Tying down trailered boat ahead of hurricane?
- Thread starter Grotto
- Start date
For Irma, I tied lines from the bow and stern cleats to trees on one side of the boat, and on the other side (where there were no trees) I drove big 2x4 stakes into the ground with a sledgehammer and tied off to those. I also let the air out of the tires to make her sit lower to the ground. Then we evacuated.
The system never really got tested, as Irma changed her mind and did little damage here. But I was pretty confident she would not move unless a tornado got her.
The system never really got tested, as Irma changed her mind and did little damage here. But I was pretty confident she would not move unless a tornado got her.
If it's expected to get real bad - I might think of taking the mast off the deck and putting it under the trailer. Good luck & be safe.
A boat I had during Bob, on Long Island, was damaged by filling with water and having the uprights of the trailer push through the bottom. I remember thinking as I approached the boat after the storm, "That's not too bad. There's not so much water in it." Then, "Oh, Oohhhh, Oooohhhhhh Noooooooo..." So make sure those cockpit drains are working. Getting the boat out of there is the best option but where to? And I'm sure your preparations at home have to take precedence.
I might suggest a set of these to tie off to depending on what other options you have.
30 in. Earth Anchors Set (4-Piece) $25.45
These are from Home Depot, but any mobile home or shed supply store should have them
30 in. Earth Anchors Set (4-Piece) $25.45
These are from Home Depot, but any mobile home or shed supply store should have them
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Club here (200 boats), requires < 27 out onto trailers, move to higher ground just outside club, no trees there. About 30+ there now including ours....> 27 anchor out...damage to docks/grounds is the concern...
Friend nxt to me w/ a C30 commented yesterday..."Hey, we're getting a new boat!" (i.e. insurance).
Aside from that, there's no good place to evac this one from here, roads out are already at a crawl...so boarding up now and hunkering down....been thru a 3, never a 4 though....we're the only home in the subdivision boarding up, so some comfort there...go figure. Surrounding pine trees are my biggest concern...most folks here are riding it out so we're in that (stupid) subset.
and to Gene, that Itwani butane will be working overtime once we lose power!
Hope to share with y'all next week, if not, ya know what happened!!
Cheers,
Ron
Friend nxt to me w/ a C30 commented yesterday..."Hey, we're getting a new boat!" (i.e. insurance).
Aside from that, there's no good place to evac this one from here, roads out are already at a crawl...so boarding up now and hunkering down....been thru a 3, never a 4 though....we're the only home in the subdivision boarding up, so some comfort there...go figure. Surrounding pine trees are my biggest concern...most folks here are riding it out so we're in that (stupid) subset.
and to Gene, that Itwani butane will be working overtime once we lose power!
Hope to share with y'all next week, if not, ya know what happened!!
Cheers,
Ron
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You can screw in some anchors into the ground to use as tie points. Filling the boat half way with water will weigh it down and it is water that could be used in case service interruption through the aftermath. Let the air out of the tires to increase horizontal rolling resistance. Park away from Trees with heavy branches or that could get uprooted. If you have insurance this would be the time to check that everything is current and in order. Flooding is a big concern; avoid any area that may flood or be subject to a coastal surge. It is always advisable to trailer the boat inland and into high ground. Good luck.
Ron, does your C30 member who said he "is getting a new boat" know that deductibles increase to about 25% in a named storm? I'm sure he was halfway kidding.
I didn't know this. We don't get storms like this, only tornadoes and they don't name them
One of our members lost a boat on Tortola and had to deal with the fine print of his policy.
I didn't know this. We don't get storms like this, only tornadoes and they don't name them
One of our members lost a boat on Tortola and had to deal with the fine print of his policy.
Pines suck. We have oaks, but not the good kind, they're a mixed bag. As we were rolling out, I told Carlotta if our house (and boats!) survived, it would be because of the trees. If they were destroyed, it would ALSO be because of the trees.
And ... good grief Ron, I didn't realize how close to ground zero you are on this one. Wow. Thoughts and prayers, my friend. Keep us informed.
yea, we're not in a good position and on the wrong side of it to boot. Insurance is up to date, boat is just a boat and replaceable (maybe upgrade to an Albin Vega!), house is boarded and supplies are plentiful. We'll be ok....
so, here's my plan going forward (already bought the lotto tkts, will handle the other this evening)
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Flo is/was a bitch, esp. for a cat 2/1....as y'all may have seen, it put us (New Bern) on the map. All that you may have seen is spot on, had it moved on quickly no sweat. but it sat on top for too many days, here and down state, thus the surge, ~10'+.
Our historic downtown got trashed, but fortunately no loss of life here (that I'm aware of). Kudos to the first/swift boat responders.
Boats are another story, those that anchored out did ok for the most part, those that put on trlrs on higher ground did fine (as ours did). Others left in slips not so well due to excessive surge, some huge pileups.
Power had been out since wed nite, back on tonite, kudos to the linesmen from most anywhere, those I spoke with tday from Oklahoma (Volt). Those folks are the unsung hero's of these disasters IMO.
NC will recover, prime sailing spots such as NB, Oriental, Beaufort, etc., took a beating...will take time, but will be fine. Still have significant coastal/river/inland flooding to deal with state wide.
Lessons learned IMO, buy a generator! If > Cat2, get the hell out, board up the house and plan a 2 week vacation elsewhere, and expect last minute change of track/category, so plan for the worse.
Will post some pics at some point, glad to still be around, will chk the lotto results tmrro!
Cheers,
Ron
Our historic downtown got trashed, but fortunately no loss of life here (that I'm aware of). Kudos to the first/swift boat responders.
Boats are another story, those that anchored out did ok for the most part, those that put on trlrs on higher ground did fine (as ours did). Others left in slips not so well due to excessive surge, some huge pileups.
Power had been out since wed nite, back on tonite, kudos to the linesmen from most anywhere, those I spoke with tday from Oklahoma (Volt). Those folks are the unsung hero's of these disasters IMO.
NC will recover, prime sailing spots such as NB, Oriental, Beaufort, etc., took a beating...will take time, but will be fine. Still have significant coastal/river/inland flooding to deal with state wide.
Lessons learned IMO, buy a generator! If > Cat2, get the hell out, board up the house and plan a 2 week vacation elsewhere, and expect last minute change of track/category, so plan for the worse.
Will post some pics at some point, glad to still be around, will chk the lotto results tmrro!
Cheers,
Ron
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Did you have the luxury of a generator, or did you learn that last part the hard way?? I hope the former!
Edit - and how did the Iwatani perform?? LOL
Edit - and how did the Iwatani perform?? LOL
Gene...unfortunately the latter on the generator, never again without one....
Iwatani kicked ass, used it more in the house than we ever have on the boat....Admiral cooked a couple meals on it, plus the coffee/tea, etc., eze cookin....that thing is simple genius!
Regarding food, layered bags of icc/food/ice/food in chest freezer....nothing lost in 4 days, although I like my beverage on the rocks, and the rocks were more dedicated to food preservation...pissed me off more than once towards the end!
Iwatani kicked ass, used it more in the house than we ever have on the boat....Admiral cooked a couple meals on it, plus the coffee/tea, etc., eze cookin....that thing is simple genius!
Regarding food, layered bags of icc/food/ice/food in chest freezer....nothing lost in 4 days, although I like my beverage on the rocks, and the rocks were more dedicated to food preservation...pissed me off more than once towards the end!
Glad you got outta there, not a lot of fun. It will be awhile, chill up there, the flooding inland is now the issue as I'm sure you've seen/heard and what's left is still dumping lotsa rain...be safe!