Have you wondered if you could fit your boat inside your garage? You’re probably scared that its life span will be reduced if you leave it in the marina.
Do you want to cut the cost of maintaining your boat outside and divert the funds elsewhere?
Read through this article, and we will look at how tall your garage door should be for a boat. We will also check the average size of a garage that will contain your boat.
Here’s How Tall Your Grage Door Needs To Be For A Boat:
Your garage door should be at least 13 feet tall to allow any boat to pass through it. You have to consider that you will place your boat on a carrier or trailer, increasing the height.
Your boat might also have a radar, further increasing the height. If your garage door is 13 feet tall, it will accommodate all these.
How Tall Should Garage Door Be To Fit A Boat?
Your garage door is a large door that you open with your hands or with the aid of a remote. In most cases, garage doors are usually very large to accommodate large cars and other vehicles.
There are different types of garage doors you can choose from based on your choice. These include roll-up garage doors, slide to the side, tilt-up canopy, sectional, etc.
Garage doors help keep your vehicles away from rain, dust, snow, and burglars.
Garage doors can be made from different types of materials. This is based on what you want – your preferences.
Garage doors can be aluminum, fiberglass, steel, or wood. Your choice should be based on your location, the outlook you desire, and your budget.
However, do you know that the size of your garage door will need to change if you desire to pass your boat through it?
You can park your boat in the garage; however, you might have to alter the size of your garage doors to allow them in.
You might decide to park your boat in your garage because you want to keep it close. You might also decide to keep your boat in your garage because you want to avoid the dues required to keep it on the docks.
The height of your garage might vary with your location or the types of cars you desire to park in it. Your garage door can either be single or double, though the average height of a garage is usually 7 feet.
However, if you want to pack your boat in your garage, the door would have to go much taller. An average garage door height of 13 feet is ok for any boat you might want to park in your garage. This height considers the fact that you might need to take the boat on a trailer which will increase the height.
Below is a table of boats and the garage door heights that will fit them.
| Type of boat | Garage door height |
| 1. 1997 Sea Ray 250 Sundancer | 10 feet |
| 2. 20ft Sea Fox | 10 feet |
| 3. 28’ Wellcraft | 13 feet |
| 4. 24’ Robalo | 12 feet |
| 5.23’ Hydra Sport Vector | 12 feet |
| 6. 26-foot Cuddy | 9 feet |
| 7. Grady White 209 Escape | 11 feet |
It is important to note that you can’t push your boat into your garage. You would have to transport it on a trailer or carrier vehicle. This would, however, add to the height of the boat.
Also, some boats can come with or without their radar attached to them. A boat’s radar increases its height, so this would need to be considered too. The height of the boat on a trailer or with the radar attached has been considered in the table above.
How Wide Of A Garage Door Do You Need For A Boat?
The garage door in your house, on average, is 8 feet or 16 feet wide, depending on if it is a single-door or double-door.
The average width of a boat allowed to be parked in a garage is around 8 to 10 feet. Therefore, the garage door that your boat will pass through should be around 12 to 14 feet to be on the safe side.
You might be worried and concerned about why you should consider parking your boat in your garage. Let us look at some of the advantages of parking your boat in your garage:
- It keeps your boats dry and prevents damage due to climate changes.
- It increases security and reduces the chances of theft.
- It saves the cost of cleaning and maintenance.
- It reduces the costs involved in keeping it on the docks.
- It is free.
That puts a smile on your face, right? Yeah, you should be happy. However, you should be aware that there are cons to storing your boats in your garage. They include:
- It might limit the availability of space for other vehicles.
- Transport to and fro from the river or sea might be costly.
- There might be destruction to parts due to rodents and pests.
- It might limit the time you can take your boat out.
- There might be a limit to the number of maintenance facilities at your disposal.
What Size Boat Will Fit In A Garage?
Most small boats like fishing boats, day sailing boats, canoes, and skiffs with lengths ranging from 8 feet to 25 feet, can easily be stored in your garage.
However, boats of larger sizes like bowriders, cruiser boats, pontoon boats, etc., which have lengths between 16 to 45 feet, can also be stored in your garage. Though, you may need a slight alteration in the size of your garage.
Boat sizes can vary based on their uses, model, and shape. Their length usually ranges between 16 to 65 feet, their width ranges between 8 to 10 feet, and their height is between 8 to 13 feet.
Your boat can fit in almost any garage with the dimensions listed above. But if you also want to use this garage for work and store any other vehicles or tools, you might need to increase the size.
The table below shows the range of garage sizes and the boats it can fit.
| Garage Size in feet (Width x Length) | Average Boat Size (in length) | Examples of boats |
| 1. 14 x 22 | 16 – 30 feet | Centre console, Wakeboard |
| 2. 16 x 24 | 19 – 35 feet | Bowrider |
| 3. 20 x 20 | 15 feet and above | Pontoon |
| 4. 22 x 22 | 25 feet and above | Deck |
| 5. 32 x 22 | 25 feet and above | Cabin Cruiser |
| 6. 40 x 20 | 30 feet and above | Motor Yacht, Catamaran |
Summary
You can store your boat in your garage alongside your cars. To do this, you will have to alter the size of the door and interior of your garage to fit your boat.
The size of your garage door depends on the size of the boat and the amount you are willing to spend.
If you intend to keep other vehicles and working tools in your garage, you’ll also have to consider increasing the size of the interior.
References
blog.puls.com/what-are-the-6-types-of-garage-doors
chiohd.com/blog/choosing-the-best-garage-door-material
extraspace.com/blog/self-storage/vehicle-storage/where-to-store-a-boat/
