# Boat and cars parked near woods



## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

:laughing::laughing:

:laughing::laughing:

Short of napalm on a weekly basis, not much.....at least chemical wise.

I would go for exclusion.....go buy some really large tarps from HF.....

For each vehicle...put on on the ground...drive vehicle on top of it...pull the sides up and tie off...then put another one over the top. Tape all the seams.


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## Chokingdogs (Oct 27, 2012)

"sealing" up the vehicles is a good way to keep a lot of stuff out, like the tarp suggestion above. Actually, there are giant ziplock bags made for that specific purpose, for cars at least.

but sealing things up creates its own set of issues, namely moisture, dampness, and mold. you'd need some kind of moisture absorber to put inside, and then checked/dried/replaced as needed. sounds like a short term thing, so rust wouldnt be too much a concern.

as for vermin, no tarp is going to stop mickey or minnie from taking up residence. i have heard of people using fox hunting lure ( from what i understand it's nothing more than bottled, concentrated, fox pee ) and spraying it on the ground around a vehicle. rodents smell it, think foxy is close by, and move on to other accommodations. the flip side, foxy might want to come around and hang out....


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## concretemasonry (Oct 10, 2006)

Several times, I parked my Corvette (3 winters (Nov-Apr) in an old barn with several loose doors and a decent roof. I had a cover over it but anything could enter under the cover.

I shaved some Irish Spring bar soap and put the shavings in the engine compartment, on the engine and scattered them inside. No signs of mice except for one dead one in the exhaust pipe.

It may help in your case.

Dick


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## forcedreno2012 (Nov 9, 2012)

Having stored a big azz boat and a car for a year while overseas I can offer the following...

If you seal it you have to have some way of keeping the moisture out. Can someone put damp rid buckets in there for you on a routine basis? If not you are going to have to allow air to get in or your trim vinyl etc is going to be toast. 

The other thing to worry about is sap from the trees. This stuff is bad joo joo. You need to protect the vehicles from this as it is a big PITA to get off especially if it has been baked on in the sun. If you can you need to be sure the vehicles are completely covered and protected from the trees. 

If you are talking months you need to pull the tires or you will get flat spots. We put the trailer up on blocks and pulled the tires and laid them flat. This also acts as a deterrant to thieves. Also let some air out of the tires when they are flat. 

Disconnect the car and boat batteries when they stored. I cannot remember why I had to do it but I remember it was bad lol. 

If you are looking long term. The following may apply. 

Most of your car insurance is driving related. When I put my car in storage it was insured for it being stolen and things running into it. I cancelled the driving insurance and it dropped my rates to like 15 dollars a month. Most of the money in your insurance is tied to you driving it and other idiots driving into it. If you are not going to be using the vehicles you might want to look at this. I also cancelled the tags - that way if some goober did take it while we were out of the county it would insta come up as a bad tag if they were pulled over.

Hope this helps.

Robyn


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## wkearney99 (Apr 8, 2009)

Moisture is just as much an enemy as vermin. For a boat you'd probably be fine just having it shrink-wrapped and put moisture absorbers inside. Just be prepared to change them. 

You cannot prevent moisture problem just by sealing it up. First, you'll never actually get it entirely sealed. Second there's the question of condensation due to temperature changes. Which, around here, is always going to be a problem.

For the car, however, you want to avoid moisture both from above and FROM BELOW. Storing a car over bare soil leaves it prone to problems with condensation forming on the undercarriage. I've seem more than one vehicle stored in a barn, under a cover, that has had it's entire floor rotted out due to condensation from below. Looks perfect top-side but the bottom is completely shot. I bring along bright camp lights just for this purpose. Put 'em below the car and look for pinholes of light coming into the interior (and vice versa from below).

How long will they be stored in this situation?


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## Dave88LX (Nov 10, 2011)

Great information so far, thank you all for taking the time with details. I'd never thought about moisture from below. I'm not sure how long this will be stored like this. Until spring if I can...hopefully.

The boat I'm not too worried about getting shrink-wrapped etc. It needs new upholstery etc. I have a full cover for it; I'll just build a PVC frame to support it to prevent water from puddling up on it. 

He said he's going to put down crushed stone where I'll be parking, since he will be using it later. I don't know if that will help with the moisture from below problem; probably not.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

Moth balls, peppermint oil, dryer sheets, and Irish Spring soap all in and around the car, especially under the hood.


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## bbo (Feb 28, 2010)

remove batteries, charge them up, and store them somewhere it does not get too cold/hot.

sta-bil or something of the like for the gas tanks. I like to run my vehicles a short while before storing. also look into fogging your engines.

if you don't like the idea of moth balls, there are plenty of environmentally friendly pest repellents on the market.

tarp bigger than the car underneath, jacked up but not so the suspension is hanging.


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