How to store a PVC boat in winter

Lightweight, durable and unpretentious PVC swimming equipment is becoming increasingly popular among anglers and lovers of traveling along lakes and rivers. But storing a PVC boat in winter is significantly different from how a similar product made of rubber is stored. If you do not take these features into account, you can by the spring be left without a means of transportation on water.

Features of PVC boats that need to be considered

The popularity of PVC boats is explained by their availability and the widest range. Everyone will be able to choose a product depending on the purpose of use and at the best price. So, just to ride with your family along the calm surface of the water near the beach, an inexpensive light boat made of single-layer material is quite enough. Fishermen need higher strength and the ability to install a motor. And for fans of extreme rafting on rough rivers, you need a swimming tool made of durable, multilayer, reinforced PVC.

In the summer, storing these products is not particularly troublesome. They tolerate high humidity and high temperatures well. But to constantly keep them in the sun is still not desirable.

The only feature that needs to be considered in the warmer months is that PVC cannot stretch in the same way as rubber. Therefore, boats made of this material must not be inflated too tightly. When heated in the sun, the pressure in the cylinders rises, and the boat may burst. The optimum pressure is about 0.25 kg / cm² (185 mmHg column).

This material does not deteriorate from low temperatures, but if the needle of the thermometer drops below minus 10 ° C, it becomes very brittle and can burst on bends even from a slight impact, for example, when shifting from place to place.
PVC products, for unknown reasons, are very fond of mice and rats. Therefore, they must be stored for storage in places that are not accessible to these rodents.
Thus, in winter, the boat can be stored in any dry, enclosed area, such as a garage. A barn, storage room, insulated balcony or summer kitchen are quite suitable for these purposes. It is optimal that the temperature in the storage be in the range from minus 10 to plus 45 ° С.

It is not advisable to put such products under the beds, in the drawers of sofas and other places in the living room, since substances harmful to the human body are released from PVC.

It is not necessary to pour this material with talcum powder, or wipe it with any lubricants before long-term storage (as is done with rubber boats).

In no case should PVC products come into contact with aggressive materials - solvents, gasoline, oils, silicone, as well as their vapors.

How to store a PVC boat in winter

Having understood the characteristics of the material from which the products are made, you can easily understand how to store a PVC boat in winter. Before placing the boat in storage, it should be prepared.

• First of all, the boat must be washed thoroughly. It is better to do this if it is pumped up. Particular attention should be paid to the joints of the bottom with the sides. It is convenient to use a soft brush or sponge for this. For washing, you can use a soap solution or dishwashing detergent type "Fairy". This will not only allow you to better clean the surface of the boat, but also help to detect minor damage and punctures, if any. In addition, detergents will destroy the smells of fish and bait that attract rodents.
• If damage is found, they should be marked with a marker. After drying, the boat must be repaired.It is better not to store a craft that has punctures, since in winter they will increase significantly, and it will be much more difficult to glue them.
• After washing the boat you need to dry well in the shade in the inflated form. Particular attention should be paid to the folds, joints of the bottom with cylinders and other inaccessible places. Do not allow moisture to remain in them. In an unheated garage, the remaining moisture will freeze and may damage the boat.

• While the floating means is drying, all accessories - oars, pump, seats, need to be put in order. They also need to be washed and dried well. Repair if necessary. In winter, it is better to store accessories separately somewhere on a shelf in the garage.
• If the room allows, then the boat is best placed for winter storage slightly pumped up in a suspended state, and you need to hang it on wide planks or ribbons. It should not touch walls or other objects.
• More often these products are stored in a deflated state. Before packing, the boat must be folded correctly. To do this, it is laid on a flat surface, for example, on the garage floor, unscrew the valves and squeeze the air out of the cylinders. In this case, it is necessary to start from the places farthest from the outlet openings, gradually approaching them.
• Fold the cylinders from the sides to the bottom of the boat so that they are pressed against the edges of the transom. After that, the boat must be carefully rolled up and put in a pre-prepared case or bag. The boat should be packed as free as possible and without sharp, taut bends. Some manufacturers recommend a special folding scheme for their products. In this case, the description in the instruction manual will be followed correctly.
• Separately pack accessories (oars, halyard, pump, etc.).

When laying a PVC boat for long-term storage, it is necessary to pay attention so that there is no additional pressure on it from the outside. The surface of the shelf should be flat, without corners and protrusions. Do not stack several packages on top of each other, place other things or accessories on them. If there is not enough space, then the craft should lie at the top of the stack.

• If the boat is in a warm room in winter, then it is advisable to deploy it periodically (at least once every two months), let it lie down for some time in a flattened form, and then put it back in place.
• When storing a PVC watercraft in an unheated garage or other cold room until the spring, it is not even advisable to touch it, much less deploy it. In frost, the material becomes brittle and will burst from the slightest bend.
• To protect PVC products from rodents, you can use poisonous baits and special preparations. They are scattered at the storage location around the perimeter of the package. Do not allow direct contact of the boat with these drugs, since it is not known how the chemicals contained in them can affect the plastic. The results may be the most deplorable.

In the case when the watercraft was stored in an unheated room in winter in a collapsed form, a boat must be prepared before going out into the nature. Therefore, you should get it from the store in advance. Do not rush to remove the product from the cover. Let the temperature of the material equal to the surrounding temperature (it’s still quite cold in the garage in the spring).

After warming up, the boat must be carefully laid out on a flat surface, allowed to mature for several hours, so that wrinkles and bends are straightened, and only after that do not pump up tight. Leave it inflated for another couple of hours. After this, the swimming means can be lowered, laid in a case and calmly collected in nature.

The rules for storage and operation of products made of such material are quite simple and based on its features. If the storage of their PVC boat was organized correctly, then it will serve without problems for several years.