Boat to fit in 19' garage on trailer

[jimbo3946]

Hi,

I'm looking to sell my old toy (85 corvette - ) and want to get a new toy that floats. Looking for a "family boat" to cruise around with the missus and wakeboard/tube with kids (older HS/College). My "hard stop" is that it has to fit in my 19' deep garage on the trailer...

I'm thinking (hoping) I could get a 17' boat and with folding tongue & fit that in my 19' envelope. Am I dreaming? I've looked around online and seem to like the Bayliner 175 capri (17' w/I/O), as there are a couple for sale not horribly far away and seem to be in my price range (~8Kish) for late '90's early 00's.

Anybody have a Bayliner 175 capri and know the length from tip of motor to tip of trailer? (I've contacted 2 dealers asking and neither got back to me) Any other recommendations on a first boat that would fit my needs and be worth considering? I was looking at the Yamaha exciter, thinking without the engine sticking out the back I'd buy some room in the garage (and loved the swim platform) but lack of windshield would really cut down my boating season in the northeast and I couldn't find anybody who sells aftermarket windshield (looked around on yamaha forums, too).


Appreciate any words of wisodom you folks may be willing to offer.

Thanks
Jim

 

[wellsc1]

Re: Boat to fit in 19' garage on trailer

Regardless of the boat, motor and trailer, measure each one you look at for overall length from back of motor to tip of the tongue. Folding tongue would give way some of the length.

Also know your height limitation to get through the garage door. You'll fine windshields may quit NOT fit under the garage door header.

If you have a little wriggle room move the trailer to one side so it angles into one coner of the garage to get a foot or so to back the motor further in.

mtcw

 

[starcraft1982]

Re: Boat to fit in 19' garage on trailer

I COULD be wrong,but i dont think itll work.A 17ft boat with I/O would at least be 18 to 18 1/2 w/the outdrive,especially trimmed up.the tongue could then only stick out 6in. to a foot to squeeze it in.depending on how boat sits on trailer,MOST stick out farther than a foot from the nose of the boat.youre gonna need a tape measure and a little luck,i think.

 

[jeepnsam]

Re: Boat to fit in 19' garage on trailer

You'll need to measure from drywall (or whatever) to garage door precisely.

My garage is 22' 10" from drywall to garage door when it's shut.

I purchased a 95 Searay 180 (18') with a REMOVABLE tongue. (not the break away tongue). With the outdrive straight and trimmed town for storage...I have exactly 1" from prop to wall and 1/2" from trailer to garage door. If I turn the out drive sideways...then I gain another 1" but I like to store mine straight.

Since you're selling your other toy, you could get an 18' or even 19' and store put it in at an angle.

Sam

 

[starcraft1982]

Re: Boat to fit in 19' garage on trailer

jeepnsam,he said his garage is 19ft. so i take him at that.as for youre explaination,you have an18ft boat and w/removeable tongue,you still take up 22ft 8 1/2in. if i read right.so if we subtract 1 ft. off for his boat and dream that it comes w/removeable tongue(not likely),it will take up 21ft 8 1/2 in.Still not sure 21 ft 8 1/2 in fits in 19ft. space!Again,its not likely it will fit.POSSIBLY angled,but i wouldnt buy the boat and then check!I would however consider one of those metal shelters/carport that you can buy.provided you have the room outside and significant other doesnt think theyre too ugly!

 

[jeepnsam]

Re: Boat to fit in 19' garage on trailer

> Still not sure 21 ft 8 1/2 in fits in 19ft

...we just have to help him find a way

an 85 corvette is around 14.5' so that's a pretty tight garage at 19'.

SOME OUT OF THE BOX THOUGHTS!

* what's the measurement from wall to garage door "closed" at trailer tongue height (about 1 to 2 feet) about the floor?? I know my roll up door angles in when closed so I gain another 4 inches when i measured at trailer tongue height with the door closed and not at the garage floor.

Is it still 19' or 19 + a few inches??

* What's your city building code like?? In SoCAL, guys hallow out a section of the dry wall (gain another 4") and box in with cement backboard to maintain a firewall break. When you sell the house, just drywall over it. BTW: The prop goes in that hole.

* a removable tongue can be had for as little as $100 at the local welding shop.

So *maybe we're at 19.8 inches, plus 1 or 2 inches because the tape measure was not held secure when measured the 1st time and it slipped a bit. Now we're at 19.10 inches. Angle that out drive to the far left/right and gain another few inches and now we're at 20' +/- something here and there.

OK maybe I'm dreaming and 19' is all that's there and no way of gaining even an inch. If so, then this thought process has been entertaining to myself and hopefully the forum.

But like "starcraft1982" said "measure, tweak, measure, tweak, measure...then measure the boat and see what's possible.

