How to Choose the Right Marine Door for Your Boathouse

There's nothing like your own personal vacation home reprieve on the lake, river, or the ocean… far away from the work and responsibility of the real world. You acquired a boat and did it up to your specific desires, taking care of each detail. But there's one thing left that you need—a replacement for that old, falling-apart boathouse door!

Picture of a boat and a blue sky.

If you're looking for a new boathouse garage door, it should be a high-quality piece that will last for decades. Photo sourced from Pexels.

A Boat and Its Boathouse Need the Perfect Marine Garage Door

There are a great many types of garage doors you can choose from. However, the most important consideration is function.

Are you wanting to display your boat with pride? Are you looking for something sturdy to protect your boat from all kinds of weather? Or are you looking for a good price-performance value? Here, we'll detail all three.

A beautiful modern cottage with two all glass garage doors

If you love modern design, you'll want a door that can display your boats for all to see, like these all-glass garage doors. This beautiful project was created by PattyMac.

Option #1 — Show Off Your Boat with a Full-View Garage Door

A gorgeous house by the lake with three full-view garage doors for the its gigantic boathouse

If you like being able to see everything inside your boathouse, like this one featured on Houzz, you'll need a full-view California garage door to outfit your boathouse. They let in light and allow you to see both out and in, so your boat is always the proud center.

These garage doors are essentially giant windows, so you always have a full view of the boathouse. The door frame is also corrosion-resistant as it is made of aluminum.

Your boat is a source of pride—you don't want it hidden! A panoramic clear glass garage door means it's protected yet visible to anyone you want to impress (including yourself!).

You probably love working away some hours inside your boathouse, making things perfect. An all-glass California garage door lets in all that natural light, so you don't have to bring in extra!

This beautiful boathouse was realized by PattyMac.

Boathouses aren't just for storing boats anymore. They're also great for relaxing; you've probably put in a couch, a pool table, or some recliners. If you have a panoramic garage door that lets in a ton of light, you'll be able to enjoy the scenery all the time. This gorgeous place was designed by PattyMac.

You've worked hard for your boathouse. You deserve to relax in style! Dress it up with a sofa or a mini-bar so you can enjoy the sunrises and sunsets but still be protected from every storm—always looking out through your all-glass garage door.

A modern boathouse in dark charcoal with two all-glass garage doors

No modern boathouse is complete without an all-glass garage door like the one on this beautiful dark charcoal boathouse with an exquisite rooftop terrasse. This one, found on Houzz, is one like those that people dream of! The in-style charcoal siding blends well with the aluminum frame.

Okay, okay. All-glass garage doors are beautiful, but there are always accidents to think about.

Let's say your teenager is taking their friends out in the boat, but he or she is so excited that they forget to think about opening the all-glass door, and they run right into it! There's a solution, though. You can choose safe tempered glass instead of traditional glass.

Tempered glass goes through a process of heating and cooling during production until it's four to five times stronger than traditional glass. When it's broken, the thousands of small pieces are completely harmless. It's science!

California, 6' x 8' 6" and 16' x 8' 6", Black aluminum frame, Sandblasted glass

These side-by-side California full-view garage doors both have Black aluminum frames and Sandblasted glass. They're shown in 6' x 8'6" and 16' x 8'6".

You have a few different glass types to choose from when going with a California full-view garage door.

  • Clear Glass — With this option, you can see the water from inside the boathouse and the boat from the water. This is the best choice for something you want to show off!
  • Sandblasted Glass — This gives you privacy while still letting in natural light. This is often important if your boathouse connects to your home or you use it for storage.
  • Tempered Glass — If you're looking for something stronger than ordinary glass, this is it. It can be added to both Clear and Sandblasted Glass but not laminated.
  • Polycarbonate — This isn't glass, but plastic, making it highly impact-resistant. However, it does scratch easily. This FAQ details how to care for polycarbonate windows.

One of the things to consider, though, is condensation. California all-glass garage doors are essentially large windows. A boathouse won't respond well to a dehumidifier, so you have to clean and maintain your garage door regularly. Periodic maintenance ensures that the weather seals are doing their job, and opening up your door often helps get circulation in to prevent condensation.

