Boat Storage on Lake St. Clair

Every boat on Lake St. Clair comes out for the winter, and the yards that store them are packed into a few miles of shoreline: South River Road and North River Road in Harrison Township, and Jefferson in St. Clair Shores. Here is how storage works here, what it runs, and every yard we track that will take your boat.

How winter storage works here

The season is simple. Haul-outs start in October once the water cools, most boats are out by mid-November, and launches run through April into May. RiverBend Marina writes its trailer storage contract from October 1 to April 30, and Lambrecht Marina switches to winter hours from November 1 to April 1. Those dates are typical for the whole lake.

You are choosing between four kinds of space:

• Outdoor shored. The yard hauls the boat, blocks it on jack stands or a cradle in a fenced lot, and you shrink wrap it. Most yards on the river do this.
• Outdoor on your trailer. You tow it in and the yard parks it. Portside Storage at the corner of South River Road and Jefferson is a pure version of this: fenced and locked, monthly, and not in-and-out. You drop the boat and call when you want it brought out.
• Indoor cold. An unheated building. No snow load, no UV, no shrink wrap needed.
• Indoor heated. The premium tier. Lambrecht runs three heated buildings on North River Road, and Sundog Marina, Safe Harbor Belle Maer, Michigan Harbor, Miller Marina and Emerald City Harbor all have heated space. Heated does not mean you skip engine winterization. Lambrecht's own storage page says to winterize even in a heated building, and that is the right call anywhere.

Rack (dry stack) storage is a different product. The boat lives on a shelf in a building year-round and a forklift drops it in the water when you call ahead. Beacon Cove Marina on Jefferson in Harrison Township has 145 indoor rack spaces for sport boats up to 32 feet, Safe Harbor Belle Maer runs an in-and-out rack for 16 to 30 footers, and Island Harbor Marina and Safe Harbor Jefferson Beach do it in St. Clair Shores. If you are on a rack in summer, winter storage is usually part of the same contract.

Winterization is a separate line item almost everywhere. It covers the engine, drive, water systems, head and generator, and it is the step that keeps a block from cracking. The checklist and who does the work is in winterizing your boat. Shrink wrap is also separate, priced by the square foot, with an add-on for an arch, bridge or hard top.

What it costs

Storage is priced by the square foot, length times beam, with a minimum charge for small boats. RiverBend Marina publishes its full 2026 winter rate sheet, which is rare, so use it as the benchmark for a South River Road yard as of 2026:

• Outdoor storage, all boats up to 32 feet including trailered boats and pontoons: $2.75 per square foot, $600 minimum ($2.55 and $550 if you pay within 14 days by check, cash or Zelle).
• 32 to 40 feet, shored, requiring the hoist: $3.25 per square foot ($2.95 discount rate), plus a $160 large equipment fee over 34 feet.
• Shrink wrap: $1.55 per square foot, $230 minimum, plus $65 for an arch, bridge or hard top.
• Winterize an inboard gas engine: $185. Outboard 10 to 40 hp: $150. Outboard 50 to 150 hp: $180. Drive: $140. Head: $65. Generator: $160.
• Power wash the bottom: $0.40 per square foot.

Worked example: a 24 foot bowrider with an 8.5 foot beam is 204 square feet. Storage lands under the minimum, so $600. Shrink wrap is about $316. Add the engine and drive and you are around $1,240 for the winter before a bottom wash. Trailer it into Portside Storage instead and the yard fee is $1.35 per square foot as of 2026, or about $275 for that same boat, with you handling the wrap and winterizing yourself or through a repair shop.

Every other yard in the table says call for this season's rate. Expect indoor cold to run more than RiverBend's outdoor rate and heated more again, and ask what is bundled. Beacon Cove includes lifting and blocking in the storage price, and Belle Maer lists haul-out, spring launch, pressure wash and blocks with its winter package; other yards bill haul and launch separately. Beacon Cove also advertises an early sign-up discount.

When to book

The popular yards are full by Labor Day. Indoor heated goes first: Trader Todd's says its heated building has limited space, and Island Harbor's site says winter storage is very limited. If you keep a summer slip, your marina will usually hold winter space for you. If you trailer, start calling in August. By mid-October the haul-out calendar at the hoist yards is set and you are waiting on a cancellation.

