Main Message Board => Topic started by: Wobegon on October 11, 2014, 06:00:05 AM

Title: Dinghy Storage in Winter - Rolled up or inflated and hanging from ceiling?
Post by: Wobegon on October 11, 2014, 06:00:05 AM
I have a 2006 Brig inflatable dinghy (PVC) with wood floor boards.  Each year I take it apart and roll up the dinghy, put in its storage bag and leave it in the garage for the winter.  Temperature rarely gets below 10 degrees here in Delaware, but is possible. This year, I am thinking about keeping it assembled/inflated and hang it from the ceiling of my garage.  I have read mixed reviews on how to storage it and would welcome opinions or experiences on what other people do.
Title: Re: Dinghy Storage in Winter - Rolled up or inflated and hanging from ceiling?
Post by: Roc on October 11, 2014, 07:04:51 AM
I have the same type of dinghy as you...  PVC with wood floor boards.  I take it apart, roll up the inflatable, and store it in my basement.  I've heard that mice like to eat the glue, and know friends that their dinghy was chewed to shreds.......  but we've never had a rodent problem, so it's been working well for me.  Based on that, supposedly it's better to keep it somewhat inflated.  However, that would make it rather large to store, if you have limited space.  Hanging it would work, just make sure you tie the platform to the ceiling joists... 
Title: Re: Dinghy Storage in Winter - Rolled up or inflated and hanging from ceiling?
Post by: mregan on October 11, 2014, 08:07:57 AM
I roll mine up and store it at my office.  I talked to my local dinghy repair shop. All they work on is inflatables.  They said not problem with keeping it rolled and stored all winter.
Title: Re: Dinghy Storage in Winter - Rolled up or inflated and hanging from ceiling?
Post by: Ed Shankle on October 13, 2014, 09:43:21 AM
I just roll it up and leave it on board, either below or on the deck in front of the mast, out of the way of my cover framework.

Ed
Title: Re: Dinghy Storage in Winter - Rolled up or inflated and hanging from ceiling?
Post by: Footloose on October 13, 2014, 09:48:10 AM
FWIW-I roll it up and put in in the upper level of the shed.
Title: Re: Dinghy Storage in Winter - Rolled up or inflated and hanging from ceiling?
Post by: Dave Spencer on October 13, 2014, 12:15:31 PM
I hung my slat floored rollup dinghy fully inflated hanging upside down in my garage over the winter.  I now have an aluminum hulled RIB and I'm doing the same thing. 
No consensus I guess - to paraphrase one of Stu's lines, YDYC.


Title: Re: Dinghy Storage in Winter - Rolled up or inflated and hanging from ceiling?
Post by: Andrew Harvey on October 17, 2014, 05:16:52 AM
I stored the portable removable floor board dinghy rolled up in the garage for 16 years no problem. Had to replace this year and went with aluminum RIB so am again storing deflated on its side in the garage. i picked a couple of the ultrasonic rodent deterrent devices.. just in case they have a hankering for some fresh new glue.
Title: Re: Dinghy Storage in Winter - Rolled up or inflated and hanging from ceiling?
Post by: Roland Gendreau on October 24, 2014, 07:21:55 AM
I leave mine inflated and stowed upside down on the bow of the boat. Although I cover the boat with a canvas cover, I give the dinghy a good treatment with the UV protectant spray stuff.

I used to deflate it, roll it up and store it in the garage but found that I increased the chances of an accidental puncture by doing that. Leaving it on the boat also means one less thing to transport to and from the marina.