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A canoe is a great way to explore the waters near where you live. However, when not in use, your canoe will need a suitable place to live. Keeping it in a strategic place can protect it from the elements and provide you with additional convenience. Read on to discover some of the top canoe storage ideas that will help keep your boat in great shape.

American Steel Carports, Inc. offers a variety of metal buildings that are affordable, fully customizable, and ideal for canoe storage. Use our Build & Price Tool to explore the many possibilities for your new structure, and receive an instant quote!

The Basics of Canoe Storage

Canoe storage doesn’t need to be complicated. By following a few general pieces of advice, you can keep your canoe safe until it’s time to head back on the water. The three basic tips listed below are great starting points as you develop a storage plan:

Store Your Canoe Inside

It seems like it would be okay to store a canoe in the elements since it’s a vessel that’s meant for outdoor use. However, storing a canoe outside is going to cause its condition to degrade faster than it would otherwise. Specifically, direct sunlight day after day can do significant damage over time. If you don’t have an option for storing your canoe indoors, at least provide it with some kind of cover so the sun doesn’t beat down directly on the boat.

Upside Down Is Best

Turning your canoe over and storing it upside down is the favored option for most canoe owners. The side rails of the canoe—called the gunwales—are the strongest spot to allow the canoe to rest while it’s in storage. Leaving your canoe to rest on the ground on its bottom can lead to deforming of the hull.

Find A Secure Location

Many canoes are light enough for a single person to carry. That means they’re fairly easy to just walk off with if left in an exposed spot. While no location is completely theft-proof, do what you can to make it harder for someone to access your canoe while it’s stored. Placing it inside of a locked building will make it a lot harder for a theft to occur as compared to leaving it out in the open on your property.

If you can store your canoe inside, upside down, and in a locked space, you will have gone a long way toward protecting it for the long run. This will not only help your canoe last for years, but it will also make your experience as an owner more enjoyable. The canoe should be in good condition and ready to go whenever you get the urge to take it out for a paddle.

Use a Canoe Storage Rack

So, we’ve discussed that you should be storing your canoe upside down to protect its condition. But how do you make that happen? You’ll need a canoe storage rack, which you can either buy or build. Creating your own from basic lumber is a pretty simple project. However, there are plenty of racks on the market that you can purchase if you don’t want to take on a DIY job.

When shopping or planning a canoe rack, keep in mind the dimensions of your boat. It may go without saying, but a big canoe is going to require a big storage rack. Plus, since this rack is going to stand on the floor, make sure you have enough room in your intended storage spot to place the rack without any trouble.

Creating a Dedicated Space

If you have an attached garage as part of your home, storing your canoe in that space may be your first thought. What’s more, if there’s room in the attached garage that isn’t being used for other purposes, that may be a viable solution. Of course, many people have their garages already packed full of cars and other items, so making space for a canoe storage rack may not be possible.

As an attractive alternative, consider adding a new metal structure to your property. Metal buildings come at a lower cost than wood structures and they can make a perfect home for a canoe. In addition to giving your canoe a place to live, you may be able to set aside space in this new building to handle some of your other storage needs.

Work With American Steel Carports, Inc.

We hope these top canoe storage ideas assist you! The structures from American Steel Carports, Inc. offer an affordable, simple solution to your storage needs. We offer everything from small sheds to large steel structures so you can design the building that’s perfect for your property. We look forward to serving you!

Build Your Structure

Having a workshop to call your own is a wonderful luxury. Whether you use this space for personal projects or professional pursuits, keeping it organized is key to both your productivity and your safety. In this article, we’d like to go over some of the basics of how to organize your workshop and how to keep it neat in the long run.

American Steel Carports, Inc. offers a variety of metal workshops that are affordable, fully customizable, and ideal for bike storage. Use our Build & Price Tool to explore the many possibilities for your new structure, and receive an instant quote!

Think About the Big Picture

While many workshops share some common features, no two are exactly the same. The first step in properly organizing your workshop is thinking specifically about your needs and how they will impact the space. The three points listed below are particularly important:

• What tools will you need? Make a detailed list of all of the tools that you expect to live in this shop. Not only include tools you already own, but also those that you may need to acquire in the future.
• How much open space is required? This is going to depend on what kind of work you’ll be doing. If you plan to work on cars and trucks, you’ll need plenty of space to park those vehicles and move around them easily. On the other hand, someone building small items out of wood may need just a modest workbench.
• Do you need any special features? Pretty much all workshops will need basics like light and power outlets, but is there anything else your workshop will require to be completely functional?

Getting the answers to these questions down onto paper will make it a lot easier to start the organizational process. You’ll then know what needs to be in the shop, and you can begin the work of organizing all of those items logically.

