I got question for you guys. Want to know your opinion. Looking at two different lengths of boats. One is a 16ft the other is a 17.5ft. I live in a residential area and have a two car garage. I have measured the garage and the 16ft boat and trailer will fit in the garage straight. Dont think the 17.5ft boat will fit in there straight but it might at an angle. My question is how much better is it to keep the boat in the garage compared to just covered up outside?

Way better in the garage unless you are going to trade often.

No comparison. A cover is a good temporary solution for short periods of storage, however there is no substitute for keeping in the garage.

i agree... garage it. that way you won't have to sleep on the sofa, you can sleep in the boat...

in the garage you can easily do the small maintanence things required.

I wouldn't own a boat if I had to keep it outside. TX heat and sun will cook one.

I once made a deal on a boat and on the paperwork it said subject to boat fitting in the garage.

No question for me but there are lots of people who do it. I also should probably mention that my wife claims I like my boats more than her

will it hold 2, Judd!?! must have city boys designing houses now days! my boat wont fit at an angle even... told the wife to not get too comfortable , we will be selling in a few years....

Not just city boy's. New homes on Lake Fork should be required to have 24' garages. Ours is only 19 1/2 but it is finished out nicer than my last house's interior rooms.

a cover provides adequate protection from sun and in most cases rain as well. Hail, falling tree limbs, and stray cats, not so good. Ants. Thieves. It's a bit of a hassle, and sometimes it collapses and lets water in, but it drains right back out. Temperature & humidity will take their toll, gradually. All in all, it's really not that bad. Myself, I'd take the bigger boat & cover it. You're talkin 15 square feet of deck space and maybe 25 cubic feet of stowage.

No. When we switched houses 2 years ago we debated on building for that reason and almost bought a house we didn't like just because one side of the garage was 30ft deep LOL.

We didn't have the time to wait for a house to be built so we bought an existing one...the garage is 19'6" deep by 18'10" wide and I have a 20'4" BassCat sitting in it. As my buddy says it is a garage full of boat But it is in there and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I agree these new houses and the garages are a joke. I couldn't even park my truck in there I don't think.

Garage!

UV rays will penetrate most any cover made today, and the heat underneath them is brutal, esp in Texas.

I heard if you own a Bullet you won't need to cover it.

My boat is 10 years old and has been garage kept the entire time. Still looks brand new. I am looking to buy a new boat this winter and first and foremost, it MUST fit in the garage!

Mike

Garage or some form of covered parking that gets the boat out of direct sunlight.

I keep my boat at a Boat and RV storage facility in covered parking. The parking space with a roof and the boat cover have kept my boat looking new. My boat is out of the sun the whole day.

I cover mine and it sits under the carport.

Without a doubt get one that fits inside.

I have had boats in the past that stayed outside and now have one inside and there is no way I would go back.

Aside from the issues mentioned above there is a major hassle factor involved. My boat stays loaded and ready to go. When I went to go to the lake I hook up the trailer, unplug the battery charger and go.

When the boat was outside I had to always load and unload all my poles, boxes, fishfinder, nets, laterns, tools etc. Also dealing with the cover by yourself is doable but not super easy. You can easily spend an hour loading all your stuff and making sure it is ready. I used to hate coming home late at night, tired from a long days fishing and then have to jack with unloading the boat.