Guide
Quick answer: what dry stack storage is
Dry stack storage keeps boats — almost always powerboats — on a multi-level steel rack inside a building or under cover, instead of in the water at a wet slip or blocked up on the ground. When an owner wants to go out, a marine forklift or hoist lifts the boat from its rack and launches it; on return, the boat is rinsed and returned to the rack.
The appeal for a marina is density and throughput: a rack stores many boats in the footprint of a few wet slips, and boats kept out of the water foul less and need less bottom maintenance. The appeal for owners is convenience and hull protection. Dry stack mainly suits trailerable-to-mid-size powerboats; deep-keel sailing yachts and very heavy vessels are handled with ground storage on stands and cradles instead.
KIPAC does not manufacture the racks or the forklift, but supplies the supporting equipment a dry-stack yard also needs — boat stands, boat dollies and a CE-documented hydraulic boat lift up to 40 t for boats that are worked on at ground level. For the wider land-side picture, see the boat storage on land equipment guide.
Guide
How a dry stack operation actually works
A dry stack facility is built around three things: the rack structure, the handling machine, and the launch point. The rack is a tall steel frame with bays sized by boat length and weight; boats sit on padded bunks within each bay. A marine forklift (or, in some layouts, an overhead hoist or crane) places and retrieves boats, and a launch bay or hoist well puts them in and out of the water.
Operationally, owners call ahead or use an app; staff pull the boat, run a quick check, and launch it. On return the boat is lifted out, the hull and outdrive are rinsed, and the boat goes back to its bay. Because boats are handled frequently, clear aisles, defined ground loads and a maintenance area matter as much as the rack itself.
Not every boat lives full-time on the rack. Boats needing service, antifouling or winter lay-up are set down at ground level, where they rest on boat stands, keel supports or a cradle. A yard that runs dry stack still needs a properly engineered ground-support inventory for exactly those jobs — see how many boat stands you need to size it.
Guide
Dry stack vs wet slips vs ground storage
Each storage model fits a different boat type, climate and business case. The table below summarizes the practical trade-offs; the right mix depends on a yard's fleet and site.
| Criterion | Dry stack (rack) | Wet slip | Ground storage (stands/cradle) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | trailerable–mid powerboats | any in-water vessel | sailing yachts, heavy or long-term |
| Hull fouling | low (out of water) | high | low (out of water) |
| Storage density | high | low | medium |
| Handling equipment | forklift/hoist + racks | none (in water) | stands, keel supports, dollies |
| Service access | at ground level only | limited | full, all around the hull |
| Typical limit | length and weight of rack | berth size | support capacity and surface |
Many marinas run a hybrid: dry stack for the powerboat fleet, wet slips for boats kept in the water, and a ground-storage compound on stands and cradles for sailing yachts, refits and winter lay-up. The ground compound is where KIPAC equipment does most of its work.
Guide
What equipment a dry stack yard needs beyond the rack
The rack and forklift are the visible core, but a working dry-stack yard depends on a layer of ground equipment for everything that happens off the rack.
Boats pulled for service, survey, bottom paint or seasonal lay-up must rest on side stands and keel supports sized to their weight and hull. Boats moved between the rack area, the wash-down zone and the workshop ride on boat dollies. Boats handled or lifted away from the forklift bay — or in yards without a forklift well — can use a hydraulic boat lift, which KIPAC manufactures up to 40 t with a small footprint and minimal fixed infrastructure.
Because dry-stack boats are handled often, the support equipment must be quick to set, stable on the yard surface, and CE-documented for the loads involved. KIPAC supplies stands, keel supports, cradles, dollies and the hydraulic boat lift as a coordinated, traceable range, configured to your fleet during quotation. For the full bundle, see the boatyard equipment package guide; for covered ground storage, see the indoor boat storage guide.
Guide
Common mistakes when planning dry stack storage
Yards adding or expanding dry stack tend to repeat a few avoidable errors.
The first is sizing the rack to today's fleet and forgetting that average boat length and weight keep rising — bays that are too short or too light strand future customers. The second is planning the rack and forklift but under-provisioning the ground-support inventory, so service and lay-up create a bottleneck every time a boat comes off the rack. The third is ignoring ground bearing and surface in the handling zone, where forklifts and lifts concentrate load.
The fourth is treating dry stack as a fit for every boat — pushing deep-keel sailing yachts or very heavy vessels onto a system built for powerboats. The fifth is buying support equipment without CE documentation, which complicates insurance and inspection in EU facilities. KIPAC helps avoid the last two by supplying CE-documented stands, keel supports and a hydraulic boat lift matched to the boats your dry stack cannot take, confirmed against your data at quotation.
Checklist
Quote-preparation checklist: dry stack support equipment
Record the shortest, longest and heaviest boats you handle, including fuel, water and gear, so supports are sized to the real fleet.
Estimate how many boats are pulled at once for service, antifouling and lay-up, since that sets how many stands and cradles you need.
Note any keel boats or unusual hulls handled off the rack, as these need keel supports or a cradle rather than side stands alone.
Describe the surface in the handling and storage zone (concrete, asphalt, compacted base) because lifting and supporting transfer concentrated loads.
Map how far boats travel between rack, wash-down, workshop and storage to specify suitable boat dollies.
Decide whether a hydraulic boat lift is needed for boats worked on away from the forklift well.
List the CE documentation, insurance and inspection evidence your facility must hold.
Equipment
Related KIPAC equipment
Equipment for lifting and controlled boatyard handling.
View 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 →FAQ
FAQ
Dry stack storage keeps boats on a multi-level steel rack out of the water, usually inside a building or under cover, and launches them on demand with a marine forklift or hoist. It mainly suits powerboats up to the rack's length and weight limits, increases storage density compared with wet slips, and reduces hull fouling because the boat is not sitting in the water between trips.
Usually not. Dry stack is designed for trailerable-to-mid-size powerboats that a forklift can carry on padded bunks. Deep-keel sailing yachts concentrate weight on a narrow keel and are awkward and risky for forklift handling, so they are normally stored on the ground on keel supports, side stands or a cradle, or kept in a wet slip.
Yes. Any boat pulled for service, survey, bottom paint or winter lay-up has to be set down somewhere and rest on properly engineered supports. A dry stack yard therefore keeps an inventory of boat stands, keel supports and sometimes cradles for ground-level work, even though most boats live on the rack. KIPAC supplies that CE-documented support equipment sized to your fleet.
Dry stack keeps boats on a rack handled by a machine, optimized for frequent launching of powerboats. Ground storage blocks the boat up on stands, keel supports or a cradle in a fixed spot, which gives full access around the hull and suits sailing yachts, heavy boats, refits and long-term lay-up. Many marinas run both and route each boat to the model that fits it.
Yes. While the rack itself is served by a forklift or hoist, a hydraulic boat lift is useful for boats worked on away from the forklift bay or in mixed yards that also store boats on the ground. KIPAC manufactures a CE-documented hydraulic boat lift up to 40 t with a small footprint, which complements rather than replaces the dry-stack handling machine.
