For long-term storage, at least six months in the case of seasonal vehicles, heavy-duty poly tarps are ideal. Made out of rip-stop polyethylene, such tarps are treated to be UV resistant, waterproof, rot proof, and mildew resistant. As a result, the material, when surrounding a boat or RV, blocks out the sunlight and keeps the water from accumulating directly on the surface.

If you own such a vehicle, know that these elements can damage the surface – and even internal parts – over time. UV rays fade and crack a vehicle’s surface and can even damage internal parts. Water that accumulates wears away the surface and attracts mold, mildew, and dry rot, which further damage the vehicle. Because such a vehicle was a significant investment, don’t you want to get all you can out of it?

To cover your boat or RV with a poly tarp, find material that’s the right size. Before purchasing any tarp, measure the height, length, and width of a vehicle, and include all add-ons and appendages in your dimensions. A tarp should be able to cover all of this. For RVs, additionally, manufacturers also make tarps specifically shaped for the vehicle. But, no matter the size, shape, or vehicle being stored, the tarp needs to be secured. To prevent the tarp from blowing away or moving in the winter, secure it with bungee cords or clips.

Carports and portable garages essentially come in two types: powder-coated or galvanized steel. Other strong varieties, such as square tube shelters and truss buildings, are also on the market, but these, too, are divided between the two types of frame compositions. Although both are designed to handle the elements, galvanized steel – coating steel with zinc for rust and corrosion resistance – ends up holding up better than powder-coated varieties, which have paint baked onto the metal. While in the short term both may protect your vehicle for a season, a powder-coated steel carport may end up experiencing more wear and tear and is not practical for long-term use.

Galvanized steel carports, on the other hand, are designed to last several years – sometimes even up to 15 – when left outdoors. If you have a galvanized steel carport with a polyethylene cover for long-term use, check the polyethylene, as the lifespan of the material ends up being shorter than that of steel. If the polyethylene is torn, worn, or frayed, find a replacement cover of the appropriate size before the vehicle goes into storage.

On the other hand, a valance carport may not provide you with sufficient coverage in colder weather, and if a boat or RV is going to be stored under it for several months, the structure needs to be fully enclosed. To enclose the carport, find polyethylene side walls and replacement panels of the right fit to modify the structure.

First, make sure the shelter itself meets your – and your vehicle’s – needs. Consider the weather of your location. Do you experience large amounts of snow or rain in winter? Make sure, then, that the structure is strong enough to hold up to it. At the same time, the portable garage or carport should provide all-around protection against water, moisture, and UV rays, and an enclosed shelter is often ideal in this respect. However, if you presently use a valance carport or portable garage for shelter, modify it with appropriate side walls and front and rear panels.

If, on the other hand, you haven’t even purchased a carport or portable garage, find one that not only meets your physical needs but is also large enough for the vehicle and meets local ordinances. Before even looking at carports and portable garages, measure your vehicle – its width, length, and height. Add any appendages, such as a vent on an RV, into the dimensions as well.

At the same time, many areas have ordinances for portable structures, and they may restrict where you can add your carport or portable garage and how large it can be. Research these before looking at carports and portable garages, as they may end up posing limitations on the type of shelter you can buy. Otherwise, a carport or portable garage that violates these ordinances or building codes may need to be taken down or modified, and your boat or RV won’t be adequately protected as a result.

Currently, as explained in the Daytona Beach News-Journal, standards for storing and protecting RVs are more strict. The vehicles cannot be parked in a front yard for more than 72 hours and they cannot block streets, setbacks, or right of ways. Garages and carports are the preferred protective shelters. Both of these, however, must not exceed 40 feet.

Because Flager Beach, it seems, wants to emphasize its fishing image, boats can be displayed more, as the town considers them to be visually pleasing. Large RVs, however, are more often eyesores. Flager Beach, in order to have more boats seen around town, gives boat storage more leeway.

A second issue concerning storage is brought up on the News-Journal Piece: what do you do when you own two recreational vehicles? The town, it appears, wants to restrict the number of vehicles, both boats and RVs, that a household can own.

The recreational vehicle-related ordinances in Flager Beach are uncertain, but they set a specific example for those owning and storing such vehicles: check any local ordinances for that specific vehicle and for storage before you purchase not only a boat or RV but also a shelter. Storing a vehicle in a carport to the back or side of a house is standard, but an area may have different regulations for boats and RVs, as well as restrictions on the size of the portable storage building.

As a story from NJ.com shows, tarps have been involved in reducing erosion from the Hoboken waterfront. A sinkhole apparently formed in the area, and while the debris around the site is being cleared, erosion is still a problem. As the article explains, sandbags and tarps have been placed in the area to prevent erosion from happening by storms.

