Last reviewed: 2026-05-10 > Quick answer: Harris Boat Works offers outdoor winter boat storage and shrinkwrap in Gores Landing for Rice Lake and Kawartha boaters, up to 30 feet. We don't run indoor storage. If you want a straight answer on what your boat needs before winter...
Last reviewed: 2026-05-10
Quick answer: Harris Boat Works offers outdoor winter boat storage and shrinkwrap in Gores Landing for Rice Lake and Kawartha boaters, up to 30 feet. We don't run indoor storage. If you want a straight answer on what your boat needs before winter and what we actually handle, this is the page.
Who this is for
You're the right fit for HBW outdoor storage if:
- Your boat is 30 feet or under
- You boat on Rice Lake, the Kawarthas, or the Trent-Severn
- You want one stop for storage, shrinkwrap, and winterization instead of three different shops
- You're okay with outdoor storage on a fenced, monitored lot (not heated indoor)
If you need indoor heated storage, we'll point you somewhere else honestly. If your boat is over 30 feet, we can't take it. We'd rather tell you that up front than waste your fall.
What HBW outdoor storage actually includes
Three things come standard with winter storage. Most marinas charge for them. We don't.
Free spring check ($99 value). Your boat gets looked over before you tow it home. Battery, fuel system, lower unit oil, hoses, basic systems. The kind of inspection that catches the $30 winter problem before it becomes the $300 spring problem. Most marinas charge $99 for this as a standalone service. It's included.
Free summer trailer storage ($150 value). Once your boat is out of storage and back in the water, your trailer doesn't need to live on your driveway all summer. Drop it here, pick it up in the fall when the boat comes back. That's $150 you'd otherwise pay somewhere or lose to driveway space.
Free shrinkwrap recycling ($35 value). When we pull the wrap off in spring, it gets recycled instead of landfilled. Small environmental thing. Saves you the disposal fee a lot of marinas charge to handle it.
That's $284 in included services on top of the storage itself. The math actually matters when you're comparing quotes.
What HBW also handles (priced separately)
Beyond core storage and shrinkwrap, the shop offers:
- Winterization tiered by engine type. Different work, different price. 2-stroke, 4-stroke, Optimax/E-TEC, sterndrive (4 & 6 cyl, V6 & V8, Bravo), and inboard. We don't quote a flat number because they're not the same job.
- Winterize with oil and filter change. Bundled service if you want the full pre-storage prep done by us.
- Bio-wash hull cleaning ($10/ft). Chemical hull clean before wrap. Worth it if the boat picked up zebra mussels, scum line, or stained gel coat over the season.
- Pontoon enclosures removal and install ($5/ft). If you've got a full enclosure that needs to come off before wrap and back on in spring.
- Shrinkwrap only. For boats already winterized by someone else (or DIY) who just need the wrap. $20/ft done indoors, $25/ft done outdoors.
Current rates are on the storage page. They change every fall, so the live page is the source of truth. This guide is for the questions, not the quote.
Shrinkwrap is not winterization. They're two different jobs.
This is the single most expensive misunderstanding in marine storage.
Shrinkwrap is a tight plastic cover. It keeps snow, ice, and squirrels out of the boat. It does not protect the engine.
Winterization is what protects the engine: fogging the cylinders, draining or stabilizing fuel, replacing lower-unit oil, removing water that'll freeze and crack a block. Without it, a hard freeze can split a powerhead or crack a sterndrive housing. Shrinkwrap won't save you from that. It just keeps the snow off while it happens.
If you do one and skip the other, you're wasting money. Either one alone is half a job.
We do both. We'll also do shrinkwrap-only if your boat is already winterized (some customers handle the engine themselves and just want the wrap). Up to you. Just know which one you're paying for.
Before you drop the boat off: checklist
Pull this list, run through it the night before:
- Fuel. Top off and add stabilizer if we're not winterizing. If we are, we'll handle it.
- Battery. Can stay in if it's healthy. Disconnect or remove if you want extra peace of mind.
- Drain plug. Pull it. Tape it to the dash where you'll find it.
- Valuables. Fish finders, electronics, rods, ditty boxes, registration, paperwork. Take it home.
- Canvas and seats. Clean and dry. Wet vinyl in a wrapped boat grows mould all winter.
- Bilge. Pump it dry before the boat goes on the trailer.
- Trailer. Straps tight, lights working, jack functional. We have to move it on the lot.
- Tow vehicle. Full tank if you're driving from a distance. The closest fuel after Gores Landing isn't always close.
If something's broken or making a noise you didn't trust last fall, tell us when you drop it off. Spring is the wrong time to discover problems.
Outdoor vs indoor: honest trade-offs
We don't offer indoor storage, but we'll tell you the truth about it instead of pretending outdoor is always best.
Indoor wins on: dust-free finish, no UV, no thermal cycling, easier on canvas and gel coat over many years.
Outdoor with proper shrinkwrap wins on: price (typically half or less of indoor), availability (indoor lots fill up early and have waitlists), and convenience for trailerable boats.
For most Rice Lake and Kawartha boats (aluminum fishing boats, pontoons under 25 feet, runabouts), outdoor with shrinkwrap is the practical answer. For a high-end fibreglass cruiser with custom paint, indoor might be worth the premium. Choose based on your boat, not on what makes the marina more money.
Drop-off and spring pickup: what to expect
Fall drop-off. Book a slot through the service request form. Show up, sign in, leave the keys, go home. We handle the rest. Don't time it for the last weekend in October. That week is a zoo and we'd rather have your boat earlier when there's room to do the work properly.
Over the winter. The boat sits on a fenced, monitored lot. We check it after major weather events. If a wrap rips or something looks off, we'll text you.
Spring pickup. We run the spring check before you tow it home. You'll know if anything came up over the winter. Usual stuff: a corroded battery terminal, a mouse that found a way in, a soft hose. Better to find that here than at the ramp.
What HBW checks before storage
Storage is the first sign of how a boat got treated all season. Before we wrap it, we look at:
- Hull condition (cracks, soft spots near the transom)
- Fuel system (water in the bowl, ethanol damage)
- Lower unit oil (milky means water intrusion, find that now, not in May)
- Battery health
- Bilge and stringers
If we see something that's going to be expensive in the spring, we tell you in the fall. You decide whether to fix it now or budget for spring. That's the difference between storage at a marina and storage at a parking lot.
Questions we hear at the counter
Do you offer indoor storage?
No. Outdoor only on a fenced, monitored lot with shrinkwrap. If you need indoor, we'll point you to other shops without making a big deal of it.
What's the size limit?
30 feet. We're not taking anything bigger right now.
Do I still need winterization if my boat is shrinkwrapped?
Yes. Shrinkwrap and winterization are two different jobs. See the section above. The boat under the wrap still has water in it that needs to be dealt with.
When should I book?
August or September is ideal. October works. The last week before freeze-up is when everyone calls at once and we start saying no.
Can I leave my battery in?
If it's healthy, yes. If it's three years old and you've been jump-starting it, take it home and trickle-charge it. A dead battery in March is a $200 problem you can avoid for free.
What happens if my shrinkwrap rips over the winter?
We patch it. We check the lot after big storms. If a wrap fails badly, we'll let you know.
Is the lot really monitored?
Fenced, with cameras. We're on-site daily through the off-season for service work.
Where to go next
If you're ready to book: Request winter storage service.
If you want a phone call first: (905) 342-2153, or text (647) 952-2153.
If you're newer to boat ownership and unsure what winterization actually involves, the Mercury winterization guide covers it engine-side. Most customers read it and then book us anyway. Worth knowing what's happening either way.