It’s All About Workflow

Organizing your shop comes down to positioning your tools, equipment, and supplies in such a way that serves your workflow positively. In other words, where should everything be placed so that it’s available when you need to use it? This concept can take on many different forms depending on the work that’s being done.

Using the example of a woodworker, some of the commonly used tools in that discipline include a planer, table saw, and sander. Those tools are used in that order in most cases, so they should be positioned in the shop so that one leads to the next. If at all possible, organize your shop so that one workstation leads logically to the next with minimal interruption or interference.

Staying Organized

It’s great to get your shop beautifully organized as a starting point. But keeping it that way can be a big challenge. That’s why you should consider implementing some “rules” that govern how you use your shop on a day-to-day basis. Here are some ideas for rules that can help you stay on the right organizational track:

• Put everything away after each session. It’s tempting to leave your tools out after a work session, since they will likely come right back out again the next time you use the shop. Unfortunately, this approach is sure to lead to a mess, and it might become difficult to get anything done. Make it a rule that you always put all of your equipment back in its spot when you are finished working for the day.
• Finish by sweeping. Almost all of the different kinds of work that take place in a workshop lead to some kind of mess on the floor. Another good rule is to finish up your work session by sweeping up for just a minute or two. This is an easy wind-down task and it will further improve your organizational efforts.
• Give new tools a home. When you acquire a new tool, don’t just toss it into the shop and assume it will find a home later. Instead, don’t bring in anything new until you know exactly where it will be stored when not in use.

Organizing a shop can feel like an unwanted chore, but it will actually help you get more enjoyment and productivity out of the space.

Order from American Steel Carports, Inc.

We hope you enjoyed learning how to organize your workshop! If you’re ready to create a new space to work on your projects, use our Build & Price tool for a quick sample of what your structure could look like. We’re excited to serve you!

If you love to ride your bike, you already know that caring for it is extremely important. Keeping your bike in great condition promises a great ride and helps you avoid costly repairs. Bicycles are expensive, so protecting yours properly will save you money in the long run. Use these top bike storage ideas to keep it running safely and smoothly!

American Steel Carports, Inc. offers a variety of metal buildings that are affordable, fully customizable, and ideal for bike storage. Use our Build & Price Tool to explore the many possibilities for your new structure, and receive an instant quote!

Get It Out of the Elements

This point might go without saying, but it’s an important place to start. Your bike’s condition is going to deteriorate rapidly if it’s left outside in the elements all year long. It might be okay to leave your bike out from time to time, but doing so regularly will be troublesome for key components like the chain, brakes, gears, and more.

At the very least, you’ll want to leave your bike under a carport where it will be out of the rain and snow. Of course, if you can find or build a place where they will be completely inside, that would even be better. A storage shed or enclosed garage from American Steel Carports, Inc. would make a great home for all the bikes your family uses on a regular basis.

Build Your Structure

Invest in a Floor Bike Rack

It’s important to have a convenient way to keep all of your bikes standing up. This ensures you won’t have to lay them down on the ground and take up all the floor space in your storage area. Instead of relying on kickstands, purchase (or even build) a floor bike rack. This is a device that you can roll the front wheel into to hold the bike up nicely while it’s parked. Bike racks like this are relatively affordable and come in all shapes and sizes.

Before you make your purchase, take a look around at all of the various models on the market. Some are relatively minimal, as they provide a way to stand your bike up and not much else. Others, however, integrate other storage space so you can keep all of your biking accessories in the same place. You may or may not want a more elaborate bike rack, but it’s worth taking a look at the options available.

Think About Access

When planning out where your bike will be stored, think about the practical side of how you’ll get to and from the storage spot. For example, let’s imagine that you have a road bike with skinny tires. That kind of bike is not meant to go off-road, so placing your storage shed at the back of your grassy yard to access it is not ideal. Sure, you could carry the bike over, but that chore may get old quickly.

If at all possible, position your storage solution in a place where you can roll right in and out for a ride. This will not only save you a few minutes each time you take the bike out, but it will also encourage you to use your bike more, knowing it’s easy to access.

Keep It Secure

Given the value of some bikes, security is something to take seriously. No storage option is completely safe, but some are better than others. Storing your bike inside an enclosed space is the best option, but that might not be available to everyone. If your bike will be placed somewhere that it can be accessed by others without going through a door, such as under a carport, invest in a quality bike lock. There are countless bike locks on the market, so be sure to do your homework on which works best and delivers the best value for your money.

Work With American Steel Carports, Inc.

We hope you enjoyed these top bike storage ideas! Having a dedicated spot to store your bike will not only keep your bike in good condition, but it will also make your life a little easier. Experiment with our Build & Price tool to see what kinds of buildings are possible when you order from us. Or, simply contact us to get information directly from a member of our team. Either way, we are excited to serve you!