Remember the year you decided to store the canoe in the back yard and somebody walked off with it? Don't let that happen again. Hoist your canoe safely to the roof of your garage with the Harken Hoister four-point storage lift (pictured, top left). This elegant pulley system can even be set up so that you can drive into the garage and hoist the canoe (or kayak) straight from the roof of your vehicle to the ceiling. The pulleys are designed for the weight of a canoe or a kayak, and there's an automatic locking system in case somebody's hand slips - heaven forbid. $105. Rutabaga, 220 West Broadway, Monona, 608-223-9300, rutabaga.com.
If you're looking for a larger-scale re-do of your garage than just getting the portable floatables out of the way, get thee to The Garage Project, 6661 University Ave. in Middleton. More than just providing nifty storage options, they can suggest different garage floor surfaces, design a space to suit your needs and even decorate. And if you need to hoist more stuff than just the canoe to the roof of the garage, The G.P. has ways to sling just about anything up there, via pulley or electronically. TheGarageProject.com, 877-886-9915.
