Boston may be a pedestrian’s dream, but it can be an RV or boat owner’s nightmare. But wait! Before you throw down your keys and curse the day you ever decided to take your road trips or sea voyages to the next level, hear this: it’s totally possible to be a big rig lover and a Bostonian (yep, even if you’ve got a tiny apartment with no driveway and no hope for street parking). You just need to get hooked up with the right kind of self storage. Did you know that Boston is the only capital city in the lower 48 with an ocean coastline? Did you know that it’s just a day trip away from the highest mountain in the northeast? If you’re an outdoor enthusiast, a storage unit for your RV or boat can help you live your dreams. Here’s the lowdown on this specialized type of storage in Boston:
Boston’s Unique Challenges
Driving an RV or towing a boat can be a tall order in any city, but in Boston, it’s especially tricky. Obstacles include tunnels with propane restrictions, parking garages with low clearance, and terrifyingly narrow streets. Unlike Boston’s more famous neighbor of Manhattan, the city is not on a grid system, so even navigating a regular vehicle around town can be frustrating. Through StorageFront, you can search and compare
8 storage facilities that offer RV and boat storage within the city. The small number is directly related to the notorious difficulties that RV and boat owners of Beantown face. We’d love it if you could park your boat in Harvard Yard too, but unfortunately that’s just not the case. If you’re not living right in the heart of the city, or you’re open to commuting to your storage unit, expand your search to include units up to 20 miles outside of Boston and your options for RV and boat storage double. As an added bonus, nearby suburbs tend to offer a respite from Boston traffic, though they certainly don’t offer a respite from Boston drivers, so the next time someone with a Massachusetts license plate is honking at you because your RV doesn’t go about 65 miles per hour, try not to take it personally.
Storage as an Alternative to Parking
Boston has a very high
walk to work and bike to work rate when compared to other cities. In almost every one of the city’s neighborhoods, it’s possible to commute from home to work and then to happy hour and shopping all on foot. In addition to this, Boston landlords are wont to laugh in the face of renters who dare to ask about included parking. If you’re lucky enough to find and pay for pricey street parking, driving around during a
tough Boston winter can be a nightmare. So what’s a Bostonian with a car to do? If you know that your car is going to be snowed in all winter and you’re able to commute to work on foot and via public transportation,
car storage is a great option. Instead of spending money on a street parking spot where your vehicle will be susceptible to snow plow damage, excited Bruins fan damage or a thing we call carsicle-syndrome (that thing where you car gets covered in ice), opt for a storage unit to keep your baby safe from the elements. Plus, in a city where parking spaces can rent for well over $100 a month (and buying one is akin to
purchasing a fancy house), opting for car storage can actually save you some serious cash. Month-to-month leases make this a perfect temporary solution so that once the city thaws out, you can start planning those trips to the Cape.
Seasonal RV and Boat Concerns
Winter comes early in Boston, and once it shows up, it sure likes to stick around for a while. The November chill can often signal the end of RV adventures in the Appalachians and beach trips with your boat. We recommend searching for storage in Boston once your summer adventures wind down. You should also be sure to
winterize your RV or
winterize your boat before you put it into hibernation. For both vehicles, this is going to involve some heavy duty cleaning along with the removal of all of those items you don’t want to inadvertantly put into storage. And hey, if your outdoor activities extend into the winter months, keep your storage unit year round so that you can swap skis and snowmobiles for your boat or RV as the seasons change. Ideally, you should be able to put your RV or boat into storage for the winter season and forget about it until spring. Online bill pay helps with this, as does the security of knowing that your chosen storage facility has, well, security. RV and boat storage units can range from glorified parking lots to garage style units. Opt for the latter and your vehicle will be safe from harsh weather and crime.
