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Heat.....I'd put a nice big woodstove in there. This way on the days you want to work on the vehicles or boat, you just fire up the stove....it would warm it up enough I think...
202 Scout Sportfisher, mainly fish Point Judith, Block Island, and Charlestown, Rhode Island.
NewMoon beat me to the heat and being in Orleans you could use it about now.
How about a beam or support where you could attach a chain fault so that you could lift your motor from the boat or maybe an engine from a car etc.?
Could also help lift all those tuna out of the fishbox too [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img].
Even with your drive through arrangement, I'm assuming that you would still back your truck up to the trailer. If this is the case, I would design in a system to allow you to do this easily, i.e a mirror of some sort.
OK, while your at it, how about a pit underneath so you can change the oil on your vehicles while standing (like at Jiffy Lube).
I would do a large gas heater so you don't have to wait for it to warm up as much and you can also leave it running on low to keep things thawed a little better.
Also add some attic storage so you can keep seldom used items up and out of the way.
Does your boat have a t-top? If not, you may want to make allowances for one in the future, ie. taller door, high ceilings, etc.
Large refridgerator and freezer to keep beverages cold, bait frozen, etc.
Last but not least, a corkboard wall to post shots from the Sandbar!! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
when i biult my garage i went through several contractors that wanted to put columns in, you dont want them a good contractor can build a proper carrier, all lally colums are good for is banging my head and denting the car doors, also only a fool puts a wood stove in a garage, i put in a pellet stove, lights up in minutes, keeps me warm, cools down in minutes, when i go back in the house in know the pellet stove is cool and no hot ashes will burn my garage, boat, antique cars etc. down, good luck. ps if you do put in a wood stove just make sure your insurance is in force and up to date woody
What kind of wall system? Did one out of 8in. cinderblock, filled cavity with a granular insulation toasty warm. Then frame a stud wall more ins. drywall or paneling and you will want to move in to the garage.
Don't forget an inside fish cleaning station for those cold codfishing days.
I can picture one of those great big double fiberglass sinks with a garbage disposal unit.......a nice high faucet along with a spray hose/nozzle......a knife rack next to that with a sharpening stone nearby.
Don't forget telpehone and cable tv jacks.
I don't know how handy you are but 220 volts for the welder.
You'll probably want a/c in there also although you won't use it a lot. A heat pump might be the right approach as you would get some efficient heating on the days in the 50s, with gas backup for when it gets really cold. I second the fish cleaning station and running 220 sounds like a good idea.
Have been a great boat barn/workshop that had radiant heat in the floor. He keeps it set at 50, and it warms up quickly (well insulated building). Plus the heat is right where you feel it, at ground level. Even if you don't have plans for a furnace now....you can run the tubing now when you pour the floor. It all comes down to budget. Speaking of floor, let the gravel/sand subbase settle for as long as you can, wet it down to help, before pouring the floor. Otherwise post-pour settling can cause voids under the concrete that you will find if you ever jack anything over that spot.
Being from south Fl a a/c is more our stile. My dads cottage is a lil over 600 sq feet and a dual a/c -heat wall unit does the trick for him.They come in eather 110 or 220.It's not like you will have it on all the time and less chance of fire.If you go with the 220 unit you can set it up on a waterheater timer and 1 hour before you plan on working in there it will turn on and toast the place up for you.I would also hard plumb 1 1/2 pvc and attach it to a large shopvac with outles through out . Another thought is slightly sloped floor with a metal drain on one end for when you want to hose it down. Then lights cealing mounte 8 foot floresents 2 for each bay.Retractable wire cords. Boy I wish it was mine.
One item I have put into my master plan for the next generation of Big Al's Worldwide Fishing Headquarters (aka - my shop/shed) is to pipe in an overhead deluge system. Simple PVC piping running parallel with the compressed air system so they can share a double vibration dampener every few feet. Install fog nozzles overhead of where the boat will be parked. When it is time to clean it, crank up the water, put on the shorts, and climb in with the scrub brush. Beats the heck out of hassling with the hose, etc. A smiple Hoke valve could be used for flow control, but screw that, I have a couple of stainless regulator valves that will look very trick installed in the system [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
Also, a commercial grade, faily sizeable ICE MACHINE! I use about a 100-150 lbs for an offshore run, and I hate having to drive all the way to the Ice Co., or to the nearby grocery store and pay too much. A nice Manitowoc with a huge door......
Then, of course, there is the hydraulic upgrade package - powering the overhead doors, all windows, vehicle lift(s), haulout system to lift boat from trailer, engine hoist...... : [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]
New Moon
I love it [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] I don't think you can find a better boat for the area I live at. I just can't wait till April for Flounder season.
By the way could you tell me what is the best anchor for this boat? The one I have just does't fit properly in the locker, plus its an elcheepo. I'll use this one for wreck fishing next year.
Thanks
Garage doors- go industrial size, 10 feet wide minimum and height as required for boat, I'd say 9 feet height at opening minimum. Ceiling height, minimum 12 feet for garage door structure and ceiling storage area flexibility. As for length of your stalls, I'd figure for boat trailer length plus 10 feet for motor and working room. Slope the floor with a drain near the area where the boat bilge plug will drain to. Good Luck.
Thanks for the great ideas. I will definitely use some of them. Others are a little out of my league. I've marked (**) the ones I think are the most inspired.
Here's a summary:
- wood stove
- overhead support beam**
- rod and tackle storage**
- back-up mirror system**
- pit
- gas heater**
- high ceilings**
- frig and freezer**
- hard pipe compressor lines
- a good contractor
- pellet stove
- insulated walls
- fish cleaning station w/ sink and knife rack**
- a/c
- 220 volts
- radiant floor heat
- shopvac outlets**
- sloped floor and drain at bilge plug**
- 8 ft. flouescents**
- overhead retractable elec. cords**
- overhead deluge sys.
- comm'l. ice machine**
- hydraulics
Just to second woody's suggestion and you describe as overhead support beam. This can really be done with NO COLUMNS at all with a little "engineering" - especially with the composite beams available now that are relatively inexpensive. If necessary don't hesitate to use steel.
I am definitely elimating the columns when I expand my garage - my first retirement project
Steel beam
I have a detached 2 car garage. Constructed using block with brick exterior. I have a single steel beam down the middle with supporting steel collums.
But my garage doors are too low to allow clearance for my boat with the ttop. Also if I could get it in the garage the beam would be too low also. So I'm saying ensure yours is high enough to allow clearance.
Good luck
Building a Boat "Garage" 
