July 2003 - Shelter from the Storm Protecting Your Boat from Hurricane Damage When a hurricane warning is posted, it will probably already be too late to head for your boat. Plus, there will be plenty more on your mind by then, like securing your house and packing for evacuation. Waiting for a hurricane watch to be issued before taking action may not even give you enough time to get to the marina or move your boat to a safer location. The best idea: decide now how you'll protect your boat in the event of an approaching hurricane, and put your plan into effect when a storm is a strong possibility. There are a couple of things you want to do now, no matter what course you choose: o Prepare a hurricane kit. Items you'll need to secure your boat - extra lines, anchors, duct tape, port plugs, and so forth - will be in short supply when a storm is approaching. o Stay up to date on the latest weather forecast. NOAA weather radio broadcasts will keep you informed of weather and sea conditions. o Check your insurance policy to make sure you have adequate protection against storm damage. o If your boat is kept in a marina, read your contract. You may be required to remove your boat when a hurricane watch is issued. o Record the registration number and engine number of your boat, along with current photographs, and keep them with you. Staying with your boat during a hurricane is not an option. Even lower category hurricanes could blow everyone off deck. Leaving the area by boat is not advised either, unless you have a very fast boat and are prepared to travel long distances in rough weather. Here are the practical choices available to you: Storage Ashore If your boat can be trailered, get it out of the water and store it inland when a storm threatens. Inspect your trailer now to make sure it's in good operating condition; check tires, wheel bearings, tow hitch and lights. Putting the boat in a garage is your best option. If you must choose between your car and your boat, leave the boat in the garage; most boats are lighter and more vulnerable to high winds than cars. No garage? Secure the trailer and boat to a strong tree or telephone pole and strip off anything that a strong wind could tear loose. To increase the weight of your outboard boat, fill it with water and leave the drain plug in; you must drain inboard boats to avoid engine damage. Let some air out of the trailer tires, and place wood blocks between the frame and axle inside each wheel. Remember to remove documents, radios and valuables from the boat for safekeeping. One study found that boats stored ashore were far more likely to survive a hurricane than boats stored in water. Storage in the Water If you're going to leave your boat in the water, your goal is securing it in a safe harbor. Judging the merits of any harbor requires consideration of: o Wind direction. Damage will be minimized if wind strikes the boat directly on the bow or, on some boats, the stern. There's no firm predictor of where a hurricane's eye will pass, so gauging wind direction is an educated guess at best. o Storm surge. Combined with high tides, a storm surge can turn a protected harbor into an open bay, sinking or carrying ashore all the harbor's boats. o Bottom surface. It's not impossible for water to be blown out of a harbor, leaving boats on the bottom for an extended period. If that happens, make sure your boat won't be settling on rocks. There are three basic options for boats in the water during a hurricane, docking, mooring or anchoring. Docking. If you're going to leave your boat at a marina or dock, strip all loose gear, e.g., cushions, sails, bimini tops, antennas, electronics. Double up mooring lines but leave enough slack so your boat can rise with higher tides. Cover all lines with chafe protectors at points where wear is likely, and put out extra fenders and fender boards. Seal all openings - hatches, ports, lockers, windows, doors, vents, etc. - with duct tape to prevent water damage. Most boats do weather hurricanes at docks, but be aware that this is not necessarily the best choice. Boats bobbing gently in calm weather sometimes end up on top of or underneath the dock during a storm. Rotten or splitting pilings are unlikely to survive, while a storm surge can lift a floating dock off its pilings if they are too short. And in sailboat marinas, particularly those where berths are close together, masts and rigging are likely to become tangled. Mooring or anchoring. Anchoring in a protected harbor where the bottom allows good anchor hold offers a distinct advantage: the boat can more easily respond to wind and water changes without striking docks or other boats. The best anchoring is usually in sand, followed by clay, hard mud, shells, broken shells and soft mud. Heavy and extra anchors are needed and enough line to allow a scope of at least 10:1 for each anchor (if the water is 10 feet deep and the top of your bow is four feet above the water surface, you need at least 140 feet of line out). If anchoring in a narrow channel (parts of Broad Creek) where there is not a lot of room for your boat to swing, put an additional anchor out on each side of the middle of your boat. Hurricane holes make ideal spots to moor your boat. These are deep, narrow coves or inlets surrounded by strong, deeprooted trees that block the wind and provide a tie-off for anchor lines. The best hurricane hole location is one far enough inland to avoid severe winds and tides, yet close enough to reach on short notice. Scout out a satisfactory hurricane hole now and make a practice run. Areas up the May River, Bull Creek, Colleton River, Chechessee River and Little Chechessee may be worth checking out.