Hurricane preparations

Ward H · Oct 26, 2012

Very timely and accurate.
I've had my Oday 25 four weeks today. Went back and forth on do I leave it in and secure it well or have it hauled. Marina said most owners were having them hauled so they hauled it today.
Now I need to figure out what size ladder I need to get up on deck and remove sails. I can go measure and slide over to a store to pick one up. Wondering if I can chain it to the cradle instead of hauling it back and forth?
While the boat is in the cradle, is there any precautions to be taken like watch where you are stepping as the boat is supported differently? I figure it's best not to fall off.
Should the boat be lashed down?
Rudder taken off? (it is lashed securely)
Boom be taken off? Easy enough to do.
Anything else need to be done to a boat in a cradle?

RichH · Oct 26, 2012

Ward H said:
Very timely and accurate.
I've had my Oday 25 four weeks today. Went back and forth on do I leave it in and secure it well or have it hauled. Marina said most owners were having them hauled so they hauled it today.
Now I need to figure out what size ladder I need to get up on deck and remove sails. I can go measure and slide over to a store to pick one up. Wondering if I can chain it to the cradle instead of hauling it back and forth?
While the boat is in the cradle, is there any precautions to be taken like watch where you are stepping as the boat is supported differently? I figure it's best not to fall off.
Should the boat be lashed down?
Rudder taken off? (it is lashed securely)
Boom be taken off? Easy enough to do.
Anything else need to be done to a boat in a cradle?

Current predictions are for either a direct hit or the storm will be on the 'extreme wind side' (storm passing to the immediate west of you)

Best is haul, and put the boat well above the expected surge height. Totally strip the boat. If you have the time and availability, drop the mast. Add extra tie-downs to the boat so it doesnt get blown over on its cradle/jackstands ... screw anchors driven into the 'dirt', etc. If screw anchors are not possible. Good luck, stay safe.

I spent my summers in Beach Haven when I was a kid (a real long time ago) .... for hurricane prep all small boats were sunk and anchored to the 'bottom'. These were mostly wooden boats and without all the modern gewgaws that would be destroyed by 'sinking'.

redhead78 · Oct 26, 2012

First of u can pick up a small 16' ext ladder, its only 8' tall closed, it will be more than enough, as far as chaining it, its up to you I haven,t chained a ladder in the yards I have been in, its a call u need to make. I even leave my ext cords down all winter..again a call u make after looking around an getting the feel for. I remove my rudder, as its fairly easy, 10 min job, hardest part is storing it in my basement. Be careful walking around on the deck on the hard, lots of accidents, they don't call it on the hard for nothing.Make sure the drains are clear. Red

Ward H · Oct 26, 2012

Good stuff. Will follow what suggestions I can, tomorrow.
Has anyone checked out the BoatUS Hurricane tracking page. The Mobile Version works great on my iPhone and my work Blackberry. Came in an e-mail.

CalebD · Oct 26, 2012

Lock your ladder to your cradle in a horizontal position when you are away from your boat. Write your name on the ladder with a good marker.
+1 on using tape to seal up any cracks against wind driven rain.

A word of advice once your boat is on the hard. Boat yards usually pack in boats pretty close together as to maximize the space used. Many owners will leave their outboard motors still attached to the transom. If you like to wear a duck billed hat you may not be able to see all the obstructions as you walk around 'underneath'. I still have a soft spot on my skull from an encounter with an unexpected outboard motor.

Chris Patterson · Oct 26, 2012

My Lord. Every time my wife walks past this train wreck, a stream of profanity is the next response. This boat still looked like this this morning, when I took this picture.
And yes, we threw a few sympathy lines at it. This junk on it looks like clothesline. Seriously.

Benny17441 · Oct 26, 2012

Boat looks fairly new and it's got a nice clean fender so I would venture is cared for. These potoon boats are quite light and don't need much strength to secure them but I agree with you that the lines are not adequate for storm conditions. Maybe the owner is waiting to get out of work to come and deal with it. From looking at the water it seems conditions are not deteriorating yet so he may have elected to come latter. Nevertheless you did the right thing in providing the extra lines. We have a lot of absentee owners down here and we get more than our fair share of storms every year so we are used to securing our own boats and those that we see need attention.

RichH · Oct 26, 2012

Ward H said:
Good stuff. Will follow what suggestions I can, tomorrow.
Has anyone checked out the BoatUS Hurricane tracking page. The Mobile Version works great on my iPhone and my work Blackberry. Came in an e-mail.

