How to Store a Kayak in a Garage | 7 Best Garage Storage Ideas


Before buying a kayak, many kayak owners will put a great deal of time into researching the pros and cons of different brands and types of kayaks, to make the best decision possible. For good reason too. A new kayak can be a decent size investment. However, there might not be as much thought and time spent considering how and where to store your new kayak. Proper storage to keep your kayak in useable condition year after year is just as important. With this in mind, storing a kayak indoors is usually the best option. Most people will naturally gravitate toward storing a kayak in the garage.

How to Store a Kayak in a Garage

Here are the best ways to store a kayak in the garage that will avoid damage to the kayak and save space in the garage.

  • Wall Rack
  • Overhead Suspension System
  • Vertical Storage
  • Kayak Stand
  • Free -Standing Kayak Rack
  • Wall Straps
  • DIY Solution

Below I’ll cover the 7 best ways to store a kayak in a garage. There are several different methods to consider, some are aftermarket storage solutions and others include a DIY idea for those who like to do their own thing.

Why is Storing Your Kayak in the Garage is a Good Idea?

Kayaks are not small pieces of equipment. How to store a kayak in the garage can become a hurdle to overcome. Unless you’re considering buying a folding or an inflatable kayak, you’ll need to come up with a storage solution for the kayak.

Most kayaks will be at least 10′ long. So, finding an adequate area for storage, while also not taking up a ton of real estate in your garage is always a challenge.

When opting to store your kayak indoors, the garage is the most likely and convenient place to do this. Sure, you can store your kayak outside in the elements too, but here are some of the reasons why that might not be the best idea when it comes to the longevity of your kayak.

UV Exposure

UV rays that accompany direct sunlight are incredibly damaging in general, but when a kayak is directly subjected to UV exposure it can damage the hull material. This can cause oil canning, fading, and degradation to the material.

UV rays are not just damaging to plastic either, fiberglass, and fabrics can be damaged as well. In fact, UV radiation can cause the very breakdown of the polymer chains present in plastic that give plastic its strength.

Moisture

Moisture from rain and snow can corrode and degrade the kayak material over time when exposed. Plastic, in particular, will absorb water and moisture can weaken the molecular bonds in the plastic.

Extreme Heat

Even if your kayak is kept away from the direct sunlight and UV rays from the sun, exposure to high degrees of heat can still cause damage. Plastic kayaks can become misshaped from the heat over time.

Extreme Cold

The cold itself is not always as big of an issue when it comes to exposure for a kayak, but it’s usually the freeze-thaw cycle that can be damaging. Fiberglass kayaks are particularly sensitive to this freeze-thaw cycle.

Preparing Your Kayak for Storage in the Garage

Before putting your kayak away for the season, or even before storing it away in-between uses, there are some basic maintenance steps to take to keep the kayak in tip-top shape for years to come. You don’t necessarily want to drag your kayak out of the water, throw it on the J-rack, drive home and toss it right into garage storage. Be kind to your kayak and take these easy pre-storage steps.

Wash the Kayak if Needed: if your kayak has dirt, sand, algae, and debris on it from use or even saltwater use, you’re going to want to hose it off and use some fresh water to clean the kayak before putting it into storage, especially for an extended period of time. Pay special attention to the rudders and cables if you have them. Take off the spray skirt if necessary and wash separately. If you have an inflatable kayak, cleaning, drying, and storing is even more important.

Let the Kayak Dry Out Completely: Even if thorough cleaning is not needed, still make sure all the water is gone before storing the kayak away. Dump out any water sloshing around in the cockpit, use a bilge pump if necessary or if you have a sit-on-top kayak, pull all the scupper plugs, and let drain.

Need a bilge pump? Check out this complete buying guide for the best bilge pumps for your kayak.

Important Tips for Kayak Storage

kayaks in storage

Kayak is Kept Clean

As just described above, make sure your kayak is clean and free from sand, dirt, algae, dried salt, and water in general before storing the kayak away in the garage.

Kayak is Not Resting On its Hull

Oil canning can become an issue with kayaks that are stored lying flat on the ground directly on the hull. Don’t know what oil canning is? Take a look at this post here.

