Guide
What is a boat park?
A boat park is an area of hardstanding where boats are stored ashore on stands or cradles, usually at a commercial boatyard or marina. The term is widely used in the UK for the compound where boats spend the winter, or sit during refit and maintenance, between periods afloat.
A boat park differs from in-water berthing and from a self storage pitch in that it is a managed, professional operation. The yard hauls boats out, positions them on supports, organises the layout for access and handling, and takes responsibility for how each boat is supported. Dry boat storage of this kind is a core service for many UK marinas and yards.
For owners, a boat park offers professional handling and on-site facilities; for the yard, it is a logistics exercise in lifting, positioning, spacing and documenting a compound full of vessels of different sizes and weights.
KIPAC is a CE-documented European manufacturer of the boat stands, keel supports, cradles and dollies used in professional boat parks, with capacities typically from 1 to 40 tonnes. For the wider UK storage picture, see [Boat storage guide UK](https://kipacboatstands.com/resources/boat-storage-guide-uk/).
Guide
How commercial boatyards organise standing storage
A well-run boat park is organised around safe support, efficient handling and clear access.
Haul-out and positioning: Boats are lifted out by hoist, crane or boat mover, washed off, and positioned on stands or a cradle sized to the vessel. The keel or keel support carries the principal weight on keelboats.
Layout and spacing: Boats are spaced to allow access for ladders, work and emergency movement, and arranged so heavier craft sit where the ground and handling routes suit them. Spacing also matters for fire access.
Ground: The compound is firm, level hardstanding, with plates or pads used under feet where needed.
Documentation: Professional yards commonly record how each vessel is supported – the number and rating of stands, the keel support and any cradle – to underpin insurance and quality procedures.
Seasonal flow: Yards manage a peak of haul-outs in autumn and launches in spring, scheduling lifts to keep the compound workable.
This organisation is what separates a managed boat park from a simple storage field. For the equipment detail, see [Standing boat storage: equipment, safety and best practice](https://kipacboatstands.com/resources/standing-boat-storage/).
Guide
Equipment used in professional boat parks
Professional boat parks rely on a range of support and handling equipment, held in inventory across sizes and capacities.
Adjustable boat stands: The everyday support for motorboats and sailing yachts, used in opposing pairs and adjusted to the hull. Yards keep stands in several capacities to suit the range of boats they store.
Keel supports: Placed under the keel of a sailing yacht to carry its principal weight, combined with side stands.
Cradles: Purpose-built frames for heavier craft and vessels where standard stands are not sufficient, with capacity typically from around 8 to 40 tonnes.
Boat dollies and movers: Wheeled supports for moving and positioning boats within the compound, useful for tight layouts and refit areas.
Ground protection: Steel plates and timber pads spread loads on softer ground.
For a commercial yard, documented load ratings on this equipment matter for insurance and liability. Yards typically prefer new, CE-documented equipment with traceable ratings over undocumented or heavily used stands.
KIPAC manufactures CE-documented stands, keel supports, cradles and dollies in structural steel (S355) and aluminium, with hot-dip galvanising or powder coating, capacity typically 1–40 tonnes. For the cost angle, see [Boat storage cost UK](https://kipacboatstands.com/resources/boat-storage-cost-uk/).
Guide
What to ask a boatyard before storing your boat
Before storing your boat at a boat park, a few questions reveal how the yard works and how your boat will be supported.
- How will my boat be supported – how many stands, what rating, and is a keel support used for a keelboat? - Is the equipment CE-documented with traceable load ratings? - What handling is used for haul-out and launch, and what does it cost? - How is the compound laid out for access, and can I work on my boat there? - What security is in place: fencing, gates, lighting, CCTV? - Do you require proof of insurance, and what are your storage conditions? - How is each boat's support setup recorded? - What are the access hours, and are electricity and water available?
The answers tell you not only about convenience and cost but about how safely your boat will be held. A yard that can explain its support method and equipment clearly is a good sign.
For the owner's side of choosing storage, see [Boat self storage UK](https://kipacboatstands.com/resources/boat-self-storage-uk/).
Guide
Health and safety considerations in commercial boat parks
A commercial boat park is a workplace, and safety runs through how it is organised.
Stable support: The foundation is that every boat is supported on correctly rated stands, keel supports or cradles, positioned in balanced pairs on firm ground. An unstable boat is a serious hazard to people working around it.