Option #2 — Don't Choose between Construction and Craftsman Good-Looks… Get Both with a Garage Door from the Townships Collection!

Image of a blue boathouse with beautiful brown farmhouse garage doors with inverted V overlays.

Boathouses are often outfitted in the farmhouse style, like this one from Pinterest. A marine door that will last you decades can still come with a wood appearance, like this overhead door that is a part of the Townships Collection.

You're investing in your garage door, so you want it to last for a long time. You know, wood marine garage doors don't do that, so you want one that just looks like wood, as in the ones from the Townships Collection.

Princeton P-12 garage doors, 8' x 7', Iron Ore Walnut, Black Overlays, 8 lites Panoramic windows

This Townships Collection door is shown in Iron Ore Walnut paint and vertical Black overlays that give it a modern, updated farmhouse look. This Princeton P-12 design is shown in an 8' x 7' size with eight lite Panoramic windows.

No one wants rust on their garage door. Choose a Townships Collection door made with galvanized steel and know that it will last for many, many years.

Insulation is also an important consideration for your vacation home and connected boathouse, especially in the spring and fall. These doors have an R-value of 16, meaning high insulation against wind and cold air. Your boathouse will never be as warm as a regular garage or your home since it's on the water, but it can get close!

Eastman E-21 garage door, 9' x 7', Claystone doors, Ice White Overlays, 8 lite Panoramic windows

The Townships Collection strikes again! This Eastman E-21 garage door in a 9' x 7' size with Claystone doors and Ice White overlays has eight lite Panoramic windows, which give the entire door an old-timey country look that's perfect for your boathouse garage door.

It's like magic—the PVC overlays look like wood, but they don't have the maintenance required. The Townships Collection doors don't need any paint (which means no hassle), and you still get the Craftsman look that you're going for on your boathouse. They come in either A-, I-, V-, or X-shaped overlays, all swinging outward to give you the charm of the Modern Farmhouse and Farmhouse styles that you love.

A boathouse with a nice farmhouse look

This striking, classic boathouse, created by Makow Associates Architects, Inc., has V-shaped contrast that gives it a classic farmhouse feel.

Your Marine Doors Will Include Dura+ Hardware

Boathouses need hardware that keeps out moisture and salt. When you use ultra-robust fittings, like Dura+, your door will last much longer than the average garage door. The tracks are formed with galvanized steel, which hinders rust in moist or salty environments, and the nylon rollers slow metal corrosion. This combination is perfect for boathouses that are in high humidity climates.

Option #3 — Choose Value with an Acadia 138 or a Regal Garage Door with an Excellent Price-Performance Ratio

You loved some of the doors detailed in the first two sections. But your budget calls for something a little more middle-of-the-road for your marine door. If you need an overhead door that costs a bit less, read about the seven factors that influence the price of garage doors in this FAQ.

Think About These Two Excellent Choices

Garage Door #1 — The Acadia 138 Garage Door

This garage door is an Acadia 138 North Hatley LP, 9' x 7', Desert Sand, windows with Richmond Inserts. Imagine this one on your boathouse! Wouldn’t the look be absolutely divine?

This classic garage door is a 9' x 7' Acadia 138 North Hatley LP, shown with Desert Sand paint and Richmond insert windows, complete with decorative hardware. This would be the perfect addition to your boathouse!

Even though this Acadia 138 overhead door is made of super-strong galvanized steel, it has an insulation R-value of 12. The base model comes with basic hardware, but you can upgrade to Dura+ hardware if you want to pay the extra charge.

Garage Door #2 — The Regal Garage Door

Regal Classic Long, 9' x 7', Moka Brown, Clear windows

If you love the deep, rich Brown of this 9' x 7' Regal Classic Long (complete with Clear windows), then this is a great choice. It has timeless appeal, especially with the traditional embossed design.

Regal garage doors can come in a non-insulated version or be outfitted with polystyrene insulation. Non-insulated doors are cheaper, but remember that there won't be that extra layer protecting your boathouse from the cold. If you don't mind that, then this is a great selection!

