Irma... slip or trailer?

[Kermit]

With Irma potentially heading to SC I feel pretty conflicted as to leaving my H260 in its slip or putting it on the trailer. BoatUS always suggests taking boats out during named storms. It will be easy for me to put it on the trailer. (The bottom needs cleaning anyway.) Here's the problem. Everywhere I could put it would be directly under trees. Even if I brought it home it would still be under trees. Trees tend to fall with a huge bang in SC during hurricanes. In fact, I parked a car completely out of harm's way for hurricane Hugo. An oak tree crushed it. I do plan to talk to BoatUS to discuss my conundrum but I still want y'all's input. What would you do?

 

[WayneH]

Kermit,

Look at your dock neighbors and decide which ones are going to come loose during the storm and how much damage could they do to your boat.

I'd bring her home. And if you have time, go to a mobile home parts dealer and get 4 ground screws. Screw them down and strap the boat and trailer to them. Maybe your homeowners insurance will pick up the tab for what BoatUS leaves behind.

 

[SG]

If your slip is a lake which isn't subject to tidal or rain flooding raising water levels with massive amounts of water, then the question is what protection does it have from the wind clocking around at very high speeds?

IF you had a protected slip then then the recommendation would be somewhat different.

If you take the Hunter 260 on its trailer, then I'd worry about lashing it to the trailer and the trailer in place.
The trees, well there are different trees, tree types, configurations of the rest of trees around it, etc. If you have just an isolated patch of one or two trees, I think they're more vulnerable. A "forest" breaks the wind better. I think that putting the boat in a shed, at some point you worry about the shed blowing over. But, without more information, I'd think that pulling the boat and taking steps to secure it in place makes the most sense.

 

[Davidasailor26]

What's the situation at your slip? Hurricane hole or heavily exposed? Any slip neighbors that might not be as responsible as you'd wish about removing windage and doubling up lines?

 

[shemandr]

Tough choice. I would haul it and put it in the best place possible recognizing that no where is completely safe. Then take care of your house and family. The ground screw thing is fine as long as you're hunkered down at home. But lose the fuel on it so you don't have that problem.

 

[Gunni]

Find a field with no trees somewhere near home and bring the boat there, strap it to the trailer, let the air out of the tires and pin the trailer to the ground with 4' sections of re-bar (so it can't rock on the springs). Throw some sand bags in the boat. Take pics of everything showing the boat condition and your prep.

 

[Rick Webb]

Put it on the trailer and come down here to sail for a while. It has just started cooling off.

 

[seadaddler]

Listen if it is going to get damaged any where if the storm is really bad than out of water is better than sinking and all the trouble to go with clean up on land is better.
Your lucky I am up in NY my boat and house is SW Fl all tied in my slip and was planning to leave tomorrow for home but friends are telling not to leave and stay put.
I know the boat and house Insurance is paid but I always call to double check with Insurance Co.
Nick

 

[Gunni]

Your lucky I am up in NY my boat and house is SW Fl all tied in my slip and was planning to leave tomorrow for home but friends are telling not to leave and stay put.

You likely have until Saturday afternoon to make your preparations, get out of Gasparilla Sound and escape. The storm surge and wave action there is legendary. No way I would leave a boat in the water.

 

[Kermit]

More info about my slip. It's fairly exposed although the wind dies just as we approach it. We're on an inland lake in the middle of the state. Y'all have given me great things to consider. Especially the concept of the boat not sinking if it's on the trailer. I can't imagine BoatUS recommending I leave it in the water. I do have a few days to figure it out. The forecasters are still saying it's too early to say where it will go.

 

[sesmith]

Pull it, and take it on a vacation somewhere else. Maybe tow it up on top of Crazy Dave's mountain. If it floods there, we all have problems (our other house is in Summerville, SC, so we're watching this too). Or come up to NY state. It's not snowing here yet.

 

[Kermit]

Or come up to NY state. It's not snowing here yet.

It durn near snowed last week. I had to buy a sweatshirt at Thirsty Owl Winery on Cayuga Lake. It gets *cold* up there!

 

[Benny17441]

Trailer and take it inland. A tree could fall on it or not but with a direct hit the surge will sure smash it at a slip. I just realized you are on a lake which could already be inland but still the chances of damage are more on a slip than on the trailer. No definite track yet but they are pretty confident is going to turn North so lets keep our eyes on it.

 

[sesmith]

It durn near snowed last week. I had to buy a sweatshirt at Thirsty Owl Winery on Cayuga Lake. It gets *cold* up there!

We were out sailing on Cayuga last Thurs eve, and yesterday...small world. You still up here, or back down in SC?

 

[Gene Neill]

Kermit ... we are in the same boat. Although I think I have an area in my yard where the boats cannot be crushed by any falling trees. The boats already happen to be sitting in those very spots, so that helps.

I'm with the crowd on this one ... trailer > water. Hopefully it never matters where you are.

 

[Kermit]

We were out sailing on Cayuga last Thurs eve, and yesterday...small world. You still up here, or back down in SC?

We were on Cayuga Lake Tuesday. I think. (Or maybe we were in Belgium.) Got home yesterday. Woke every morning to low 40s and highs in the mid 60s. We were welcomed home with 90 degrees. Doesn't even get down in the 60s. On a better note, we celebrated our 13th anniversary with supper Sunday night at Edelweiss German Restaurant in Staunton, VA. Best restaurant meal I've ever had. I highly recommend it.

 

[Rick Webb]

It's a crap shoot. We evacuated for Ivan to Columbus, GA. Ended up caught in a tornado there while we would have been fine here at home.

 

[Capt Robbie]

Put it on your trailer and check out a public storage unit rental for a short term lease. In my state our public storage units are very large 30' garage units on the ground level. If you don't have that as an option check out a small space in a storage warehouse such a furniture movers warehouse. My neighbor stored his 28' fishing boat for about $100 per month here in nj when hurricane sandy hit and now stores it for the winter every year.

 

[BigEasy]

Kermit,
Considering the fact that you can easily haul out on a trailer, I would definitely get it out of the water. It doesn't appear that you will get a direct hit, so you should be OK with the winds. Try to park away from trees if possible.
Hope everything goes well. Main thing is to be safe; keep safe.

 

[Ron20324]

Put a tarp in the cockpit and flood it to weight it down???