Straps Are Not Overly Tight

Strapping down your kayak is always a good thing, but strapping it down extremely tight can cause the hull material to become deformed over the long term.

Consider a Kayak Cover

Even when storing your kayak indoors, there still is the opportunity for exposure to sunlight, moisture, dust, and debris. A kayak cover can help to protect the kayak from these potential issues.

Avoid the Ground

Laying the kayak on the ground, especially in a garage is just inviting damage to take place. Even if you’re able to avoid damaging the kayak, just the fact that it’s laying on the ground can cause the hull to bow in unwanted places. This bowing can affect the performance of the kayak in the water next time you take it out.

Don’t Hang by the Handles

Hanging a kayak by the handles can actually put pressure on the ends of the kayak, especially if left to hand from the handles for the long term. Again, deforming can take place at the ends of the kayak near the handles.

7 Best Ways to Store a Kayak in the Garage

1. Wall Rack

wall mount for kayak

A wall rack is a popular and easy-to-install solution for storing a kayak in your garage. You’re going to want to look for mounts that are J-shaped and have padding for a soft cradle of the kayak.

You’ll want to make sure to locate studs for mounting. Otherwise, there is the possibility of the racks falling off the wall under the weight of the kayak.

Mounting the kayak low enough that you’re still able to get the kayak up and into position on the wall is easy enough for one person if needed. Wall space can be an issue here though. Typical kayaks are usually at least 10′ long, if not longer.

So, you’ll want to make sure you actually have the wall space before going with the wall mount option for your kayak storage solution. As a bonus, there are also wall mount racks that have available space to mount the paddle with the kayak.

With the kayak hanging on the wall, you’ll take up some space along the wall, but you’ll also have to consider the amount of space that the kayak sticks out from the wall. If you have a narrow garage, make sure after you’ve parked your car and have the kayak mounted there is still room to access your car or other areas of the garage.

2. Overhead Suspension

overhead kayak storage in a garage

Sometimes you’re going to have to go up if you’re going to find the room to store your kayak in the garage. Hanging a kayak using an overhead suspension system can be a great and creative option for saving space and creating storage in a garage.

However, the overhead suspension option is a much more involved installation that can take some planning beforehand to make it all work right.

You’re going to want to either buy a kayak hoist system or build your own to fit. A store-bought overhead suspension system, specifically made for a kayak will come with all the necessary parts and instructions for installation.

This way you won’t be left guessing at what to mount and where connections are made. Multiple kayaks can be stored this way too.

3. Vertical Storage

kayak stored vertically in garage

If you like the idea of storing your kayak on the wall of the garage but don’t have the horizontal space to do so, there is the option to go vertical. The only catch here is to make sure you have the vertical space for a tall kayak. Depending on the length of your own kayak this may or may not be an issue.

Using a vertical storage option will require straps that attach to the wall. It’s still important to find studs for the anchor points, but the straps themselves are only there to keep the kayak from falling over, instead of supporting the full weight of the kayak.

Most of the weight will be at the end that sits on the ground. Make sure to place some padding or other material under the end of the kayak that is resting on the ground.

4. Kayak Stand

kayak portable stands

If you aren’t into the installation of a fancy kayak hoist system or trying to mount a heavy kayak on the wall of the garage, there is the option of the portable kayak stand.

The good thing about the portable kayak stand is being able to set up the stand as needed and get your kayak easily on the stand and secured quickly.

It’s possible you’re renting a house and you’re not able to drill holes in the wall. No worries, a kayak stand can solve this issue. Plus, your kayak won’t be stored in one place at all times. If needed, the kayak stand makes it easy to move to a different spot if it gets in the way.

The one issue with this option is that it takes up floor space, which is usually limited in most garages. This is especially true when you’ll be sharing the garage with parked vehicles. If this is the case, the kayak stand could be a hassle and even not an option, since they do tend to take up floor space. Make sure to carefully measure the available space with vehicles parked in the garage before going with this option.

5. Free-Standing Rack

freestanding kayak storage rack

A free-standing rack is very similar to the portable kayak stand shown on option 4, but these free-standing racks are often less portable and made to store multiple kayaks.