Small Boat Considerations

Let's say you need a small marine door for a boathouse that only needs to house a small bass fishing boat. Our garage doors come in sizes as small as 4' wide but can also be made up to 20' wide! Height considerations are the same. Every garage door we make is custom-fit.

Learn how to measure the necessary opening of your potential marine door here.

Think About Adding a Garage Door Opener to Your Boathouse

Somewhere in these three choices was bound to be the perfect marine door for your boathouse. Excellent! However, no garage door is complete without an electric garage door opener.

If a garage door opener on your boathouse is a necessity, then you need a LiftMaster opener to make your life easier. No one wants the hassle of opening a garage door manually… what if you fell in the water in front of your friends? No, an electric garage door opener is the way to go.

You need a durable boathouse door opener. Traditional residential openers just aren't strong enough. The two commercial openers featured here have an extra special touch— you can get them with a car wash modification!

The CarWash system is water-resistant, allowing these door openers to operate perfectly, even in a damp boathouse environment. The CarWash modification is only available on certain industrial garage door openers.

The LiftMaster H and J commercial door openers are the ultimate choices for your boathouse!

See LiftMaster garage door opener's model H

The wall-mounted LiftMaster H and LiftMaster J garage door openers reduce noise and vibration—an important consideration if you have a bedroom, patio, or other living space above your boathouse. A wall-mounted garage door opener is also great if you need the extra ceiling space to raise your boat off the water during the winter.

A wall-mounted garage door opener can be a great option if you plan on lifting your boats when you store them. It will save you some ceiling space. Image from Houzz.

Is this real life? This setup from Houzz can be part of your boathouse if you choose a wall-mounted garage door opener that saves you space when you lift your boat for storage.

Protect Your Most Prized Possession with a LiftMaster Garage Door Opener

Worrying about someone breaking into your boathouse is common. However, when you install a LiftMaster garage door opener, you won't have to stress anymore! These garage door openers come complete with several features to keep both your boat and your family safe and secure.

  • New Codes Every Time — Each time you close your boathouse door, a unique code is sent to the system. This means that someone coming by with a universal remote won't ever be able to get in!
  • Invisible Light Sensor Beams — Can you imagine something being trapped under a closed marine door? Not a possibility with this door opener. If anything is in the way of the invisible light beams, the door automatically stops in its tracks and raises back up.<
  • Camera — You'll always be able to see what's happening in your boathouse when you install a camera.
  • Door Open Notifications — You left your lake cottage in a hurry… did you close the marine door? Make sure it's closed with the MyQ app, and close it from away if you need to! You'll also get notifications if your door has been open for an unusually long time. Much less stressful!
  • …and so much more! LiftMaster garage door openers have everything you need.

If you're thinking of adding a garage door opener to your vacation home garage or your residential garage, check out all the home models we have here!

We Are Ready to Serve You while You Shop for Your New Marine Door

Eastman E-22 garage door, 9' x 7', Ice White door with Ice White overlays and Orion windows

The classic Ice White door and overlays with Orion windows are exhibited perfectly in this 9' x 7' Eastman E-22 design. Just picture this eye-catching door on your chalet's garage as well as your boathouse!

B & M Garage Door Inc boasts a team of experts that has been selling, installing, and maintaining Canadian-made sectional overhead doors right in your hometown for years and years. Our trained professionals are happy to answer any questions you have and will love to help you find the perfect garage door for your boathouse, your house, or your cottage.

We're here to chat at 905-569-9133. Call us!

If you prefer to do the initial work yourself without talking with someone, we understand! That's why we created our Design Centre. You can click and adjust from the comfort of your phone and home until you choose your perfect colour, window type, decorative hardware, and other options. There are over 100 combinations that you could make! Once you've created your ideal garage door, email it to us for a free quote.

Create Your Next Marine Door with Your Style and Flair!

Every Canadian-made garage door is custom-made to exactly the size, colour, window treatment, and design that you want. Our selection has over 35 designs in 10 different colours—Black, rich Browns, various Beiges, classic White, and more! Whatever you want in your marine door for your boathouse, you'll find it with us. Are you ready to be the envy of the lake?

Reach out to us to learn more.

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