Storing a Boat Near Deep Creek Lake: Outdoor, Indoor, Winter

Hauling a boat home after every weekend on the lake gets old fast. D&W Storage was started for exactly that reason, so people who wanted to enjoy Deep Creek Lake didn't have to tow their boats back and forth each week. It sits on the grounds of Double G RV Park in McHenry, Maryland, half a mile from the lake, and takes trailered boats, jet skis, RVs, trailers and automobiles.

The choice comes down to three options: summer outdoor, summer indoor and winter indoor. Here's how they differ and who each one fits. All prices below are as published by the park, and prices are subject to change without notice.

Summer outdoor storage

Outdoor storage runs May 1st through October 31st, and it's the budget choice. The published rates are $15.00 by the day, $75.00 by the week and $150.00 for one month. Longer stays are priced by the month and depend on whether it's a boat on a trailer or the trailer alone. Two months is $225.00 with a boat and $200.00 for a trailer only. Three months is $300.00 and $250.00. Four months is $375.00 and $300.00. Five months is $450.00 and $350.00. Six months, the whole season, is $525.00 with a boat and $400.00 for the trailer only.

Outdoor works well for a boat you use most weekends and that handles weather without fuss. A fitted cover earns its keep here, and so does a battery you can disconnect or top off. Seasonal campers get one outdoor summer space for a boat or boat trailer included with the site, one per site, so if you already have a seasonal spot you may not need to buy this at all.

Summer indoor storage

Indoor summer storage runs June 1st through October 1st, a shorter window than outdoor. The rates are higher: $25.00 by the day, $100.00 by the week and $200.00 for a month. Two months is $325.00 with a boat on a trailer and $300.00 for a trailer only. Three months is $450.00 and $400.00. Four months, the full indoor window, is $575.00 and $500.00.

Put the two side by side and the gap is clear. A three-month stretch costs $300.00 outdoors and $450.00 indoors for a boat on its trailer, a difference of $150.00. Whether that's worth it depends on the boat. If you have a finish you protect, upholstery that fades, or a boat you simply don't want sitting in the sun, a roof earns its price. If the boat is a workhorse that lives outdoors anyway, the outdoor rate is hard to argue with.

Winter indoor storage

Winter storage is indoor only, and it isn't climate controlled. It runs October 1st through June 1st and is open to boats, jet skis, RVs, trailers and automobiles. The park prices it as eight months of storage for the price of seven, with a 7-month minimum charge. Winter pricing isn't published as a table, so call for the number.

There are winter storage locations at Double G RV Park and at satellite storage facilities. Customers who store year-round get a discounted summer rate, which makes sense if you'd otherwise move the boat between yards. The park will also deliver to launches by appointment, but you have to be able to meet them at the launch.

One line deserves a plain reading. The park says, "We do not winterize or work on boats." Storage is storage. Before the boat goes in for winter, have the engine winterized by someone who does that work, and take care of the fuel stabilizer, the fluids and the batteries yourself or through your own mechanic.

How to choose

• Weekend boater with a hardy boat: summer outdoor, by the month or the full season.
• Someone who wants the finish out of the sun: summer indoor, within the June 1st to October 1st window.
• Anyone who wants the boat covered through the cold months: winter indoor, with the 7-month minimum in mind.
• A seasonal camper at Double G: ask about the outdoor space that comes with your site first.
• Someone using the lake only for a week: the weekly rate, $75.00 outdoors or $100.00 indoors.

Count the months before you decide. If your boat will be in the yard from June through September, four months of outdoor storage at $375.00 for a boat on a trailer beats a 4-month indoor price of $575.00, though the indoor price protects it more. If you'll store from May through October, the outdoor six-month rate of $525.00 is a clean fit. Pick the window that matches how you really use the boat, not how you hope to.

Your next step

Call (301) 387-5481 with the boat's size, whether it's on a trailer, and the months you want. The office can tell you what's open, and you can ask about winter pricing in the same call. The Boat and RV Storage page on this site has the published rates if you'd like to look them over first.