BOAT RACK STORAGE

© Unpublished work no portion of this presentation may be copied in whole or in part without written approval of Richard Graves & Associates

Storage Business In General True commercial development of self-storage began in the late 1960s by several industry pioneers who recognized a growing demand for residential and commercial storage. These were the real-estate developers who ventured out and set the stage for the industry that we know today--an industry that has doubled in size each decade since its beginning, a new retail business where the investor's return on investment (ROI) is often twice that of other forms of real-estate development.

Demand for self-storage services is driven by population growth and consumer spending. The profitability of individual companies depends on marketing and pricing. Large companies enjoy economies of scale in administration, marketing, and purchasing and are often better able to finance acquisitions. Small companies can compete by specializing in local markets or by offering niche services.

Major services consist of providing units of varying sizes for storage of customers' personal or business belongings. About half of storage units are climate-controlled. Many companies provide storage space for large items such as cars, boats, and RVs; some larger companies offer products such as packing and moving supplies. Facilities vary in size, but an average facility covers 45,000 square feet.

OVERVIEW OF THE BOAT STORAGE BUSINESS

Every boat owner needs a place to store their boat when not in use. There are many storage options available. The least expensive is your own backyard. However, most Municipalities and Home Owners Associations (HOA) do not allow storing large items like boats on streets, driveways or yards. In these instances, the only alternative is to store your boat in a wet slip marina or a boat rack storage facility. For smaller boats (under 30’) the best choice is rack storage Dry rack storage began in the 1950s when some boatyards realized they could store more boats in a smaller area by vertically stacking light boats on racks using warehouse forklifts. Dry-stack storage has become the essential answer to the increased demand for water access. As the demand continues and costs rise for water front property, dry-stack storage facilities have become an attractive alternative to building a wet-slip marina. Dry stack requires a much smaller in-water foot print and the construction cost is a lot less than building a wet slip marina.

BOAT RACK STORAGE BENEFITS

§  Weather Protection – boats stored under cover are not subject to gel coat destroying ultra violet light from the sun, bird droppings or other potential damage from the elements.

§  Security – a boat stored in a locked building is not likely to be the target of thieves or vandals

§  No bottom paint – boats stored out of water do not accumulate marine growth. Expensive antifouling paint is not required.

§  Easy Maintenance – since the boat is already out of water, repairs to shafts, prop or outdrives are easy to accomplish.

§  No mooring cover – tedious covering and uncovering of the boat is not necessary since it is stored indoors.

§  Storms/Hurricanes − The boat is safely stored and protected from damage inside a hurricane rated building.

§  Resale Value – storing boats out of the sun and water minimizes deterioration and deprecia(on  of  its  worth.  

POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS

Most registered boats in use in the USA are under 30’ ft. As an example, 76% of the over 50,000 registered boats in Broward County Florida are under 26 feet. Although these figures apply to Florida, they can be assumed to be indicative of boating communities throughout the country. Rack storage is an excellent form of boat storage for the casual boater, people who travel regularly, seasonal residents and residents of condominiums and rental apartments. The boat is kept high and dry and you don’t need to be overly concerned with bilge switch failure, heavy weather, theft of equipment and other problems associated with keeping a boat stored in wet slip marina. In addition, keeping a small boat in a wet slip at a marina is fairly expensive as compared to rack storage.

Types Of Boat Rack Storage

Outdoor Rack Storage

Outside rack storage operations are similar to the early designs for a boatyards

Boat Rack Storage Building Built to Accommodate 216 Boats

Back of building – launch area view Inside view - racks

This is a double/triple wide building. The structure has two aisles with boats racked on either side all under one roof. If height requirements allow, additional rack levels can be designed in the building's center.

Legendary Marine – Destin Florida Accommodating over 700 boats in sizes up to 50 ft

The Legendry Whaling Wall Aerial View

Fork lift for handling boats up to 50 ft. Interior of building over 800 feet deep Able to store boats up to 50 ft.

Interior Of A Rack Storage Building

Examples Of Open End Rack Storage Buildings

Two Three Sided Open End Buildings

As an example of adhering to Municipal height restrictions and maximum square footage allowed per building, this is the type of design we recommended for a project in Monroe County, Florida.

The County would only permit buildings with a maximum height of 35’ and each building could only occupy 10,000 sq. ft.

The Developer needed to accommodate 200+ boats to meet the revenue goals that would justify the purchase of the marina and redevelopment costs.

Diagram of Single Wide Rack Storage Building

EXAMPLE OF EXCEL TEMPLATE FOR CALCULATING CONSTRUCTION COSTS

Boat And Trailer Storage

Inland Boat & Trailer Storage Operation

Two Tier Four Tier Rack

Stern View Boat On Trailer

Boats On Racks

Boat House, CA

Customer Lounge Boat On Trailer

Boating Flexibility Ships Store

Boat And Trailer Rack Storage Benefits

§  Trailing a small boat offers the fisherman, diver and pleasure boater the capability of using the boat on many different bodies of water, even hundreds of miles away from home.

§  Today many Municipalities and HOAs (Home Owners Association) do not permit boats and trailers to be stored on public streets or driveways.

