Storing a boat on its trailer in a 40ft container on the Gulf Coast: width, height, vent and moisture
Yes, if the boat and trailer clear the door: a 40ft high cube's opening is 7'8" wide and 8'5" high, which takes most bass boats and small center consoles up to about 19 feet on a single-axle trailer. A tall T-top, a wide beam or tandem fenders are what usually stop it, so measure before you order.
What fits
Inside, a 40ft high cube is 39'5" long, 7'8" wide and 8'10" high. The door opening is 7'8" by 8'5", and that is the real limit. Measure the widest point of the boat or the trailer fenders, and the height from the ground to the top of the windshield, T-top or console on the trailer.
A boat up to about 19 feet on a single-axle trailer fits with the tongue swung. Bass boats usually fit. A center console with a T-top often stands too tall, unless the top folds down. Sheet 4 of the plan set has the clearances drawn.
Salt air and moisture
On the Coast, a closed steel box keeps sun and rain off the gelcoat, but it traps humid air. A roof vent moves the damp air out, and a moisture bucket at each end handles August. A dehumidifier needs a cord in.
Rinse the boat and trailer with fresh water before it goes in, put a battery tender on it, and chock an axle.
Storm season
A loaded container on the high side of the lot keeps the boat out of the wind, but it is not flood-proof. If the yard floods, so does the box. See storm-season container storage and check your city's anchoring rules on the Gulf Coast page.
For a car or truck in the same box, see will a car fit in a container.
The layout, drawn to the box
This is sheet 2 of the free Car & Boat Garage plan set: the 40ft high cube container drawn from real ISO dimensions, with every shelf, rack and opening placed. A sedan or pickup backs in on the driver's-side aisle, the boat or second vehicle takes the far end; the door is the limit, not the box. Clearances on sheet 4.
All seven sheets: Cover and package price · Floor plan · Long-wall elevation: lights and the roof vent · Cross section: clearances · Site, pad and leveling · Parts, cut list and tools · Build order and disclaimer. You buy locally: wheel chocks, a battery tender, a floor mat — roughly $120–$220.
See the Car & Boat Garage package — container and kit, delivered price by ZIP →
Buying a container?
Longleaf sells used and one-trip 20ft and 40ft shipping containers, delivered by tilt-bed across the Pine Belt. Enter your ZIP for the delivered price — it comes straight from the supplier feed and already includes the haul. Locks, vents, shelving and lights are on the accessories page. We sell; we do not rent.
Keep reading
- Getting a zero-turn into a shipping container: door width, ramp length and deck size — Will a zero-turn mower fit in a shipping container? Door width, deck sizes that clear, ramp length, and how to set up a 20ft for mowers and a landscape crew.
- Do I need a permit for a shipping container in Forrest County? — Shipping container permit rules in Forrest County, MS: Hattiesburg and Petal setbacks, historic districts, the floodplain, and the county outside town.
- Insulating a container office for Mississippi heat: furring, foam, what width is left, and permits — How to insulate a shipping container office for Mississippi heat and humidity: spray foam vs rigid board, the room left over, cooling, power and permits.
- Storing hay in a container on a Pine Belt farm without mold: vents, pallets, cured hay only — How to store hay in a 40ft shipping container on a Mississippi farm without mold: about 300 square bales, pallets, vents low-in high-out, and cured hay only.
- Setting up a container for storm season on the Mississippi Gulf Coast: lock, level, vent — Setting up a 20ft container for storm-season storage on the Mississippi Gulf Coast: where to set it, loading, lock box, vents, leveling and when anchors apply.
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