Hurricane Boat Storage

[red_chaser]

Hey guys.

I'm a fairly new boat owner and haven't had to deal with a hurricane with a boat in my drive way before.

What kind of storage should I keep it in? How can I anchor it?

TS Alex is projected to become a hurricane and hit the TX coast and I live right on the southern tip of TX.

AHH!!

 

[sasto]

Re: Hurricane Boat Storage

I flatten the tires, put in transom plug and fill her up with water (18' w/outboard). Been thru 4 of them so far in Florida. Sounds crude but an oldtimer taught me this.

 

[Lrider]

Re: Hurricane Boat Storage

I flatten the tires, put in transom plug and fill her up with water (18' w/outboard). Been thru 4 of them so far in Florida. Sounds crude but an oldtimer taught me this.

Sounds a bit extreme:

Never been in a hurricane, however, I think there must be a better way, I would start with asking my insurance company, home and boat.

When I was in Texas I did see some boats and trailers tied to anchors in the drive way, thought it was for anti-theft or something, now it makes a little sense.

I did a quick google search under: how to tie your boat and trailer down for a hurricane-there is a lot of info out there

and found this: http://powerboat.about.com/od/maintenanceandrepair/tp/Hurricane-Prep---Trailer-Boats.htm

More http://www.hurricanecenter.com/boats/preparing-your-boat-for-a-hurricane-3.html

Good Luck

 

[seabob4]

Re: Hurricane Boat Storage

Believe it or not, Sasto is right on! Even the newspapers tell you to do it this way.

 

[Lrider]

Re: Hurricane Boat Storage

Believe it or not, Sasto is right on! Even the newspapers tell you to do it this way.

Like I said, I watch hurricanes on TV for my Awe and Wonder, not sure I want to be anywhere close to ne. I'll keep the earthquakes thank you.

By the way it is also suggested here http://www.hurricanecenter.com/boats...rricane-3.html

I would be concerned about putting 13,000 pounds of water in my boat is all-
Maybe my math is is bad never could add

7 ft wd * 15 ft long* 2 ft deep * 62.4 water # per cubic foot = 13,104

 

[sasto]

Re: Hurricane Boat Storage

Like I said, I watch hurricanes on TV for my Awe and Wonder, not sure I want to be anywhere close to ne. I'll keep the earthquakes thank you.

By the way it is also suggested here http://www.hurricanecenter.com/boats...rricane-3.html

I would be concerned about putting 13,000 pounds of water in my boat is all-
Maybe my math is is bad never could add

7 ft wd * 15 ft long* 2 ft deep * 62.4 water # per cubic foot = 13,104

Yup, if you don't flatten the tires they will be flat when it's all over with.

 

[hostage]

Re: Hurricane Boat Storage

If it is a sailboat, just make sure to not leave the sails up

 

[seabob4]

Re: Hurricane Boat Storage

Read this...
http://www.tampabay.com/news/weather/hurricanes/article508378.ece

 

[korygrandy]

Re: Hurricane Boat Storage

Read this...
http://www.tampabay.com/news/weather/hurricanes/article508378.ece

? If you like your boat more than your car, put it in the garage.

Haha I like that. Although witha hurricane...anything can happen. Most importantly I think I would understand my insurance policy.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Hurricane Boat Storage

I wouldn't 'fill' it with water! That will most likely destroy your boat and trailer... as Lrider said, ~13000 pounds of water, yeah, get your insurance claim ready!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Hurricane Boat Storage

As I say over and over, boating is not "once size fits all."

First we need to know "what boat." I might not advise flooding an inboard.

Then projected winds: 70-90 like we get here, or 140? Covers and loose stuff will blow off so don't bother covering, in a big blow. In a small one, you can try it, worst thing to happen is a ripped cover.

Then: what storage? close to other buildings? Under trees? Lots of damage is from boats blowing around on the trailer or stuff blowing into them (like your neighbor's unsecured trailer, with fully inflated tires....). Leave it in the middle of a field, anchored.
In a garage is good except that the garage door is your weakest place in the house (unless shored up correctly for hurricanes).

Self bailing? Too big to haul out? two anchors off the bow in a gunk hole is your best bet.

