Irma... slip or trailer?

Kermit

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Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
Put a tarp in the cockpit and flood it to weight it down???
I have an open transom for one thing. I could fill the water ballast tank but @Crazy Dave Condon has made it clear not to ever fill the ballast while on the trailer. So no water for me! Thanks for the thought, though.
 

Kermit

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Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
My final answer is to pull the boat, clean the bottom and secure everything as well as possible. Dropping the mast presents its own dangers. I'm not strong and would need a fair amount of help. And I really do have as many trees at home as we do at the club. I'll leave the boat on the trailer in the safest place I can find at the club. That's really the best I can think to do. Thanks for all of your input!
 
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Likes: Gene Neill
Jul 1, 2010
962
Catalina 350 Lake Huron
Maybe you could find a club member to help you drop and secure the mast? That way, if the path changes you could get it out of there. Just a thought. The Hunter mast raising system should make it pretty easy to take down, especially with a second person helping.
 

Kermit

.
Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
Maybe you could find a club member to help you drop and secure the mast? That way, if the path changes you could get it out of there. Just a thought. The Hunter mast raising system should make it pretty easy to take down, especially with a second person helping.
It's not that hard with help. Finding help at the right time can be a challenge. Then putting it back up again... I'm not as young as I used to be.
 

Sumner

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Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
.. I'll leave the boat on the trailer in the safest place I can find at the club. .
I'd also get it on the trailer and at home at first. If things start to look really bad you could pull the boat 100 miles further inland in less than 2 hours. That might be less time spent than trying to tie it down and worrying about it. You should be able to find short term storage pretty easy. We once left the Suburban at a place like that for 2 months when we flew home.

The best to you and everyone else in the path of the storm. I've only had one of the 6 solar panels mounted on the Endeavour for the past 5 years just in case a storm went by the boat yard. Last spring I mounted the rest and now the yard could be right in the path of Irma on Florida's SW coast. Still my problems are small compared to everyone living there,

Sumner
===========================================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac...
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Canada, Florida, Bahamas
 
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Jun 8, 2004
10,024
-na -NA Anywhere USA
Ron20324;
That is a bad suggestion for Kermit's boat plus it is an open transom anyway..

@Kermit;
As you are aware along with others, I know the boat and have been thru hurricanes with it hitting the coast of North Carolina plus I know your slip and marina. The hurricane will hit florida first and then diminish a lot by the time it comes to your lake outside of Columbia, SC. First remove your sails and all canvas except for the companionway cover. Tie rudder up and if you do put the boat on the trailer, remove boom from mast and store inside. If at the slip which of course is a floater that rises up and down, add extra fender and lines to lash to dock in such a fashion that it will not hit the dock during the winds. As for the trailer, do not put under trees and chock wheels with bow facing= into the wind. You have insurance.

I will pray this storm diminishes by the time it reaches the U.S. and please folks, take precautions. First is your lives and the rest is the rest but first your life you cannot replace.
 
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
Put a tarp in the cockpit and flood it to weight it down???
That may not be the best idea. Once the wind blows all the water out, the tarp starts to act like a sail, or worse, for your gelcoat, a flag.
 
Jun 8, 2004
10,024
-na -NA Anywhere USA
Ron20324
The first part is a statement and then three question marks. I took that along with others as a suggestion, not a question. Anyway, I stand by my comment and that is all I am going to say.
 

Kermit

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Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
I pulled my H260, cleaned the bottom and removed the jib. With the new forecasted track, I chose to leave the mail on the boom and the bimini on the frame. I tied them tight, though. Another club member did about the same thing. What made the decision easier is that I bought a generator today. Therefore we'll have gentle breezes and no power outages. I hope my neighbors will appreciate my efforts.
 

Attachments

Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
Call a local tree guy & tell him that you need 1/3 crown reduction for storm safe certification.
 
Jun 8, 2004
10,024
-na -NA Anywhere USA
Kermit; I hope your mainsail with cover and bimini are fine but as I told you in any possible high wind with even a #1 hurricane I have seen the aftermath of those items getting away and in several cases boat damaged. At least you will get high wind and rain at this point but next time heed my advice as I had to go thru many hurricanes as a dealer! At least you tied the way I would have suggest in less winds but it is how the final knot is tied.
 

Kermit

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Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
We'll find out soon enough. I'm happy with my knottage. Not necessarily happy with my decision. I discussed it with a couple of others and we all decided it looks appropriate.
 
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Dec 19, 2006
5,809
Hunter 36 Punta Gorda
I always remove all canvas when leaving Florida for summer and have seen very well tied canvas ripped apart in heavy wind.
Good Luck to all.
Nick
 

Kermit

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Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
Just so y'all know. I made my decision partly based on the fact that I drove my boat to Virginia to see Dave. I did not secure the Bimini in any special way. I always keep the cover on when it's not deployed. I'm not saying I know it'll be fine. I actually could've made a huge mistake. But we will see. I promise to let y'all know. (I did find out the hard way on the trip to Dave's house not to keep the companionway cover on while driving. It was torn to shreds. But the Bimini was fine. And of course, the sail and boom were stored in the cabin.)
 
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Kermit

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Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
Reports from our club are pretty good right now. High winds and waves. Only one boat seems to be in trouble. The jib has come unfurled and is pretty shredded. That particular boat shares my slip. Taking my boat out has paid off for sure.
We're not out of the woods yet, though. The wind and rain are still pretty strong. I'm amazed at the affect Irma is having on us and we're nowhere near the center of the storm. Seems the farther it gets from us the stronger it gets here.
As for my choices for how to prepare my boat right now I'm mostly happy. I listened to all of you and especially Dave. I took some of his advice but not all of it. I normally try to do exactly as he suggests. This time I trusted my gut on removing the main and bimini. If all holds true to course I won't have any damage. But following his advice would have been better. As all y'all know there's a certain danger in climbing on a boat on the hard and removing big heavy things. Hopefully he won't have to shake his head and wonder why I didn't listen to him. I'll report back again once I hear from another club member later tonight.
Y'all stay safe!
 

Kermit

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Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
Alrighty... Pulling my boat saved my boat. The H28 next to me broke its docklines and would have crushed mine. He's faced with a bashed in transom and other damage. A couple of club members used my lines that I had left to secure the boat as best as they could. They told me the boat was all over my side of the slip. Mine is still sitting safely on the trailer.
I had to go out tonight for work. I'm still amazed at the strength of this storm that's technically nowhere near us.
 
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Likes: JamesG161
Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
I'm still amazed at the strength of this storm that's technically nowhere near us.
The outer bands of that storm were strong here too. We had 2 full days of strong effects. That thing was huge. It was in Cuba & Georgia at the same time.