What would be the perfect boat storage facility
 

I have the opportunity to purchase 12 acres of land South of Baton Rouge near a boat launch off of the Amite River near Diversion Canal.

I am thinking of building a boat storage facility. The property is not very wide, but very long. I am a general contractor, and have the heavy equipment and manpower to clear the land and build the entire facility.

What are the things you need or want the most at a facility?

What are the things you could do without at a facility?

Should all of the storage be indoor, or some of both? It was suggested to me to also sell gasoline and oils at the site, and most boats would fill up on site.

I would like ideas on the things that other owners are doing right, and what they are doing wrong.

Is this Johnny Mack? Are you aware of the guy that was gonna build a dry stack in Port Vincent ? I might have some valueable information for you.:cool-smiley-011:

PM me any time. I owned a drystack for 7 years. Can give you lots of info.

Bill

I would definately have it heated if winters are below freezing there. That woudl be a big plus to your renters. Are you thinking more along the lines of rack storage or more of storage type units with each one having their own garage door so they can stay inside but have complete access to their boats at any given time?

Have you seen the info for the new Eliminator(i think) storage facility? Might get some ideas from that as well.

Not sure if the storage facility you are thinking of building is on the water or not, but this is what I like and don't like about my current storage facility.
My current storage is a heated dry rack storage on the water. I love that I can drop by have and them drop it in the water, and I'm gone. They rinse, and flush it before racking it again.
The reason I am leaving them after two years is, They can/will not drop my boat from the rack onto my trailer.
For me to take the boat to the shop for repairs and maint., or trailer it to the many poker runs during the summer, I had to drop it in the water, drive to a near by ramp, and pull the boat out on the trailer. Then I had to do the same in reverse when I wanted to get it back in storgae.
Too much work for me, and not a one person job.

insurance.....people can't get decent wind/hail coverage south of i-12 xcept through the state(citizens) on a home ..

so , don't know how $$$ your looking at for insurance for that type of biz...just something to think about...

cost/ return ratio too..alot of investment for the building ,travel lift or fork lift , bulkhead , (concrete which is outta sight these days) racks , etc...

how wide vs. length? what would be the longest boat you could rack and include the lift with room for movement?


i'm no contractor , just things to consider....

Property is not on the water. It is located approx 1-2 miles from a ramp. I was thinking more on the line of a large one story building with several independent storage units with garage doors. Sort of like a Lock and Leave It Storage. All units would be covered.

Each owner could store a trailered boat in unit. I would offer units that are climate controlled, to units that are covered and fenced in, not in a building. Could have units to hold boats from less than 20' to 50' or longer to accomidate the trailer.

I think of all the boat owners who live in sub divisions that restrict storage buildings. Would offer security cameras so that owners could log onto internet to see their boat.

Could build a couple of boat wash bins with high pressure washers, and flush.

now that sounds like a potential money maker! still long term..

security would be number 1 on the list though. defintally gated and well lit plus security cameras. don't know where exactly your talking about but thieves are everywhere.

also , if the lot is deep but not wide you have to compensate for the tow vehicle that each renter would use and how much space they actually need to jacknife a trailer into a stall .

again just my 2 cents ,some people can slip 40 ft trailers into a shoebox while some poeple couldn't back a sea doo in a garage to save their life:D

The property is approx 264' x 3000'. That is pretty narrow, but I would have to draw it on paper to see what setup would be the best.

I know how people are at backing up trailers, so I figure I could make each unit drive through, with doors on each side so even a inexperienced driver could pull the trailer into the bin.

I am checking on wetland status, and the 100 year flood levels. If the property is a wetland, US Corps of engineers permits are out of the question. I am going to get a cost estimate together. Like I said, I can clear the property, haul in and spread any dirt needed, form and pour the slab, and sub out the metal buildings. Concrete the climate controlled units, and limestone the rest of the site. 8' Hurricane fence with razor wire top. Door King automatic gate like the one found at appt buildings with owners supplied with keyless entry pads.

I think that selling gas would be a big plus. Most people using the storage could fill up their boats before leaving or upon returning. I could rig up a pump with a very long hose to accomodate boats with twin tanks.

Maybe hire someone to detail boats there during the week or weekends.

Just thinking out loud.

What would a boat owner be willing to pay to house thier boat in a climate controlled facility as described above? I would need to know this to see how many units or time it would take to pay itself off.