I went through this same process...had to fit the boat next to the Jeep and all the work benches...needless to say...i have less work benches because I have no room to work anymore

Happy Boat Hunting,
Sam

 

[Fishing56]

Re: Boat to fit in 19' garage on trailer

I had the same issue the last new boat I bought. I measured my garage three times and then the boat with motor down three times. I already had planned to get a custom pull off tongue instead of the swing variety. Just thing if it swings to the right and you are parked on the right you have a problem.

Any way, I really wanted the 19' special edition 1996 Mariah, but alas it just wouldn't fit. So I settled for the 18' 180 shabah which actually measures 18'6 inches. I have to lower I/O after backing in to get it really snug, but it does fit (with only a few inches clearance). Impossible without the removable tongue.

Something else to check. An 18 or 19 foot boat will be at least 8' wide on trailer if not more. If you have a double garage with two garage doors, you are going to have to get if replaced with a single double wide door. Just won't fit.

If parked correctly, I can still park the boat and ford explorer in the garage at the same time.

Fishing56

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Boat to fit in 19' garage on trailer

are you sure you want to limit your boating to your garage? That 17 will get mighty small mighty fast with 4 adults and that's about all you can carry. Why not price out storage off site and just add that to the cost of the boat?
Boats don't need to be kept in a garage.

 

[riptide09]

Re: Boat to fit in 19' garage on trailer

are you sure you want to limit your boating to your garage? That 17 will get mighty small mighty fast with 4 adults and that's about all you can carry. Why not price out storage off site and just add that to the cost of the boat?
Boats don't need to be kept in a garage.

Exactly. My 17' fits in the garage and was/is my first "real" boat. It was a good learning boat but after a year I am ready to move up to something bigger. The boat is to large for most lakes around here and kind of small for a couple of the larger lakes like Sebago and Winnipesaukee. It is also not the right style and to small for the ocean. So I figure if I need a boat that can go in the ocean and the larger lakes.

 

[JimKW]

Re: Boat to fit in 19' garage on trailer

I love the fact that my boat fits in the garage. I didn't think it would either, but I have about 6" to spare if I turn it at a slight angle. Very hard to back in at the angle it needs to be, so I get it in as good as I can, unhook it from the truck and then move the tounge over by hand.

On the opposite side of the wall from my gararage where the boat goes is the dining room. I thought that having the outdrive sticking through the wall into the dining room would be a very good conversation piece. Heck we never use the dining room anyway.

 

[98Shabah]

Re: Boat to fit in 19' garage on trailer

My 18' I/O is 20.5' long tongue to outdrive with the outdrive trimmed down, it's a 2 car garage that is 21.5' deep and 18.5' wide. I am still able to get the wife's jeep into the garage as well, along with the work bench, tool boxes, and the kid's bikes & outside toys.

 

[jimbo3946]

Re: Boat to fit in 19' garage on trailer

Thanks to everybody for the responses. I measureed my garage at floor level and it's 19' 1" - doesn't look like the door bows out much, so I'm using that as my guiiding measurement for now. Wife already put the whammy on the storage awning on the side of the house. I did already think of cutting the hole it the wall for the motor (it WOULD be behind the refrigerator ), but my wife did not share the same appreciation for my yankee ingenuity (go figure). As for angling it, I already have half the garage for toys and have reached my space allotment - need to fir another car on the other side. Although I will try to do some side-side measuring to see how much room there is. IF "fishing56" can fit a boat and explorer in parked on an angle, I might be able to shoehorn a boat and a vw beetle (no, that's NOT the tow vehicle! ).

As for why I'm limiting to garage length? A bunch of reasons. Don't want to pay for storage, I think keeping it a nice cozy garage as opposed to out in the elements has GOT to be better for it in the long run. I like the convenience of having it right there in my garage so I can just hook it up and go instead of having to drive down to storage yard every time I want to go out. Security, don't have to worry about somebody going in & messing with anything. Plus if I want to tinker, clean or just sit there and stare at it, it's right there...

Now I'm thinking that a 17' might not fit, after all, but does not seem to be a lot in the 16' range that'll tow anything. Clearly, more research is needed! I have been considering jetboats (yamaha, sea doo) as without the motor sticking off the back you save a couple feet, but the ones I've been looking at (Yamaha Exciter, Sea Doo Speedster) don't have any windshield to speak of and I think living in the northeat, will cut my season short, as the 60 deg water constantly soaking you in Sept would get old kinda quick. Anybody have experience with these? Is it really a wet ride?

Again, thanks to all for your replies!

Jim

 

[shrew]

Re: Boat to fit in 19' garage on trailer

Why does it need to be the in garage? Couldn't a boat cover do the same thing for you? Very few boats are stored indoors.

