[Kilroy]

I'm putting my 2010 16' Odyssey PVC boat up for the winter. The boat is new to me this season, and although I love it so far, I know little about pvc material. (I've been an avid hypalon guy since 1994 when I purchased my other boat new) it's obvious to me now that the rubber rolls much better...

Question: is it ok to roll it tight and let it be for the winter, without any damage? Obviously I'll consider moisture, temp, and rodents. I'm concerned about creases and other things that I may be unaware of.

Any advice would be appreciated, thank you.

(photo with hypalon being the smaller roll, both stored on wooden box with rollers)



Not rolled very tight right now.

 

[OregonRafter]

Advice would be don't roll it for long term storage. It you have to the looser the better. Any way you could leave it partially inflated? Or even suspend it from the garage ceiling from pulleys?

 

[Learch]

PVC/ urethane sucks for storing rolled up. Sotar says you can store their boats rolled up, but I don't think I can even get mine in the supplied boat bag

 

[shappattack]

I have been storing my aire boats rolled for many years with no issue.

 

[DoStep]

One folds a PVC boat moreso than rolls it. It will store fine.

 

[Powdawg]

PVC storage.

I hang my partly inflated Vanguard from a rack on the garage ceiling in the winter. Rolled it up for a couple of winters prior and had no issues. I felt like I had the space to hang it and that it might preserve the material just a bit better. Not sure you can really go wrong as long as you're conscious of how your storing it.

 

[Wavester]

Use an electric inflater pump to suck the air out aand then roll it as tight as you need too. Also a good idea to store and transport it in a bag if you don't keep in on a trailer.
Don't worry about storing a PVC or Urethane boat rolled up, people including me have done it for years.

 

[Andy H.]

Also a good idea to store and transport it in a bag if you don't keep in on a trailer.

Ditto.

Lots of good info above.

When I was researching PVC boats awhile back I heard somewhere that the majority of repairs to PVC boats are due to damage in transit or during handling. This is due to the abrasion and wear when a boat rubbing against stuff while driving to /from the river. If you're not trailering your boat rigged, storing & transporting the boat in it's bag, or at least rolled up in a tarp, are very important for a PVC boat.

If you're rolling and unrolling a PVC boat, do it when the material is relatively warm.

-AH

 

[Kilroy]

This is great information, thanks to all who have posted so far. I'm betting the issues all arise from the hard/sharp edges that form when rolled... I haven't seen edges like that on my hypalon boat, when rolled. I may even consider using a bit of vacuum to get a little more air out if I'm going to go through the trouble (risk) of rolling it.

 

[2kanzam]

In my experience sucking out every last bit of air in my pvc and urethane boats makes the edges of the folds REALLY sharp, and it concerns me.

So, I generally suck the air out and then let a little bit back in to "soften" the edges....and it seems to roll better like this too.

 

[Kilroy]

Good Advice, Thanks...

 

[Learch]

I'm pretty sure Sotar advises against sucking the air out of the tubes on their boats, I can only speculate why. I just looked through the site and I can't find where I read it. Jack's plastic welding has a lot of good info about material care and storage/ transport as well.

 

[yesimapirate]

Just leave it inflated in the living room all winter. If you spill a beer, drop a chicken wing, or dump a bag of doritos on it; there's really no concern about the clean up. Just take it outside and wash it off!

 

[Andy H.]

"Just leave it inflated in the living room all winter. If you spill a beer, drop a chicken wing, or dump a bag of doritos on it; there's really no concern about the clean up. Just take it outside and wash it off!"

As always, we've sound advice from yesimapirate. Other added benefits are that not only can you hold off on purchasing that expensive couch, loveseat and easy chair combo until spring, but there's nothing like having a 12' or 14' boat inflated in your living room to make you appreciate just how big it really is!

-AH

 

[Kilroy]

Hmmmm, that's a great idea. Any advice on how to ask my financial manager/activity director for permission to do this?

 

[yesimapirate]

Hmmmm, that's a great idea. Any advice on how to ask my financial manager/activity director for permission to do this?

I'm still waiting for that better-half permission myself. Something about the boat not matching the house's interior color scheme.

 

[Wavester]

Last year I dropped off one of my Sotors for some minor repairs, when I pulled it out afterwards I noticed they had rolled it tighter then I ever could. Either they are really good at rolling which is very possible or they use an electric pump. In fact all the dozens of boats I have seen at the shop have been rolled tighter then I can get my boats. If thats how they store their boats that's good enough for me.

I'm pretty sure Sotar advises against sucking the air out of the tubes on their boats, I can only speculate why. I just looked through the site and I can't find where I read it. Jack's plastic welding has a lot of good info about material care and storage/ transport as well.

 

[CoBoater]

its that factory packaging. you'll never pack it like that again.

 

[Learch]

I might have them add frame chafes to mine, I'm gonna make them show me how they do it lol. No, screw it, the trailer stays lol. I have the boat bag, but I seriously doubt I could get it in that damn thing zipped up

 

[2kanzam]

Hmmmm, that's a great idea. Any advice on how to ask my financial manager/activity director for permission to do this?

Tell her it's this or the motorcycle...


....works for me.