Thanks,

Wes

264 isn't bad at all, but dam that's deep!!! a little better than half a mile ..

i think to save on costs i would do part concrete and part just rock/gravel floor , if someone needs to just store a bay fish boat they wouldn't mind that . less cost to build (concrete)

now for your higher dollar boats , i would go concrete. a personal entry door too. the drive through is good but i would price out doors vs. solid wall on 1 side.

maybe line the back of the property with real deep back in only stalls, then do a set of drive through , then maybe back to back smaller units with single doors.

as for cleaning , do some free standing covers so that way while your washing your not getting cooked. i'd also offer RV /car trailerstorage. maximize you space/options .

more i think of that size space you have alot to work with. a good planner/designer should be able to maximize use of space/cost with good cost/return ratios.

as for gas ,mmm , don't know about that ,you then get into flammable materials etc ,whole different ballgame than offering storage. that's like wanting to have a gas station which i know absolutly nothing about .

as for climate control ,don't know how that would work seeing that it doesn't really get that cold here and if you do climate control and have for example 60 units and you have 8 or 9 unit doors open. those heaters would be non stop and natural gas isn't cheap..

Check Baja storage out of CA. on the web. The demand is for 14x40 and 14x50 enclosed with 14high by 12 wide doors. rent is 30 to 35 cents per square foot per month. Do a years lease with monthly payments or a discount for full years rent. You need at least 80 foot of drive/turnaround for a 50 ft bay. You can angle them at about 30 dregrees to cut down on lot required. Also check out Kirby Building. Land cost needs to be less than 40K per acre to cash flow.

Put fans in the eaves with a dew meter to turn them on and off. Also garage door openers save on renters flinging the doors off track and I forgot my key calls. Do the detail area as a seprate bay with floor drain and water and lease it out to a detailer. You do not want any employees on site. Self storage units do not usually require sales tax, strictly land lord/renter ond only a business lisence but not business tax.

HI MAC,

Continuing my first reply, check out this place on the Amite, 1 mile downriver from Port Vincent. It is called the Amite River Mariners Club! 19 acres, on the water, all permits in hand to build a valet service 350 boat dry stack, 20,000-sq ft clubhouse, a giant pool . http://themarinersclub.com

let me know what you think about this kind of a place. I know the guy.

We installed the keypad openers on the building in Atlanta. It worked great. Easy to reprogram for new renters.

Shuttle service for boaters. Where I keep mine charges 15$ for pickup and drop off using your truck and 30$ for theirs. You can't beat it just call when you get to the ramp and they are there in a matter of minutes.

One thing that I know we would like is if it was wide enough to work on theboat in the storage area. If you like to do your own work and if you live in a sub that does not allow you to have your boat in your driveway you have a lot of problems.

I think the drive though idea is a really good one.

I have never seen a boat put on a trailer for rack storage, did not even know that could be an option. How would you get the forks out from underneath the boat once it was put on the trailer

The land where that was going to go is for sale now.
I heard he was not doing this any more ?

They talked about the Mariners Club for forever, even advertised it like it was already built and open. Haven't heard a peep in over a year.

Do a cost vs. return anylysis per square foot. We build self storage buildings and our custmers average $.95 to $1.10 a square foot rentalable space. Just some quick math will tell you in order to store a 35 foot boat the bay needs to be 12'x 40' min which is 480s.f. At a buck foot it is a pretty hefty storage bill for it not to be at a marina. You may be better off building a mixed use with outdoor parking for the RV and Boats and some light industrial that will bring you the dollar or so a foot.

Just my worthless .02

Mack,

I think there is a market for this but there are already several people in the area doing it. Just for comparison I'm paying $120/month for storage on the river. Enclosed, non climate control plus the use of a ramp on the property for free. When you add in the cost of using a private launch its the cheapest around. I think Hilltop Boat Storage cost about the same but no ramp. Climate Contral stalls in Baton Rouge or Prairieville seemed to be running around $250/month when I checked around earlier this year. As far as ammenities, a covered wash bay and gas on site would be great. Especially if you don't worry about making a killing on the gas. I hate having to pull mine out of the stall and drive down the road to fill up but it beats paying an extra 50 cents per gallon on the water. Good luck.

Its not for sale. Tim the owner ran into some difficulties and is looking for a contractor to work with.

My dream marina would provide each boat a finger slip with their own remote controlled lift, inside a covered and enclosed climate controlled facility with 24 hour self-service (via keypad or remote or whatever), bikini babes fueling and washing boats, and this facility would have an adjacent cigar bar, beach bar, sports bar, resteraunt and strip club.

But that'll never all come together.

:D

[QUOTE=CigDaze;2300262]My dream marina would provide each boat a finger slip with their own remote controlled lift, inside a covered and enclosed climate controlled facility with 24 hour self-service (via keypad or remote or whatever), bikini babes fueling and washing boats, and this facility would have an adjacent cigar bar, beach bar, sports bar, resteraunt and strip club.

But that'll never all come together.





Skip is going to build one of those marinas here in Florida. $1750.00 a month, and $2,000 a month comes with a VIP seat at the strip club... "The Lip Ship Edition Membership"

Just bustin chops !! :D

Depends on the fork truck and the trailer. Where I keep mine (Pier 75 in Toledo, OH) they have one truck they can slide between the boat and trailer and lift it up.

Or they just dunk the boat and trailer in the well, float the boat off, then pull the trailer up, then pull the boat up. I've never seen them do it but it sounds like it would be fun to watch!