Every fall, boat owners ask us the same question: should I shrink wrap it, or put it inside for the winter?
Both protect your boat. They just do it in different ways, at different prices. Here is how to decide.
First, neither one replaces winterization.
Winterization protects the engine, fuel system, and cooling system. Shrink wrap and storage protect the boat itself. You need the winterization either way — this choice is about where and how the boat sits until spring. Our winter services page lists what is included and what it costs: https://www.jetandpropshop.com/winter-services
Shrink wrap is a sealed cover, built for one winter.
We wrap the boat tight, with vents and moisture bags included, and it stays wrapped until you cut it off in the spring. Shrink wrap is $30 per foot for boats and $20 per foot for jet skis, charged by length overall. A wrapped boat can sit outside through the winter weather without a loose cover flapping, pooling water, or wearing on the gelcoat.
Indoor storage is a roof instead of a wrap.
Inside, the boat is out of the weather entirely, so there is no wrap to put on or cut off. Indoor boat storage is $65 per foot, and if the boat is stored on a trailer, the trailer is included in that price. The catch is space: good indoor storage around Ocean Pines and Ocean City is hard to find, and it fills up fast.
Here is the math on a 25-foot boat.
Shrink wrap: 25 feet at $30 per foot is $750. Add outside storage at $450 for the season (boats 25 feet and under, in our gated facility) and you are at $1,200 for the winter. Indoor storage: 25 feet at $65 per foot is $1,625 for the season, trailer included.
So which one is right for your boat?
Pick shrink wrap and outside storage if you want solid protection at the lower price, and you do not need to get into the boat until spring. Once it is wrapped, it is sealed — so before we wrap, take off anything valuable, wet, or that could get moldy or attract rodents.
Pick indoor storage if you want the boat under a roof all winter and your budget fits it — and book it early, because once the inside spots are gone, they are gone. Either way, a storage agreement is required for every boat and ski stored with us.
Not sure which way to go? Call us and tell us what you have — we will run both numbers for your boat's length and tell you straight which one makes sense.
Odyssea Jet and Prop Shop, 11206 Five L Drive, Ocean Pines, MD. Call us at (410) 973-2890, Tue–Sat 9am–5pm.