Summary update: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at3.shtml?5-daynl?large#contents

Ward H · Oct 26, 2012

merlinuxo said:
I hope it surprises us and makes a right turn up there!

We do too! Too many dreams of sailing to have them blown away so soon.

I am glad you mentioned the blue painters tape for sealing companionway boards. That appears to be the only place we have taken on water in recent rains. I picked some up tonight.

BillyK · Oct 27, 2012

Ward H said:
We do too! Too many dreams of sailing to have them blown away so soon.

I am glad you mentioned the blue painters tape for sealing companionway boards. That appears to be the only place we have taken on water in recent rains. I picked some up tonight.

does it stick with the rain? i figured it would just peel off and blow away..

Chris Patterson · Oct 27, 2012

No, it won't blow away, it sticks well. I can not recommend leaving it on, or in the sun too long.

DianaOfBurlington · Oct 27, 2012

The worst of hurricane-management plans

Might be worth mentioning here that too often, your precautions in the face of a storm will need to be sufficient to protect against the other guy's boat, not merely the weather. You'd be surprised how many people take very little care at all to safeguard their investment; and the boats of these people are typically the causes of other people's problems.

At Cherubini we know of exactly two write-offs of Cherubini 44s. One was abandoned off Cape Hatteras. The guy got back to NYC, rang his agent to report a total loss and the agency said, 'Oh; we have your boat. And there is the small matter of a $265,000 Coast Guard bill for an unnecessary rescue at sea.' Turns out the boat followed its owner in the chopper ashore and hurled itself up on the beach. The boat was subsequently refitted and was recently refurbished and remodeled at our shop. Its new home is in South Carolina.

Another C44 was properly secured in a New England river when a 100-ft motoryacht broke its moorings and went amok in the channel, slamming the 44 repeatedly against the ragged iron bulwarks till it became the first 44 ever to actually sustain a holed hull. Still the boat remained afloat, bearing the brunt of this much larger yacht's weight till the flood tide subsided. This boat is currently undergoing repair and restoration at our yard. (The interior shows no sign of its having taken on seawater-- nor rainwater. Just inspected it the other day.)

A C48 was docked between two similar-sized powerboats in Florida when a 72-ft motoryacht broke loose and crashed broadside into the sterns of all three of them. The 48's boom impaled itself in the yacht's salon windows and sort of held it there, so the bulk of the yacht's weight bore against the three at the dock. The 48's bobstay sawed up and down on the concrete jetty, necessitating over $100,000 repairs to the jetty and a replacement bobstay (and boom). Everyone said if not for the C48 the other two boats would have been crushed by the behemoth astern of them.

These are very, very well-built boats; but the main point is that it may not even matter how strong your boat is or how much effort you go to as a prudent yachtsman. Some people's hurricane-management plans are to merely phone the insurance agent and then stop worrying about it. To them their boats are expendable; but it's a shame that so often theirs are the boats that come crashing into our pride and joy-- which sometimes is our last major investment and our very home.

DianaOfBurlington · Oct 27, 2012

Benny, I am glad that you, like me, will take precautions on behalf of other boaties. This afternoon we yardmates just secured a tarp over a repair area on a C44 whose owner is out of the country on vacation. Sure; we could have ignored it; but he'd have done the same for any of us-- and, besides, there is something of a shared risk and shared benefit when we all look out for each other and provide needed expertise and muscle. This is why we all need to stick together-- and why this forum even exists.

Ward H · Oct 28, 2012

I had thought about tape but didn't know what would work other than duct tape. then Merlinuxo mentioned it here so I thought I would try it. If it keeps half the water out I am ahead of the game. Unless we are not allowed in I will be back to the boat on Saturday and will strip it off then.
Marina won't touch sails and a lot of boats had already been pulled for the season and still had sails on. I can only hope they don't cause a domino effect.
My biggest concern is the surge on top of the high tide. I estimated 8 - 10' between low water and my current water line sitting on the cradle. Surge is predicted 8-10'.
Wish I had put a GPS locator on it. LOL

DianaOfBurlington · Oct 28, 2012

Tape

Ward H said:
I had thought about tape but didn't know what would work other than duct tape.

I use the green Frog Tape for just about everything. Sticks great, stays put and keeps out water. Best of all it comes off again with little or no residue.

Since you mentioned that I realized I did not tape over the crack in the ill-fitting foredeck hatch. My boat is stored on the hard and covered with a tarp on an A-frame; but the hatches underneath are held down with ratchet straps. When the tarps go to shreds I'll be getting a stream of water in through that crack, which faces due east. *sigh*

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