In an extreme case, you are looking to minimize damage. Filling with water may be hard on a trailer, won't likely hurt a boat for 3 days, but so what? This isn't about regular maintenance and what to do if your carpet gets wet.

And Lrider's math is wrong; he measured a rectangle. Few boats are shaped that way. And I think 62# for a cubic foot of water sounds high--thinking of a couple of water jugs....

 

[smclear]

Re: Hurricane Boat Storage

And Lrider's math is wrong; he measured a rectangle. Few boats are shaped that way. And I think 62# for a cubic foot of water sounds high--thinking of a couple of water jugs....

The rectangle part is correct. Few boats are shaped that way. However, the 62 lbs/cu. ft. of water is correct.

 

[pluto1]

Re: Hurricane Boat Storage

Living in eastern nc this is what I have done in the past.
1. Determine the direction of wind and park boat on opposite side of house
2. when storm eye passes put boat on other side if possible.
3. Make sure insurance policy is paid in full -just in case.

 

[cwhite6]

Re: Hurricane Boat Storage

Here in Louisiana I have seen what extreme winds can do to property. The best I can advise is weigh it down and secure it if possible. Remove all stuff that can blow away or off. Park it right up next to a very secure structure. If the wind is blowing straight from the west, put the boat up against the opposite side of the house. The one problem with this is that during a bad hurricane (especially if you are near the eye), the winds will completely reverse direction sometimes. What we do if batten down the hatches on the vehicles, boat and house. Crack the windows sometimes to alleave some stress on them and hunker down. If it is a really bad one, haul behind north. No vehicle, boat or house is worth getting killed over. Above all, stay inside in a strong structure if possible. Flying debris can easily kill you. A guy here at work spent a month in ICU after he was driving around during Hurrican Rita and a very large tree limb was thrown on his jeep he was riding in the back of. Almost killed him.

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: Hurricane Boat Storage

I can only repeat the words of Ron White.
"It's not THAT the wind is blowin', it's WHAT the wind is blowin'.
If you get hit by a Volvo.............."

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Hurricane Boat Storage

the last two hurricaines I was "in" I hooked my 16' hobie to the back of my jeep....... it faired very well since the jeep was hooked to the back of the 5th wheel which was hooked to the dually and pointed north for 260 miles or so..... insure or move it or both.... as for anchoring I wouldn't fill it with water but rather I'd use half a dozen mobile home anchors (like overgrown dog ties) along with some staked down wood cribbing

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Hurricane Boat Storage

And Lrider's math is wrong; he measured a rectangle. Few boats are shaped that way. And I think 62# for a cubic foot of water sounds high--thinking of a couple of water jugs....

Nope, its 62.4 on the money, 7.48 gallons in a cubic foot if you want to weight for yourself. (but of course, will vary SLIGHTLY depending on temperature) Water is extremely heavy, even if his calculation was a little optimistic, which I don't think it was, lets use half of that... 7 feet wide by 15 feet long, and you have a foot of water in the floor. Thats 6200 pounds. More than enough to destroy your trailer and hull.

 

[dave11]

Re: Hurricane Boat Storage

Take it up to San Antonio for a little vacation.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Hurricane Boat Storage

my point is, you don't get a cubic foot of water inthe bilge of a boat for every square foot of floor. The proof is in the pudding: people have had water in their boats, intentionally or by accident, with out hulls blowing apart and trailers collapsing. It's a short-term, once a blue moon condition. No one would suggest doing it regularly.

 

[Lrider]

Re: Hurricane Boat Storage

The rectangle part is correct. Few boats are shaped that way. However, the 62 lbs/cu. ft. of water is correct.

Just a short note

My boat would not hold water unless you intensionally tried to sink it, the deck is the same height as the transom

I used the general dimentions of my neighbors open bow tri-hull that is approximatly 20 ft long by 8 wide

I took some liberties here, in order to eliminate the slight curves and angles I cut a rectangle from the middle and actually reduced those numbers a bit becaus the weight was way out of line, about 17,000

so the 7 ft wd * 15 ft long* 2 ft deep * 62.4 water # per cubic foot = 13,104

is conservative at best for his boat