Start Early To Secure Your Boat

July 23, 1985

If you own a boat, get started early with hurricane preparations.

Prepare in advance a checklist of the things you'll need to secure your vessel. Assemble those supplies, store them in one location, and save them for emergencies only.

-- If you have a boat on a trailer and you keep it at home, probably the safest place for it is in a garage or other secure building. Even a carport will offer some protection.

If you must keep your boat outside, keep it away from power lines, trees and unstable buildings. Don't put it between two buildings, where a violent, high-speed wind tunnel may develop.

One method that can be used on certain boats is to take it off the trailer, set it on the ground and fill it one-third to half full of water. Using 1/2- or 5/8-inch line or chain, tie it to the most secure object available, and use ground anchors if you can.

If the boat is left on the trailer, place wooden blocks between the frame and the axle inside each wheel. If the boat has an outboard motor and you can remove most of the electrical and electronic equipment, fill the boat one- third full of water to help hold it down. Tie the boat and the trailer securely to a number of strong objects.

Caution: Filling the inside with water may damage some boats. Check with the manufacturer or dealer if you're in doubt. Inboard or stern-drive boats should not be filled with water because it may damage the engine.

If your boat is stored on a trailer at a marina, consider moving it to a safer location.

If possible, remove a stack-stored boat from the rack and store it inside or on a trailer, preferably inland. If the boat must stay on the rack, take extra precautions to make sure it is securely tied down.

-- There are three major options available to owners of wet-stored boats: If the boat is at a safe refuge, it could stay there. The boat could be hauled from the water and put on a trailer or cradle. Or the boat could be moved to a safer refuge.

Canals and rivers leading inland offer varying degrees of protection for boats. Ask your dockmaster for suggestions.

If you decide to move your boat, make a test run to your refuge to make sure the water is deep enough and overhead clearances are adequate.

-- Recommended techniques for securing wet-stored boats include:

Use lines several hundred feet long, a minimum of 5/8-inch in diameter, and preferably made of nylon for strength and flexibility. Check conditions of dolphins, dock pilings and cleats on dock, seawall and boat. Do not block the channel with mooring line across the waterways. Use fore and aft spring lines in addition to bow and stern lines.

Use chafing gear on all lines to protect them from wear at contact points. Fenders of adequate strength and size -- old tires are good -- should be well secured to your boat to protect it from other boats, seawalls and other hazards.

Anchors should be oversized, 25 pounds or heavier, and all methods to improve their holding power should be used. Be sure to check the strength of all objects used for tying. Large trees that are alive and have a good root system may be used.

Because tides can be 10 to 20 feet above normal, mooring and anchor lines should include plenty of scope. Otherwise, a boat could be damaged as the tide rises. Use of spring lines is highly recommended.

If the boat is damaged, take steps to protect it and notify your insurance agent.

If the boat sank, keep in mind that the longer the engine is exposed to water, the greater the potential damage from corrosion.

Before returning the boat to its former slip or berth, check the condition of the facility. Also, check your boat thoroughly for seaworthiness before moving it.

Other tips:

For keel boats, make certain there is enough water at low tide.

Remember, draw bridges may not open for boats during evacuation procedures. Radio equipment for receiving weather information (NOAA Weather Radio) and communications should be available.

Fuel tanks should be kept full, if possible, during hurricane season.

Batteries should be kept fully charged. An extra or spare battery would be a good idea. Keep bilge pumps in working order.

Wind direction reverses itself in a hurricane. Secure boat for all directions. (Use more than on anchor.)

Strip boat of all movable equipment such as canvas, sails, dinghies, radios, cushions and lash down all you cannot remove, such as tillers, wheel, booms, etc.

Seal all openings (air conditioning duct tape is good) to make boat as watertight as possible.

If you leave your boat on a davit, open the boat drains before securing.

Leave early for safe harbor. Be sure not to block the passage of other boats in the waterway which have moorings further inshore.

Do not stay aboard. Even small hurricanes with sustained winds of 75 mph have gusts of 110 mph that would blow anyone off the deck.

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