If you have questions, e-mail us or give us a call. A boat is a major investment, and when it comes time to store a boat, it should be done with an eye toward protecting that investment. The sides and bottoms of most modern laminated hulls should never be required to accept concentrated loads, i.e. a large amount of weight on a few pads. Never store a boat with the mast stepped unless the masthead is secured to the ground to prevent the boat from tipping. The side area of a mast is more than sufficient to turn a boat over in high winds.
Boat stands, on the surface at least, seem to be an economical means for storing a boat.
The problem with stands is that each one transfers its load to a separate patch of ground and the ground is not a stable platform. When the ground cycles from wet to dry, freeze to thaw, etc. If stands are not constantly adjusted to compensate for this, they can loosen and spill the boat. Typically, in today s tightly packed commercial boatyards, this has meant that whole rows of boats go over like dominos. For these reasons, among others, some insurance companies refuse to cover boats or yards that use stands for boat storage.