Putting the Hobie away for winter

With winter coming, does anyone have any advice on how to safely store a hobie outdoors for a snowy winter?

I assume removing the tramp to avoid snow weight stress, does anyone else have advice beyond that? What do you do?

Im considering removing the frame, and placing the hulls side by side and covering with a tarp... but im terrified i wont be able to get it back together. I hear it can be very difficult to get the hull posts back into the frame??

It's much easier to put back together than it is to get it apart in the first place.

Storing the hulls under a tarp is a good idea. Put plenty of padding between and try to keep the snow from piling up too high on them.

I would also jack up the trailer, so the wheels are off the ground. This keeps the the wheels from getting flat spots. Also you just want to occasionally sweep the snow off the top. If you are keeping it on the trailer, and the trailer has rollers on it you defiantly want to brush the snow off it, this can cause flat spots in the hulls.

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5 winters of outdoor storage in snowy and cold Utah. I do not take the tramp off and I leave it on the trailer. I put the mast on the wall of my garage up under the eves outdoors and cover the ends with duct taped garbage bags. The boat gets a 16 X 9 foot tarp bungee chorded underneath to prevent the winds from tearing it up. It is covered from bow to stern and I do put a 2x4 in the middle of the tramp from the back frame to the front. I also sweep snow off when it gets deeper than about 6 inches and put jack stands under to keep the tires off the ground. I've never had any damage. I do have to replace the tarp every year as the sun pretty well destroys it in one year.
Seems like tearing the boat down every year would be more wear and tear than just leaving it whole. Just my 2 cents. I'm not giving in yet. The wet suit is coming out. Good luck.

Sounds logical - pull the drain plugs I'd bet - and I'm thinking to have the boat and or trailer on a angle to keep those drain holes down so water won't get in. I'm wondering how to store mine (I picked up 2 this year) wondering about leaving them on the beach with a tarp over) the tramp surely won't be an issue (stress from snow?) not really. Brush it off after a bit snowfall.

I wonder - leave masts up? or drop them and use a tarp over entire boat and horizontal mast? would be easier to tarp over them with masts down I guess.

When you say - you need a new tramp each year because of sun. (are you replacing them with Hobie/pricey tramps? or a non hobie variety? I just bought a new tramp for a 30 year old boat and decided to go Hobie brand rather than the 180 buck ones on ebay. (for that reason) I've read they're worth the extra cost. (annual tramp replacement seems ridiculous)

Rojoyinc,
A closer reading of my post will reveal that I stated that I replace the "tarp", not the tramp every year. I have a 29 year old tramp on my boat. One of these years I really will have to replace it though.