I expected a lot of things to go wrong but I did not expect this!

Sep 24, 2018
2,549
O'Day 25 Chicago
I went to go check on one of my boats today and found it sticking up in the air!
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The property owner knew that it was in the air but but couldn't be bothered to send me a text. She thought that I was mad at her because I "didn't secure my boat properly". I moved the boat off of her property. I tried pushing the tongue down, then hanging from it, then I tried pulling it down with my truck but the ratchet strap broke. In the end I cut the caribeaner I had on the lifeline. After a few minutes of gushing water I was able to pull the tongue down. The swim ladder, transom and tires had sunk into the mud but thankfully I had no issues pulling it out. Other than a bent license plate there was zero damage
 
Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
I would have suspected a prankster filled the spare tire with helium:yikes: So, was the cockpit filled with water?
 
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Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
I hope no serious damage was done by the water or the ice that way likely there before it melted.

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,321
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Yep, snow and ice that collects and doesn't run off. Remember water weighs 64 lbs per cubic foot. So, maybe there is 15 cubic feet (3 ft x 5 ft x1), that's 960 lbs sitting on the aft end of the boat.

One of the ways boats sink at the dock is for the cockpit drains to get plug with debris with the cockpit filling with water, eventually the transom goes underwater and the boat goes down.
 
Aug 2, 2005
1,155
Pearson 33-2 & Typhoon 18 Seneca Lake
To tarp or not to tarp that IS the question.

One might think that water would drain off or flap off of a loose tarp as the wind blows, but snow and freezing temperatures create a whole new ball game. We have chipped ice during freezing weather, bailed ponds of water off the tarp, or purchased replacements for tarps that have succumbed to winter weather. We even tried making small slits in the places where water might dam......didn't work either. We have tried supporting the tarps with ropes around the hull and over the mast, a framework made of 2 X 2 wood, and no tarp. Choice #3 was the only sure way to prevent ice build up on a tarp. Once ice was so heavy that a stanchion was pulled out of the deck!
 
Aug 22, 2011
1,113
MacGregor Venture V224 Cheeseland
The main reason I tarp is to minimize the freeze thaw cycle that would be working on my deck fittings and such.

Every year I get a little better at applying the tarp....
 

danm1

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Oct 5, 2013
164
Hunter 356 Mamaroneck, NY
Slightly off topic, but I've been using the 10 mil brown poly tarps for years. This year the grommets and material tore on three of them by the end of winter. I think it was largely due to repeated windstorms (although they were snugged up pretty well). Anyone have a source of reasonably priced but stronger tarps?
 

Ward H

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Nov 7, 2011
3,645
Catalina 30 Mk II Barnegat, NJ
That must have been a shock to see. Glad there wasn't any damage to the boat. Good thing the rudder was off.
The first winter I had my O'day 25 I dropped the mast and tarped it much like you did. Bent a stanchion and couldn't prevent the water from puddling. The next year I didn't tarp and the freeze/thaw cycle cracked the cockpit drain fitting causing a leak that almost flooded the cabin.
What I eventually learned was a tarp would work well but only if you put it boom height and dropped it to the toe rail, not put it over the life lines/pulpits. That means cutting the tarp and Gorilla tape.

Again, glad the boat survived with no damage.
 
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Jan 11, 2014
11,321
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Slightly off topic, but I've been using the 10 mil brown poly tarps for years. This year the grommets and material tore on three of them by the end of winter. I think it was largely due to repeated windstorms (although they were snugged up pretty well). Anyone have a source of reasonably priced but stronger tarps?
The poly tarps will degrade from UV exposure.

If the boat is stored in a windy area, do not rely on the grommets. Use the grommets to hold the tarp tight to the boat and then put straps or lines over the top of the tarp. Depending on boat size, one every 4 to 6 feet. The strap keeps the tarp from billowing which reduces the strain on the grommets.
 
Feb 17, 2006
5,274
Lancer 27PS MCB Camp Pendleton KF6BL
In stead of tarps, I wonder of Pond liner would be a better choice. Yeah, more expensive, but it is sturdier and I believe UV resistant. Just a thought.
 
Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
The poly tarps will degrade from UV exposure.

If the boat is stored in a windy area, do not rely on the grommets. Use the grommets to hold the tarp tight to the boat and then put straps or lines over the top of the tarp. Depending on boat size, one every 4 to 6 feet. The strap keeps the tarp from billowing which reduces the strain on the grommets.
That's how I did it this past winter. Tarps were kept as close as possible to the deck. I zig zagged line over the tarps thru the toe rail. I have an open transom.
 
May 24, 2004
7,129
CC 30 South Florida
Calm down, don't blame the storage people is not like if the boat burned down. That happens quite frequently and in some cases by design. I once had trailer boat with a transom plug and I would raise it up so that the rain water would drain by itself. Some folks tie a cinder block to the neck of the trailer to prevent that.