Because of a tarp’s waterproof properties, placing the material over an area experiencing erosion and securing it with sandbags is one approach to preventing more damage from occurring. While erosion can occur along any coastline, sinkholes and similarly sloped areas are also prone to it. As the NJ.com article mentions, the sinkhole in Hoboken started a week ago, and has expanded since then. Erosion would continue the expansion of the hole and would put sediment, silt, and other substances into the water.

This isn’t the only instance in which we’ve seen tarps used in such a context. A year ago, we reported that the Oregon silverspot butterfly was experiencing a reduction in habitat. Blackberry plants were overtaking meadow species, and to prevent their growth, tarps were added. Although the tarps didn’t eliminate the growth of non-meadow plants, they kept amounts down and allowed the butterfly, put on the threatened list under the Endangered Species Act, to continue to live in its natural habitat.

Portable garages are an affordable option for storing either of these seasonal vehicles. The shelter should have dimensions of the vehicle – measure the vehicle before you purchase anything – and should be installed in concrete into the ground. These shelters consist of a galvanized steel frame and an enclosed polyethylene canopy. To protect the vehicle inside, the canopy has been treated to be UV resistant, waterproof, and mold, mildew, and rot resistant. The strength of the frame, additionally, keeps the shelter from collapsing from wind or snow.

After the structure has been installed fully, the vehicle can go inside. For the six or more months the vehicle is in storage, however, it should be checked on occasion for mildew, mold, or dry rot build up – not likely, but it can happen – or animals living inside the shelter.

Tarps are another option for storing a vehicle. Many manufacturers carry tarps large enough to cover seasonal vehicles. Like purchasing a canopy, you should also know the dimensions of the vehicle before you buy. Tarps are draped around the vehicle and secured at the bottom by bungee cords or tie-downs.

In all cases, a tarp or a canopy protects the vehicle from exposure to water and UV rays, both of which can damage the surface of the vehicle. Water, additionally, builds up and attracts mildew and rot. As an option for storing, a canopy or a tarp gives protection and breathability to a boat or RV.

If the steel structure of a canopy is left on the beach and goes out to sea, the metal will eventually rust. Although not as harmful to marine life as plastic or Styrofoam items, anything that is litter going out into the ocean may harm marine life – and steel components may be harmful to larger marine creature. If you don’t know about how harmful litter of all types is to the ocean, Green Eco Services has a page detailing the effects of litter on marine creatures.

If you’re a beach goer, what can you do to prevent beach litter? The first thing is to take your canopy home. Most steel pop-up canopies are easy to transport and take in a car, so when packing up your things, remember to bring both the canopy and steel structure. If you see others leaving their steel canopies on the beach – but taking everything else with them – remind them about the canopy they’re leaving behind or, if the canopy is already abandoned, contact any local authorities to report the abandoned canopy. Although a steel canopy frame may be alone on the beach, the tide may rise and drag it out to sea.

For permanent outdoor canopies, what is the difference between a portable garage and an RV or boat shelter? Typically, it’s the size and the selection on Canopy Hut’s new product pages reflects this. The shelters on the boat canopy page can cover at least one boat, while the RV shelters are all long canopy structures with walls designed to cover at least one RV. The larger RV shelters are both wide and long to hold two RVs. In addition, other permanent outdoor shelters Canopy Hut now carries include car canopies, which are enclosed or open carports for one or more cars to fit under in all kinds of weather. All of these permanent outdoor canopies are by Shelterlogic.

The other new products now offered by Canopy Hut are temporary shelters that can be set up outdoors with ease. These shelters are called party tents, pop-up canopies, or wedding tents depending on the size – wedding tents are typically the largest of this kind – and Canopy Hut now has trade show canopies. If you’re planning on attending a trade show outdoors with many items to protect, one of these canopy structures can be folded up in your car and can be set up quickly once at the trade show. As this canopy is only for temporary use, it is designed to be taken out, put up, and transported with ease.

Shrink wrapping a boat is similar to shrink wrapping for any other product, but the primary downside of shrink wrapping a boat is its lack of breathability. The typical material is a plastic, flame-retardant UVI (UV inhibitor) which, when used with heat shrinking or welding methods, seals in moisture. Although the material is somewhat better than not protecting a boat, the sealed moisture will lead to mildew and dry rot. In addition, a heat shrinking package for a boat costs about $200 for storage for one year.

For the most economical option, tarping a boat with a heavy-duty poly tarp is your best bet. Although the tarp will typically last one winter, its durability to the elements will protect your boat. Polyethylene, as a material, is a breathable material will keep out moisture but, due to a high dernier of fabric weave, the polyethylene will also keep out moisture. In addition, a heavy-duty poly tarp is often UV treated and will protect the paint from fading and surface material from cracking.

A long term option for protecting a boat is a portable garage. A portable garage can store other vehicles during the year but the structure is breathable and, like a tarp, is UV treated, as well as anti-fungal treated, and will keep out water and UV rays and will allow for air circulation.