This is definately a newbie question--I live in upstate SC, have a friend offering me a free slip in Charelston I dont know any more details right now, but I wonder--do people with slips there pull boats out at begining of season, or just watch the weather and travel down to so the job when needed (a 3.5 hour drive for me.)
Hurricane prep
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I have been to Charleston but don't know about the desirability of having a slip there. As far as Hurricane preps, the #1, most important thing you can do is get good insurance coverage. After that you can ensue in a ritual of everytime you leave the boat to tie it down with double lines, fenders and adequate slack to handle surges. taking down sails and or canvas covers is a little too much but perhaps you can enroll your friend in Charleston to do that on short notice. Hurricane forecasts have become very reliable in the past few years and you can get a 2-3 day anticipated advise that one may be coming to your area which gives you plenty of time to bring a trailer down and get that boat away from the coast.
From my experience, a boat has a much better chance of surviving a hurricane in the water than on the hard. A slip however is not the best place when a storm is approaching, and instead you should either move it to open water or to a wide canal. Open water is preferred as there is less chance of debris and other objects hitting the boat, but you will need several good anchors tied off properly and ensure that they are well set. If that isn't an option, then the next best is a wide canal where you can place the boat directly in the middle of the canal and securely tied to shore on either side with a proper swing line configuration to compensate for the tidal surge. If you have enough advance warning of course, the best thing would be to move the boat to another anchorage that is well out of the way of the storm path.. even just several miles can make a huge difference in winds, waves and tidal surge. If you must keep it in the slip, then try to remove everything on the exterior that you can. Tape down hatches, halyards and anything that might break loose and fly around, and cover any opening that might allow air/water into the boat. Double or triple up on your swing lines if you have enough to do so, and you might want to add a couple extra-long lines just in case the tidal surge snaps your shorter ones.
I grew up in S. Florida, and have been through many, many hurricanes and all of my boats have made it through them except for one.. and that one was on a trailer in my back yard tied to a telephone pole and chain-link fence, staked down, partially filled with water and with deflated tires. Unfortunately, the telephone pole and fence went missing and the boat did a couple of flips across the yard winding up upside down on top of my kids swing set. That was Hurricane Andrew.. and to be fair, my house did not hold up that well either
Edit: I just noticed you have a Mac 22.. then by all means, if you hear of a storm approaching and it looks like it will hit the harbor where you boat is, take the day off and go down and move it to someplace safe. The best chance for a boat to survive a Hurricane is to be no where near it when it hits, and 3 1/2 hours away should be plenty to ensure that! NOAA has
pretty much nailed predicting where these things are going to hit, even several days out to within a pretty narrow area, so you will know if you need to move it or not in advance.
Cheers,
Brad
I grew up in S. Florida, and have been through many, many hurricanes and all of my boats have made it through them except for one.. and that one was on a trailer in my back yard tied to a telephone pole and chain-link fence, staked down, partially filled with water and with deflated tires. Unfortunately, the telephone pole and fence went missing and the boat did a couple of flips across the yard winding up upside down on top of my kids swing set. That was Hurricane Andrew.. and to be fair, my house did not hold up that well either
Edit: I just noticed you have a Mac 22.. then by all means, if you hear of a storm approaching and it looks like it will hit the harbor where you boat is, take the day off and go down and move it to someplace safe. The best chance for a boat to survive a Hurricane is to be no where near it when it hits, and 3 1/2 hours away should be plenty to ensure that! NOAA has
pretty much nailed predicting where these things are going to hit, even several days out to within a pretty narrow area, so you will know if you need to move it or not in advance.
Cheers,
Brad
the US NAvy heads out to sea but I don't recommend that for small boats. One option with enough time though is to sail the boat well in advance of the storm to out of the storm track. A direct hit will be a problem no matter what you do, for a category 1 glancing blow shouldn't be too bad in a slip. Higher categories and direct hits better to be on a very good mooring or set out a series of three equally spaced anchors of storm size, I've also seen using anchors in series with one connected to the next one. A good friend dropped a 700 pound anchor in a creek and keeps the gps location. He grapples for the pendant when needed, it is so far dug in i doubt it could ever come loose. He uses a bridle made out of steel cable and covered with rubber for chafe protection of the bridle and the boat, his boat is a steel boat. People pay a fortune to haul their boats but the old salts around my neck of the woods seem to sit it out in the water on a hook.
I live in SW Florida and believe the only guaranteed way to save your boat is to move it out of the path and have the best insurance (IMHO Boat US). There are too many variables to plan for. The worst is the guy who doesn't prepare his boat and it breaks loose. Or boats securely tied to pilings that were improperly sunk in the bottom. Or a house under construction with unsecured roof tiles. All happened during our last big one, Charley. Storms like Charley and Andrew are unbelievable in their power.
I am sort of fatalistic and strip the boat before the storm as if I will never see it again. Sad but the price I pay to be able to sail anytime I want.
I am sort of fatalistic and strip the boat before the storm as if I will never see it again. Sad but the price I pay to be able to sail anytime I want.
Florida Allows Marina Owners to Have Boats Removed
Not only is it a bad idea to leave your boat in a slip during a hurricane, in Florida, under state law, a marina owner can have your boat removed from the slip and charge you for the move. Additionally, the marina owner cannot be held liable for the damages to your boat after moving your boat. It appears that many boat owners left their boats in their slips during hurricanes and destroyed the docks. BrianW
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes...27/SEC59.HTM&Title=->2007->Ch0327->Section 59
Not only is it a bad idea to leave your boat in a slip during a hurricane, in Florida, under state law, a marina owner can have your boat removed from the slip and charge you for the move. Additionally, the marina owner cannot be held liable for the damages to your boat after moving your boat. It appears that many boat owners left their boats in their slips during hurricanes and destroyed the docks. BrianW
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes...27/SEC59.HTM&Title=->2007->Ch0327->Section 59
Having thought I adequately secured my boat in its slip (15 dock/spring lines; 8 fenders deployed; all sails and deck gear removed; etc.), my boat was totaled by Hurricane Isabel in 2003 when the dock itself failed. I'm not sure about other locations, but most of the boats that got hauled before the storm fared far better than all of the boats left in the water. Hurricanes are powerful storms that are sometimes powerfully unpredictable. Get yourself and boat as high and dry, and as far away from the their predicted path, as you can.
FYI, BoatUS insurance pays about half the cost of a haulout before a named storm headed for your area.
FYI, read the fine print on your slip contract. In some cases, a marina may require you to move your boat (to where???) when a hurricane threatens the marina. In some cases , you or your insurance company may be liable for any damages your boat may cause to a marina....
FYI, BoatUS insurance pays about half the cost of a haulout before a named storm headed for your area.
FYI, read the fine print on your slip contract. In some cases, a marina may require you to move your boat (to where???) when a hurricane threatens the marina. In some cases , you or your insurance company may be liable for any damages your boat may cause to a marina....
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Although it is correct that marinas here in FL have the right to move your boat at your expense if they deem it necessary it is also true that only a shady operator would do it without at least trying to get in touch with you or making a decision and giving notification in advance. In our 5 hurricane season here in the West Coast of Florida in 2005 our Marina brought in 5 inch PVC tubes to extend the length of the pilings, at their expense, to account for a high surge. They also made sure absentee owner boat's were properly tied up and provided long lines for tying across the dock walkways. I remeber I was called and asked if I was taking care of my boat and if I needed any assistance to do so. Now that is what I expect from a marina but the old adage may be true "one usually gets what one pays for".
The local West Marine store has a FREE hand out on the counter that is a reprint of an article from their member's monthly magazine, about hurricane preparedness, great information!
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