Guide
What a storage facility actually needs to operate
A commercial boat storage facility runs on five categories of equipment working together: supports that hold boats stable on land (stands and keel supports), cradles for heavier or longer-term boats, dollies or handling gear to move boats around the yard, a lifting method to get boats in and out of the water, and the documentation that ties it together. Get those right, sized to the boats the yard will actually hold, and the facility can store and move boats safely and efficiently. Get them mismatched, and the yard improvises — which costs time and creates risk.
The organizing principle is that the equipment should be specified against the boat mix, not bought piecemeal. A yard that knows its range of boat types and weights can choose a coherent set that covers them, with capacity headroom for the heaviest. KIPAC manufactures the storage and support side of this — stands, keel supports, cradles and a hydraulic boat lift — as CE-documented equipment, and a facility specification is worked out against the boat profile during quotation.
Guide
Supports: stands, keel supports and cradles
The core of any storage yard is what the boats rest on, and that is a combination of keel-borne support and side stabilization.
Keel supports and blocking carry the main load along the keel, the way a hull is designed to be supported. Side stands then hold boats upright, placed under solid hull sections in opposing pairs and tied so they cannot shift. For heavier boats, longer lay-ups or a more repeatable footprint, cradles spread the load over a structure built for the boat. A facility usually needs all three, in a range of capacities, because it stores a range of boats — from light powerboats to heavy displacement cruisers and keel sailing yachts.
The key facility decision is to standardize on a coherent set rather than accumulate odd stands over time. A known, capacity-matched range means crews place supports consistently, capacity is never in doubt, and inspection is straightforward. KIPAC supplies motorboat stands, sailboat stands, keel supports and cradles as CE-documented equipment, specified against the boat mix so the support range covers the yard's boats.
Guide
Handling and lifting equipment
Beyond static support, a working yard has to move boats and get them in and out of the water.
Dollies and handling gear move boats around the yard — repositioning, making space, bringing a boat to a work area. They keep the yard flexible without dragging hulls or improvising. Lifting is the other half: a facility needs a method to haul boats out and launch them, whether that is a travel lift, a crane or a hydraulic boat lift. Travel lifts, cranes and forklifts are third-party yard machines; KIPAC manufactures a hydraulic boat lift, which suits small and mid-sized yards that want flexible, space-efficient lifting up to around 40 t without a wide travel-lift bay.
The practical point is that lifting and support are complementary: a boat is lifted, then it must be set down on properly engineered supports. Planning the lifting method and the supports together — so the boat always has somewhere correct to rest once moved — is what keeps a facility's workflow smooth. The right lifting choice depends on the yard's boat range, space and volume.
Guide
Layout, surface and documentation
Equipment is only half the facility; how it is laid out and documented decides how well it works.
The storage surface has to take concentrated loads, because stands and keel supports transfer weight into the ground at points. The layout balances density against access — packing boats to use the yard while leaving room to work, inspect and run the lift — and is usually organized so boat type, access and launch order line up. A facility also benefits from planning storage rows around the support set it standardizes on, so positions are repeatable season to season.
Documentation is the quiet essential. CE documentation for the equipment, records of support configurations, and clear capacity information all matter for safety, inspection and, in EU jurisdictions, for permitting and insurance discussions. A facility that keeps this in order is easier to run and to certify. KIPAC's equipment is CE-documented, and the facility specification produced during quotation gives the yard a coherent record of what it is using and to what capacity.
Guide
Equipment mistakes when setting up a facility
Facilities that struggle usually made a few avoidable equipment decisions.
The first is buying supports piecemeal instead of specifying a coherent set against the boat mix, leaving the yard with gaps and mismatched capacities. The second is sizing for the average boat rather than the heaviest, so the demanding hulls are under-supported. The third is planning support without handling and lifting, so boats can be held but not moved efficiently — or lifted but not set down correctly.
The fourth is ignoring the storage surface, so concentrated loads sit on ground that settles. The fifth is treating documentation as optional, which complicates inspection, insurance and permitting later. The sixth is buying lifting or support equipment without CE documentation, which can create problems in EU jurisdictions. The way to avoid all of these is to specify the facility's equipment as one coordinated set against the boat profile. KIPAC supplies the CE-documented support, cradle and hydraulic-lift side and helps build that coordinated specification.
Checklist
Storage facility equipment checklist
Document the range of boat types, lengths and weights the facility will hold, including the heaviest hulls.
Choose a coherent range of keel supports, motorboat stands, sailboat stands and cradles covering all the boats.
Include dollies or handling equipment so boats can be repositioned around the yard without improvising.
Select a haul-out and launch method suited to the yard's boat range, space and volume.
Confirm the storage surface can take concentrated support loads across the yard.
Plan rows for access, boat type and launch order, packed to use the yard without blocking work.
Hold CE documentation, capacity information and records of support configurations for safety and inspection.
Equipment
Related KIPAC equipment
Adjustable support systems for motorboats in dry storage.
View equipment →Technical keel support solutions for load transfer during storage.
View equipment →Dollies for moving and positioning boats in workshops and marinas.
View equipment →Structured storage frames for stable boat support on land.
View equipment →Equipment for lifting and controlled boatyard handling.
View equipment →FAQ
FAQ
A coordinated set: keel supports and stands to hold boats stable, cradles for heavier or longer-term boats, dollies or handling gear to move boats around, and a lifting method to haul out and launch. Plus a suitable storage surface, a planned layout and documentation. The set should be specified against the boats the facility will actually hold.
Yes. Standardizing on a coherent, capacity-matched range of stands, keel supports and cradles lets crews place supports consistently, removes doubt about capacity, simplifies spares and makes inspection easier. It is more efficient than accumulating mismatched stands over time, especially as the yard grows.
KIPAC manufactures a hydraulic boat lift suited to small and mid-sized yards up to around 40 t, plus the stands, keel supports and cradles boats rest on after lifting. Travel lifts, cranes and forklifts are third-party machines KIPAC does not make. Lifting and support are planned together so a lifted boat always has correct support to rest on.
CE documentation, capacity information and records of support configurations support safety, inspection and, in EU jurisdictions, permitting and insurance discussions. A facility that keeps this in order is easier to run and to certify. KIPAC's equipment is CE-documented and the quotation gives the yard a coherent record of what it uses and to what capacity.
Yes. KIPAC works out a facility specification against the boat profile during quotation, proposing a coordinated set of CE-documented stands, keel supports, cradles and, where it fits, a hydraulic boat lift. The aim is a coherent, capacity-matched equipment set that covers the yard's boats rather than a piecemeal collection.
