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I've seen various images / comments online of how people decide to store their kayaks.

Some people wall mount them, some have a rack, some stack them with padding, some hang them (horizontally / vertically) from walls, some hang them from ceilings or store them upright with padding.

We would ideally like to wall mount ours but currently do not have the space. They are roughly 9ft x 3ft (2.7m by 0.9m) and there are two of them. Storage for buoyancy aids, seats and paddles is all easily sorted.

Is there any way to store kayaks - inside or outside, in a home or garage - which is preferable to their longevity, or something you should particularly avoid when storing them?

Edit We are actually going to now build a custom shed for the kayaks and gear :)

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  • Seal it up before long-term storage. Spiders and other crawlers love to get in there and make themselves at home.
    – Chris Tanner
    Mar 2, 2018 at 6:17

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I think this site might have the answer for you.

Main points there are:

  • Protect against Hull Damage & Distortion. Do not let the kayak to bend, distort, and getting damaged.
  • Protect from Harsh Weather, Sun & Other Elements. The kayak is usually made out of materials which don't resist the sun infinitely, better to protect them from direct sunlight and of course other elements such as wind and storms.
  • Safety For Your Kayaks & Yourself. Some obvious things, don't let the kayak fall down on your or other's head when you try to detach or attach to the storage.

See more tips on the linked website for choosing the right space and place it contains valuable data on size, spaces between two kayaks etc...

On "hanging or lying" question it says:

store the kayak on its side; the strongest part of the boat

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  • Interesting answer and link, thank you! I'll have a look through.
    – Aravona
    Jul 22, 2014 at 8:52
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    That link appears to be broken (March, 2018). Thanks for putting so much of the information directly into the question! Some people don't understand why we try to be strict about not posting link-only, or almost link-only, answers. This is a perfect example! The link is down and yet we can learn from the answer! Of course, it would also be helpful to have a substitute link if you can find something similar. Thanks!
    – Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL
    Mar 2, 2018 at 23:58
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    Briefly: do not store a molded plastic boat on its side for a long time. Fiberglass will retain its shape because of the stiff glass fibers however molded plastic will “cold flow” or “creep”. Don’t let this happen in a way that causes the boat to become assymmetrical. If you have the space, on its belly or ideally back (if you can avoid the cockpit rim or hatches) is safer. Support the shape of the hull if you can (straps, foam, sandbags) but if not, flat spots are still probably preferable to assymetry that makes the boat track crooked.
    – mmcc
    Aug 16, 2018 at 2:16

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