Another PA Storage Question

Hi All,

Just converted from being a power boat fisher person to Kayak fishing. Aside from the fun of Kayaking the main reasons are ease of handling a Kayak at the boat ramp, overall convenience and far less maintenance issues.

Having now sorted my Kayak set up and transporting issues my last issue is storage and I have some concerns.
1 Turning the boat over to store hull up is a real pain and hard to do on my own. This also means I have to take all my stuff out and store this separately.
2 Storing hull down on foams mats like I currently do (see Video) creates flat spots on the hull but lets me quickly get out on the road to fishing fun.
3 Storing on its side does not seem like a good idea and anyway has the same issues as storing hull up.
4 Storing on its end(s) isn't possible in my situation as I don't have enough room.

For me the most practical option is storing flat on the hull and accepting this will create a hull flat spot. But I am thinking does flat spot this really matter? I can't see how this would affect boat performance? The only issue is over the long term is there going to be any critical damage to the hull resulting in boat failure?

The next possible alternative is to make some sort of hull cradle like a hammock but this involves more materials, costs and more hassles.

My storage set up shown in the video is really simple so I am hopeful this will work in the long term. Can anyone offer any comments from their experiences?

Thank you
Glenn

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Au0x90iEMQ[/youtube]

Hey Glenn -
I had the same questions and issues when I got my 2010 PA last spring. I ended up getting a sheet of closed cell foam from an automotive salvage guy at flea market. The foam is fairly pliable but firm, kind of like memory foam but a bit firmer and no memory - not sure what part of the car it is from. It is about 3-1/2" thick and big enough to go under about 80% of the PA so any potential "pressure points" are minimized. I keep my PA in the garage all summer and have not had any hull deformation issues. I load from the foam on the garage floor right up into the bed of my pickup (with bed extender) which is quick and easy. Unloading is also a breeze.
Just a thought.
Regards,
Jim

I store mine occasionally hull down; you have the right idea; just use the foam in the very front and back; raise the boat up off the ground using something like milk crates.