 

[JimKW]

Re: Boat to fit in 19' garage on trailer

I will check some measurements on mine tonight when I get home and post them. My 18' Crownline just fits in mine with about 6" to spare when the boat is at a very slight angle. Another way to gain a couple inches is to take the prop compelely off every time you pull it in the garage. Takes less than five minutes, but if you only need 2-3 inches to get a 1 foot longer boat, that might be an option.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Boat to fit in 19' garage on trailer

I was facing the exact same scenario and settled on a 16' Starcraft Supersport. It just barely fits in my 19' garage parked straight and a few inches to spare if its angled.

As far as the boat being large enough, I agree that a big water boat won't fit in a 19' garage no matter how far you chop the tongue.

I do want a bigger boat so I need to buy some property with a barn

I still keep the rig in the driveway in the summer...since it's a bit of a hassle to make room for it in the garage(as soon as the boat's gone stuff accumulates immedietely).

Good luck to ya!

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Boat to fit in 19' garage on trailer

I guess I'll be the first to dissent on this idea. First off, don't buy a boat based on your garage specs. Buy a boat based on how well it fits your needs and wants. A 17-18' boat may be okay if it's just the 4 of you, but any more and it will start to get cramped fast. What if your kids want to bring a friend along? 5-6 adults in an 18' boat is probably going to max out capacity and people will begin to step all over each other. I would suggest looking at boats that will allow you some more flexibility rather than just what will fit in your garage. It isn't the worst thing to pay for storage somewhere in order to get the best boat for your needs.

My .02. Again, if the 17-18' boat is what best suits you, then go for it; my point was just that I don't make purchases of my boat/toys based off of what the house dimensions are.

 

[Andy'sDelight]

Re: Boat to fit in 19' garage on trailer

Thanks to everybody for the responses. I measureed my garage at floor level and it's 19' 1" - doesn't look like the door bows out much, so I'm using that as my guiiding measurement for now. Wife already put the whammy on the storage awning on the side of the house. I did already think of cutting the hole it the wall for the motor (it WOULD be behind the refrigerator ), but my wife did not share the same appreciation for my yankee ingenuity (go figure). As for angling it, I already have half the garage for toys and have reached my space allotment - need to fir another car on the other side. Although I will try to do some side-side measuring to see how much room there is. IF "fishing56" can fit a boat and explorer in parked on an angle, I might be able to shoehorn a boat and a vw beetle (no, that's NOT the tow vehicle! ).

As for why I'm limiting to garage length? A bunch of reasons. Don't want to pay for storage, I think keeping it a nice cozy garage as opposed to out in the elements has GOT to be better for it in the long run. I like the convenience of having it right there in my garage so I can just hook it up and go instead of having to drive down to storage yard every time I want to go out. Security, don't have to worry about somebody going in & messing with anything. Plus if I want to tinker, clean or just sit there and stare at it, it's right there...

Now I'm thinking that a 17' might not fit, after all, but does not seem to be a lot in the 16' range that'll tow anything. Clearly, more research is needed! I have been considering jetboats (yamaha, sea doo) as without the motor sticking off the back you save a couple feet, but the ones I've been looking at (Yamaha Exciter, Sea Doo Speedster) don't have any windshield to speak of and I think living in the northeat, will cut my season short, as the 60 deg water constantly soaking you in Sept would get old kinda quick. Anybody have experience with these? Is it really a wet ride?

Again, thanks to all for your replies!

Jim

I say you put the wife in the3 garage and get yourself a boat that YOU want.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Boat to fit in 19' garage on trailer

A 16' Starcraft Supersport is a really nice boat. Extremely versatile for being only 16' I'd look for one. Here's an example (thanks colwllce)

 

[98Shabah]

Re: Boat to fit in 19' garage on trailer

That 16' starcraft posted above has a lot of interior space for a 16', and it'll be a lightweight boat, which is far easy to maneuver around in a garage. I just about burst a nut moving mine around by hand.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Boat to fit in 19' garage on trailer

Look at the value of your house, such as tax assessment, divide by square feet to get the value of a square foot. Figure the square footage of the garage you are loosing. That's your storage fee, same as renting a unit.

To use round numbers: say you have a $100,000 house (exclude the land) that's 2000 square feet, that's $50/foot times your boat (19'x10'=190') is $9,500. Use a 7 year cap rate and it's still $1,357 you are paying a year to store the boat. That's not free.
You have lost a lot of functional space all day and all night all year for the "convenience" of the several times you hook it up. You will be paying that storage fee each month you write a mortgage check. But only you can decide if it's worth it.

Now, growing up, we had a 13' boat in the garage on a trailer, and lots of stuff was stored under and in it. We'd joke my dad, it was like having a drawer; if you want something out of the boat, pull the trailer tongue out!

But if you insist: some people put the trailer wheels on dollies so they can slide the boat over to the side once it's in. And if you end up storing stuff in and under it, there goes your convenience.