For most Muskoka cottagers, the haul-out is the most stressful part of storage season. You are coordinating trailer access, a crew, lake conditions, and a tight October window -- all while closing the cottage. Dock pickup takes that off your plate. Here is exactly what happens when you book it with us.

Before the pickup: what you need to do

When you book, we collect your boat details (make, model, length, estimated weight), your dock location, and your preferred pickup window. About three to five days before your assigned date, we send a confirmation with your appointment window and a short prep list:

  • Remove any personal items from the boat: life jackets, dock lines, fenders, fish finders, and anything loose in the cockpit
  • Pull the drain plug (or confirm the bilge is dry)
  • Fold and secure the bimini top if it has one
  • Retract or remove any antennas that might snag during loading or under the wrap
  • Have your boat key available on the day

That is the full list for most boats. We handle everything else from there.

On pickup day: what we do

We arrive in the booked window with the truck and trailer. The first thing we do is a walk-around condition check with you or your authorized person present. We note any existing dings, scratches, gel coat chips, and hardware condition, photograph everything, and both parties sign the intake form. This protects you and us -- nobody argues in April about a scratch that was there in October.

For dock pickups at properties with ramp access, we back the trailer into the water and float the boat onto it, then winch and strap it securely. For properties where the dock is too high, the water too shallow, or there is no ramp, we coordinate a nearby public boat ramp. You bring the boat over by water (a five-minute ride on most Muskoka lakes), and we meet you at the ramp to load there.

Once the boat is loaded and strapped, we do a final walk-around to confirm all straps are tight, nothing is rubbing against the trailer frame, and the bow eye is correctly seated. Then we head to the storage facility.

At the facility: what happens next

We unload the boat onto blocking stands in your assigned bay. If shrink wrapping is in your booking, wrapping happens at the facility within 24 hours of arrival -- we do not leave boats sitting unwrapped for extended periods. The wrap tech walks the boat before wrapping to pad any protrusions and install the center ridge support.

You receive a confirmation email or text within a day of arrival with your storage bay number and the condition report photos from intake. If we notice anything during unloading or wrapping -- a crack that was not visible on the water, a damaged fitting -- we photograph it and let you know immediately.

Spring return: the same in reverse

In March, we contact you to schedule your spring return date. You choose a date; we assign it to the appropriate zone route. On the return day, we cut and remove the wrap, reload the boat onto the trailer, and deliver it to your dock, marina, or boat ramp. You get a call or text when we are 30 minutes out so someone can be there to receive it.

If the boat needs spring commissioning -- battery reinstall, engine recommission, a wash before it goes back in -- that can be added to the booking. We coordinate with Muskoka Detail for detailing; commissioning services are booked separately but scheduled to happen before or on your return date.

What if my dock does not have ramp access?

Most Muskoka cottage properties do not have boat ramps -- they have fixed or floating docks with no vehicle access to the waterline. That is fine. We handle it one of two ways: we identify the nearest public boat ramp (every major Muskoka lake has at least one) and you bring the boat to us by water, or in some cases where the property has shallow water and a gradual shoreline, we can use our own portable ramp. We scope this out when you book, so there are no surprises on pickup day.

If your boat is at a marina slip for the season, we coordinate directly with the marina for haul-out. Tell us your marina and slip number when you book; we work out the logistics with the marina directly.