Which Side of the Fence Are You On?

I’ve got two neighbors with very different approaches to winter boat storage. One neighbor has his boat winterized and shrink-wrapped for the lowest possible price and then parks it in a farmer’s back 40, for the winter, for free. My other neighbor? He simply drops his boat off at Northern Lakes Boat Co every fall for the same services.

The DIY neighbor once asked the other:

“Why would you pay to keep your boat outside for the winter? It’s free to be outside. That’s like paying to run a 5K — you can just step outside and run. What kind of knucklehead would pay for it?”

The answer was worth hearing.

“First,” he said, “it’s quicker and easier to drop my boat off once and pick it up in the spring. Northern Lakes has the tools, materials, and experience — I don’t need to invest my weekends in that nonsense. Second, they stand by their work. If snow loads or winds damage the shrink wrap, they’ll pull it inside, dry it out, and re-wrap it. Third, SECURITY. They’ve got a 6-foot chain-link fence topped with 3-strand barbed wire, a camera system, year-round pest control, and insurance. All their storage is on-site and monitored. Yes, I gladly pay $250 to keep my boat with Northern Lakes for the ENTIRE WINTER — that’s about $30 a month for total peace of mind. I’ll take that deal every year.”**

Sometimes, the best deal isn’t the cheapest one — it’s the one that lets you sleep easy all winter long. And sometimes the one that seems inexpensive catches up with you later...