§  A new trend in boat storage is a facility that can accommodate both boat and trailer

§  This type of boat storage building can be built on any commercially zoned real estate. However, consideration should be given for a location near major highway intersections or a body of water.

§  Like other rack storage benefits boats and trailers are kept out of the elements, safe from storms, enjoy better theft prevention and are conveniently out of the way when not in use.

Conventional Rack Storage Boat Launching Equipment

Standard Marina Fork Lift A Marina Fork Lift is similar to a warehouse fork lift. The major difference is in the negative lift. Which means the forks can go below the base of the truck to place boats in the water

Launching boat with negative Fork Lift

New Trends

Tilt–Up Concrete Construction

“Tilt Up’ is the technique of site casting concrete walls or elements, normally on a horizontal surface and then tilting them vertically into place

The use of Tilt-Up is growing rapidly, and its share of the construction market is expanding rapidly as its advantages become known. As of January 2004 an estimated 150,000 buildings were constructed.

Tilt-Up Concrete Form

After the concrete is cured to an adequate strength, it is lifted into a vertical position, to form a wall. The tilt-up concrete panels are held in place by welding together steel plates that are embedded in the edges of the panels.

Examples of Architectural Attractiveness

Hamilton Harbor Boat Rack Storage Constructed of Tilt-Up Concrete

Advantages of Tilt-Up Concrete Building

•  Durability: Tilt-Up buildings constructed in the late 1940’s show little sign of age, except architectural styling.

•  Fire Resistance: Concrete is an obvious first choice for fire resistance. A 6 ½ inch thick wall, for example, has a four-hour fire rating.

•  Lower Maintenance Costs: About the only thing that needs to be done is a new cost of paint every six or eight years.

•  Lower insurance Rates: The fire resistance and durability of Tilt-Up concrete walls results in lower premiums.

•  There are numerous cases every year of resistance to significant

•  Expandability: By planning for the possibility of expansion, panel connections can be designed so the panels can be detached and relocated,

MARINA BULL 2 This new and innovative boat lifting and stacking system can stack longer boats in buildings with narrower aisles, as well as racking full length boats in the end racks.

The Marina Bull2 retrieves boats in the traditional manner but after lifting a boat the Traverse Carriage brings it back over the frame shortening the overall length to only 10 feet longer than the boat itself . In Drive Mode the operator console actually turns away from the load giving the operator a clear field of vision for increased safety. When racking the boat the operator console turns back to face the load and will actually elevate, dramatically increasing accuracy and safety during the racking procedure. In addition, the operator console moves forward with the load as the boat is placed in the rack.

New Model Fork Lift From Wiggins Lift

MINUTE MAN LIFT Using a Hydraulic Lift with regular forklift in lieu of a negative forklift. Can also be used in conjunction with negative fork lift to speed up launch time Less maintenance on Fork Lift No need for the additional expense for a negative fork lift

Alternate System To Negative Fork Lift

Automatic Boat Rack Storage Systems

Smaller foot print of the building – no need for a wide aisle to accommodate both boat and fork lift.

Vertical Yachts Storage System

The Port In Fort Lauderdale, Florida

§  A different kind of rack storage featuring an automated overhead crane system.

§  Boat concierge to service boats

§  Boats automatically washed before returning to slips (operation similar to auto car wash)

§  The boat building is humidity-controlled

§  Special Crane Stacking System.

Boat Storage And Apartment Condo

Boat Is driven Into cradle and picked up by crane

Overhead Boat Lift Crane

Automated Marine Technologies

In the AMT automated system boats are stored on cradles that fit to the unique contours of each boat’s hull. The cradles are in level contact with the lifting platform and are withdrawn from its rack position on the platform using a conveyor and then delivered to the water on a boat lift. In the second version boats travel vertically from the water via boat elevators. When they reach the required level, they are delivered to the rack position with transfer vehicles that only travel horizontally within each level. The operator can, therefore, move more than one boat within the facility at any one time. Each system is highly space efficient requiring just 3 feet in addition to the longest boat, and the racks can be used for cars as well as boats.

Additional Examples of Automated Dry Stack Boat Storage Systems

Beyond Boat Rack Storage What business are you really in? To expand your markets, Boat Rack Storage buildings can a be configured to store RVs on the ground level and boats on the above racks. Also, by the use of pallets, cars, motorcycles and other types of vehicles can be stored using adjustable racks.

Pallet

Presentation By Richard Graves & Associates Marketing

§  Market Research And Analysis

§  Strategic Market Planning

§  Media Planning And Placement

§  Collateral Design and Production

§  Market Positioning and Competitive Analysis

§  Customer Relationship Management

§  Event Planning and Public Relations

§  Full Marketing And Sales Representation

§  Web Site Design And Positioning

Operations

§  Start-up Management

§  Staff Hiring & Training

§  Professional Marina Design

§  Marina Acquisition Analysis

§  Project Management

§  Feasibility Studies

§  Operation Manuals

§  Expert Witness and Certified Mediator

§  Buyer And Seller Representation

1000 SE 4th Street - Suite 224 — Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301

Phone: 954-524-2131 — Fax: 954-524-7417 — Email: rvgraves@rgassoc.com — Skype: rvgraves