A nice feature of these racks is that they are adjustable to fit the size of your kayak. The hooks can also be made adjustable when making room for adding multiple kayaks.

Again, the drawback here can be floor space, and with the free-standing rack, especially when holding multiple kayaks, it’s not as portable to move out of the way if needed.

6. Wall Straps

two kayaks stored in garage with straps on wall
photo courtesy of www.austinkayak.com

Wall straps are similar to the wall rack discussed in garage storage option 1. The difference here is that instead of J-type racks that cradle the kayak, the wall straps are just like they sound, they’re straps that anchor to the wall.

Again, finding studs for installation is key here because the kayak will be held up by the straps, one on the stern and bow, and hung horizontally on the garage wall.

The nice thing about the wall straps is the kayak will be more secure and the straps are a little more forgiving to the kayak when it’s stored for a longer period of time. When the kayak is not hanging on the wall, the straps are out of the way too.

7. DIY Storage Solution

DIY kayak storage

The good news here is you don’t always have to spend a lot of money on a kayak storage solution in your garage. It’s doesn’t have to look super fancy either. You are in a garage after all.

The option always exists to build your own solution. You don’t have to re-invent the wheel here either. Many of the options discussed can be built using DIY-type materials.

For example, a wall mount rack can be built using PVC piping and padding. An overhead suspension system can be built using ropes, pulleys, and eye-bolts and hooks with either webbing, straps, or ropes to suspend the kayak.

Alternative Storage Solutions

If your garage turns out to just not be an option for storing your kayak, you’re still going to have to find a place to store the kayak. Which will usually lead to the outside.

This isn’t really ideal given all the reasons listen earlier for why heat, cold, UV rays, and moisture can be a bad thing for a kayak while it’s in storage.

However, there are some steps you can take to properly store a kayak outside.

Kayak Shed

kayak shed for storage

A kayak shed is a structure specifically built to house a kayak. These sheds can either be built using your DIY skills or purchased as a ready-made version. The shed itself can be partially open or totally enclosed to the elements. This factor can sometimes depend on where you live and your local climate. However, the drawbacks of a kayak shed are, as usual, available space and cost.

The lack of space in your garage may have driven you to the outdoors for kayak storage options, but now you must find room to build a kayak shed too.

Before you slap down big-bucks for a pre-made shed or plan to build one of your own, make sure you’ll have plenty of room.

Cost can be prohibitive too. Of course, a pre-made shed can get expensive depending on the size you need and how fancy of a storage shed you buy. Even going the DIY route can mean a significant expenditure for a kayak storage solution.

Outdoor Kayak Storage Rack

Using a storage rack specifically meant for the outside environment can be a cost-effective and easy way to store a kayak if you don’t have the room in the garage. Some of these racks can mount to a fence or the side of the garage as a way to keep the kayak off the ground and shielded from the elements.

Kayak Tent

A kayak tent is a creative way to keep your kayak outdoors and also guarded against the elements, if only partially.

Basically, you’ll be building an A-frame with the horizontal beams as the racks for the kayak to rest on. The frame itself will be covered by a tarp to shield the kayak from the elements.

Rented Storage Space

Finally, if indoor in a garage, and outside is both not an option. you can rent space to store your kayak. This could be the case if you rent a small apartment. In this case, you won’t be able to store outside and definitely won’t be able to store easily inside. This is especially true if you have to walk upstairs to get to your apartment.

Remembering to follow the basic storage guidelines is still important, even when renting a space to store your kayak.

Final Thoughts

Storing a kayak in the garage is a great option. It’s typically going to be the easiest and best place to store a large bulky item like a kayak. A kayak definitely needs to be taken care of, even when it’s not in use. So, make sure to choose the best garage storage option for you and keep your kayak in great condition and ready to use year after year.

Marty

Hi, my name is Marty. Actively Outdoor is dedicated to delivering actionable tips and information when it comes to enjoying the outdoors. Whether it's kayaking, hiking, camping or even rock climbing, I want to help anyone get outside and actively pursue their passion.

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