The document discusses the history and growth of the self-storage industry, emphasizing the increasing demand for boat storage, particularly under 30 feet, where rack storage has become a popular and cost-effective option. It highlights the benefits of boat rack storage, such as protection from weather and theft, ease of maintenance, and preservation of resale value. Additionally, it outlines different storage types, construction methods, and marketing strategies relevant for operating boat rack storage facilities.

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© Unpublished work no portion of this presentation may be copied in whole or in part without written approval of Richard Graves & Associates

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. Types Of Boat Rack Storage

7. Outdoor Rack Storage
Outside rack storage operations are similar
to the early designs for a boatyards

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. Interior Of A Rack Storage Building

11. Examples Of Open End
Rack Storage Buildings

12. 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.

13. Diagram of Single Wide
Rack Storage Building

14. EXAMPLE OF EXCEL TEMPLATE
FOR CALCULATING CONSTRUCTION COSTS

15. Boat And Trailer Storage

16. 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 FlexibilityShips Store

17. 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.

18. 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

19. New Trends

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. Examples of Architectural Attractiveness

23. Hamilton Harbor Boat Rack Storage
Constructed of Tilt-Up Concrete

24. 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,

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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

28. 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

29. 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.

30. Additional Examples of
Automated Dry Stack Boat Storage Systems

31. 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

32. 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