The biggest threat to dry storage is wood rot. Unfinished wood exposed to moisture and air is vulnerable to this evil that makes for many sleepless winter nights of worry. For this reason we always seasonally refinished our vessels (paint, varnish and teak oil)  in the Fall before storage to ensure absolutely no bare wood would be exposed for the long winter months. As for covering, this is a debate that my Grandfather, Father, Uncles, Sisters, Cousins and I have argued at nearly every Thanksgiving I can remember when I was still near my coastal home. Because we meticulously went over all our boats from stem to stern repairing and refinishing when necessary before storage in the Fall there were some in the family that said a good finish is all the cover needed. “Better to let it breath and shed winter weather then to get beat down by wind battered tarps” some say. Others, (me included)  prefer to preserve the hard work of the Fall refinish to be as pristine as possible for the Spring launch. For this I and  others in my family cover our dry stored boats in the winter.

Assuming your finishes are all good with no exposed wood you will be fine to store your boat upside down on saw horses. I would recommend running stringers between the horses to spread the load over a larger area. Also be sure you leave the stern slightly lower than the bow to allow any moisture to run off any of the rails, stems or other horizontal surfaces allowing any water to not stand or puddle. As for covering I don’t like anything touching the finishes so we construct A-Frames over our vessels and cover those with tarps. They don’t’ need to be shed size only sufficient to allow a foot or more between fabric and hulls. I leave both ends open with enough overhang that sideways rain or snow during squalls don’t enter allowing sufficient air flow. I despise modern blue tarps and much prefer good duck canvas with sturdy brass grommets. They hold up to most weather and snow load and won’t irritate your wife and neighbors when they pop like bull whips in heavy wind.

Stay warm. . . Only 54 days until spring and hopefully less for ice off.

JP

Curt,

I looked up your town in Wikipedia and it appears that in that part of Texas your biggest problem will be sunlight. As long as you have enough coats of varnish and your paint is solid, you should be OK for UV exposure. Just check it every now and then and maybe plan on an annual touchup/refinish. Remember, boats at dock in marinas get 24/7 exposure. Marine paints and varnishes are designed to handle this, so as long as you maintain the finish you should be fine. The 1 1/4 inches of rain per year will just wash the dust off and cool the boat,

Speaking of cooling, the one possible reason to put a cover over it is that red bottom paint. Since it's darker than the sides and trim, that's where the heat will concentrate. If it was my boat I'd arrange some kind of shade for the bottom, something that will let air circulate freely and carry off the heat. I wouldn't use the cover because that will trap the heat. Anything that provides shade between noon and 2:00 pm would be fine, so you should be able to find some setup that will pass the beauty committee.

Good luck,

Laszlo

JP,  I appreciate your ideas and funny stories!  I tend to agree it may be best to "tent it" while being stored, and to do any repairs now, instead of right before we leave in the spring.

Lazlo, you clever guy...how did you figure out where I live?  thanks for the info!  There is only one scratch in the Brightsides, the rest are in the red bottom paint, and the red paint is worn off the bottom of the skeg down to the epoxy.  I have rope in the bottom edge of the epoxy on the skeg so there's no fear of it being worn close to the wood, but even so, I think I will repair the bottom paint, and then create some kind of shade cover for while it is being stored until we leave in the spring...the only thing that doesn't do is cover it for the 8 weeks it will be upside down on our car again this coming summer...last summer it was upside down on top of the tow-car for 10 weeks and the red did fade some, you could even see where the straps were a little bit...those strap marks have since faded possibly from sitting out in the sun the last 2 months, don't know..so do you think it's OK to protect it now under a tent, but leave it open to the sun the 8 weeks it will be on top of the car upside down?  PS it will be in salt water off Port Townsend WA next summer...cant wait!!

Also, I'm wondering if maybe I should order another quart of bottom paint, sand the current bottom paint smooth (but not off) and apply another couple coats of Pettit Vivid bottom paint to the entire bottom below the water line?

Thanks guys!

Curt

Don't worry Curt, I'm not stalking you. You've posted your phone number here many times and I just used the area code to find your town.  

The fading paint shows that it's absorbing the UV. If it starts getting too pale, just add some more.

It'll float better in salt water.

Have fun,

Laszlo

My Peeler Skiff is finished inside and out with Brightsides.  It's been outdoors only since last August, but there are no signs whatsoever of any aging of the finish.  Polyurethane is tough stuff.  I'm not as confident of the durability of varnish.  I have none on my boat.

My concern for the painted surfaces would be the bright red.  The sun gets pretty hot in Texas if I remember correctly.  You'd be amazed how hot dark colors can get.  Providing shade for the dark red would help alot.  The underlying epoxy can get pretty soft when heated.

Cheers,

Dick

Laszlo, Dick...good thoughts...think I will order another quart of bottom paint and give it a good old fashioned "bottom job", then keep it covered under a tent type thing. I love i that my boat only needs a quart to do a bottom job, not multiple gallons

Laszlo..funny,..I know you werent stalking, but I hoped you knew a way to find out information on fellow forum builders...I wish there was a way to click on a persons name and send them a private message.

Maybe the boat needs more time right side up with water under the bottom. The fancy carbon fiber kayakers make fitted covers for their boats. Since the fitted covers aren't loose the flapping and wearing of finish is less. I just freshen up the finish once a year and go on.

Update and 1 question for bottom of my dory:  It's been upside down in the sun more months than it's been right side up over the past year and am getting ready to take it North for the summer, again upside down on my car for 3 months getting there and back

Red bottom paint:
 I have prep sanded it, touched up epoxy scratches and ready to apply 2 new coats.

Brightside paint on sides of boat:
Just cleaned it with denatured alcohol, looks great...appears only a couple of small scratches needing a touch up with no general recoating

Interlux Schooner varnish on underside of rails and transom.(and here's my question)
When I did the varnish a year ago I applied about 5 coats to the underside of the rails and the transom.  The underside of the rails still look great with zero scratches.   Should I sand the underside of the rails lightly and add a couple coats of new varnish or is it OK to go one more year?  The transom has a couple dings I can touch up, but it also appears a very little bit yellowed.  I'd rather not recoat the transom and would prefer to just touch up the two dings, or, again, should I strip off the gudgeons and recoat the transom or OK to wait until next year?

Thanks!  Curt