Every yard that stores boats

The Harrison Township cluster runs along South River Road between Jefferson and the river mouth, with more yards on North River Road across the water. If you searched for storage in Harrison Township, this is your group. St. Clair Shores yards sit along Jefferson near the Nautical Mile. Amenities come from each yard's own site unless noted; confirm by phone.

Yard	Town	Indoor / outdoor / rack	Extras	Link
RiverBend Marina, 31635 S River Rd	Harrison Twp	Outdoor, fenced and gated	Haul-out, winterization, shrink wrap, power wash, published rates	Listing
Sundog Marina, 31785 S River Rd	Harrison Twp	Indoor heated, on-trailer	Hoists to 70 tons, mast-up sailboats, trailer and cradle lot, service	Listing
Portside Storage, 30201 Jefferson	Harrison Twp	Outdoor, on trailer	Fenced and locked, monthly, no in-and-out, $1.35 per sq ft	Listing
Beacon Cove Marina, 36360 Jefferson	Harrison Twp	Indoor rack (145 spaces to 32 ft), outdoor	Lift and blocking included, winterization, shrink wrap, power wash	Listing
Blue Lagoon Boating Center, 39739 Jefferson	Harrison Twp	Indoor cold, indoor heated, outdoor	Haul-out, power wash, launch, 24/7 access	Listing
Safe Harbor Belle Maer, 41700 Conger Bay Dr	Harrison Twp	Indoor cold, indoor heated, outdoor, rack 16 to 30 ft	50-ton hoist, 14 to 70 ft, haul, launch, wash and blocks in the package, service	Listing
Lambrecht Marina, 31300 N River Rd	Harrison Twp	Indoor heated (three buildings), outdoor	Winterization and shrink wrap by phone, Blue Water Marine on site	Listing
Bryers Cottage Marina, 31580 N River Rd	Harrison Twp	Outdoor on jack stands, or on your trailer at a reduced rate	Hoist for power boats to 42 ft, winterization, shrink wrap	Listing
Club Royale Clinton River Boathouse, 30200 N River Rd	Harrison Twp	Outdoor	Call for haul and services	Listing
Boat Works Marina, 30015 Riverside Bay Ct	Harrison Twp	Dry storage, about 200 spaces (third-party source)	Call to confirm	Listing
Emerald City Harbor, 24200 Jefferson	St. Clair Shores	Indoor heated, outdoor covered and open	Three hoists, winterization, shrink wrap, service	Listing
Michigan Harbor, 24600 Jefferson	St. Clair Shores	Indoor heated to 80 ft, outdoor to 40 ft	70-ton and 25-ton lifts, haul-out, bottom wash, service	Listing
Miller Marina, 24770 Jefferson	St. Clair Shores	Indoor cold, indoor heated, outdoor, outdoor covered	Winterization, service	Listing
Island Harbor Marina, 24102 Jefferson	St. Clair Shores	Indoor rack, outdoor covered, trailer storage	Haul-out, mast stepping, space very limited	Listing
Trader Todd's Marina, 24030 Jefferson	St. Clair Shores	Indoor heated (limited), outdoor	Boats to 41 ft, winterizing and shrink wrap through on-site contractors	Listing
Safe Harbor Jefferson Beach, 24400 Jefferson	St. Clair Shores	Rack, 10 to 30 ft	70-ton hoist, haul-out, service	Listing
UNRIEHL Marina, 36250 Surfside Dr	New Baltimore	Indoor heated on racks, stands or trailer (third-party source)	Call to confirm	Listing

The full set, including any yard added after this was written, is on the boat storage and marina directory pages, and the best marinas list ranks the ones that also keep you in a slip all summer. Browse by town on the Harrison Township and St. Clair Shores pages.

Before you sign

Read the contractor clause. RiverBend only lets approved, insured contractors onto the yard, charges them $40 a day to get in, and tells you not to hand out your gate code. If your own mechanic or detailer will work on the boat over the winter, ask the yard first. Pull batteries and personal gear before the haul, since some yards bill extra to move them, and take a dated photo of the hull once it is blocked.