Access and spacing: Boats are spaced to allow safe access for ladders and work, movement of equipment, and emergency and fire access.
Working at height: Ladders and access equipment must be used safely around boats on stands; the stands themselves should never be used as climbing aids.
Inspection: Supports are checked through the season, especially after storms or heavy frost, because a settled or shifted support is a risk to people as well as the boat.
Equipment condition: Corroded, bent or overloaded supports lose their safety margin. Yards inspect and retire equipment that no longer meets its rating.
Documentation: Recording how each boat is supported underpins both safety procedures and any insurance or liability position.
These considerations are why professional yards take support equipment seriously. For the technical detail, see [Standing boat storage](https://kipacboatstands.com/resources/standing-boat-storage/).
Guide
CE-documented equipment and why it matters to professional boatyards
For professional boatyards and marinas, the support equipment under customers' boats is not only an operational choice but part of the yard's responsibility.
CE documentation means a product has been assessed and documented against its nominal load ratings. In a commercial setting – a yard storing other people's boats – this documentation may be relevant to insurance, liability and the yard's own quality procedures. It may be required by an insurer or by the yard's procedures; local rules and insurance terms vary, so it is worth verifying what applies in each case.
Documented, traceable load ratings let a yard match equipment to the boats it stores and demonstrate that its support method is sound. Undocumented or heavily used stands give an unclear basis for that judgement, which is why professional yards tend to prefer new, CE-documented equipment.
For private owners CE documentation is not a legal requirement, but the same quality signal applies: a documented capacity gives a clear basis for judging whether a support suits the load.
KIPAC manufactures CE-documented boat stands, keel supports, cradles and dollies for professional use, capacity typically 1–40 tonnes, in structural steel (S355) and aluminium, manufactured in Croatia (EU). [Contact KIPAC](/contact/) to discuss support equipment for your boat park.
Checklist
Checklist: choosing a boat park in the UK
How many stands, what rating, and whether a keel support is used for a keelboat. A yard that explains its support method clearly is a good sign.
CE-documented stands, keel supports and cradles with traceable load ratings give a clear basis for matching equipment to the boats stored.
How haul-out and launch are done – hoist, crane or boat mover – and what it costs. Confirm access hours and whether you can work on the boat there.
Boats spaced for safe access, work and emergency movement. Firm, level hardstanding with plates or pads under feet where needed.
Fencing, gates, lighting and CCTV. Confirm whether the yard requires proof of insurance and what its storage conditions are.
Supports inspected through the season, equipment retired when it no longer meets its rating, and each boat's support setup recorded.
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 →Structured storage frames for stable boat support on land.
View equipment →Dollies for moving and positioning boats in workshops and marinas.
View equipment →FAQ
FAQ
A boat park is an area of hardstanding where boats are stored ashore on stands or cradles, usually at a commercial boatyard or marina. In the UK the term is widely used for the compound where boats spend the winter or sit during refit work. The yard hauls boats out, positions them on supports and takes responsibility for how each is supported.
Boats are lifted out by hoist, crane or boat mover, washed off and positioned on stands or a cradle sized to the vessel, with the keel or keel support carrying the principal weight on keelboats. Boats are spaced for access, work and emergency movement, stored on firm hardstanding, and their support setups are commonly documented for insurance and quality.
Professional boat parks use adjustable boat stands in several capacities, keel supports for keelboats, cradles for heavier craft, and boat dollies or movers for positioning within the compound, plus steel plates and timber pads on softer ground. Yards tend to prefer new, CE-documented equipment with traceable load ratings.
Ask how the boat will be supported – the number and rating of stands and whether a keel support is used – and whether the equipment is CE-documented. Also ask about handling and its cost, compound layout and access, security, insurance requirements, how each boat's support is recorded, and access hours and services.
For a yard storing other people's boats, CE documentation means the load ratings have been assessed and documented, which may be relevant to insurance, liability and the yard's own quality procedures. It may be required by an insurer or the yard's procedures, so it is worth verifying what applies. Documented, traceable ratings let a yard match equipment to the boats it stores.
The foundation is that every boat is supported on correctly rated stands, keel supports or cradles in balanced pairs on firm ground, because an unstable boat is a serious hazard. Boats are spaced for safe and emergency access, supports are inspected through the season, equipment that no longer meets its rating is retired, and support setups are recorded.
