Hurricane preparation for boat on trailer

[RCAN]

In the wake of Irene breathing down our necks, I am thinking once again about my preparations for protecting my boat. Maybe some of you more experienced trailer sailors can give me some input or comments.

My boat is on a trailer under an open car port. These are the things I plan on doing as soon as a hurricane is imminent:

    1. Remove mast and boom and lay them on the ground on the side of the house at the very base of the side wall.
    2. Remove Bimini Top and store it indoors
    3. Remove front air vent and screw in the water tight cover in its place
    4. Fill the inside of the boat with as many gallon jugs of water as I can fit to make the boat heavier
    5. Put a towel over the lazarette cover and lay about 10 heavy bricks on it to keep the cover from blowing off (there is no apparent way to lock it in place)
    6. Use my anchor rode to tie the tongue of the trailer to the two car port columns to keep the wind from moving the trailer from side to side
    7. Remove all lines and exposed rigging and store it below deck
    8. Lock the companionway hatch and cover to keep wind from blowing it open

I keep the boat attached to the trailer with two web belts, so I think this, plus the weight of the boat should keep it on the trailer. Some have suggested flattening the trailer tires. I already have two very good rubber tire chocks that I wedge on the tires. I could wedge some wood and bricks around the tires to reduce mobility.

To tie the back of the trailer to the building, I would have to drill holes and attach eyelets with which to tie off the back of the trailer. I'm not sure this would be necessary.

What do you guys think? Have I left anything out. Am I being fool hardy in some of my efforts? I will welcome any comments.

To any other sailors on the Florida East Coast, my payers and wishes for good luck go out to you.

Robert
   

[Salty19]

I have no experience here, but your approach sounds pretty good.  One thing though..I wouldn't leave the mast/boom outside. It will become a lethal projectile if high winds exist, worst case (not to mention loosing/bending them). If they won't fit in the garage, I'm thinking at least secure them somehow.  Maybe tie them to the trailer? Bury them?  The boom should fit inside the boat as well.

The though of an auger-like anchor system, like those used for big dogs or steel buildings, wrapping chain around the trailer and through the auger comes to mind. That way if she does move, the auger will keep it from becoming a part of the neighborhood debris.

Good luck dodging the 'cane. I'll be thinking about your boat you when it hits. 

[Bob23]

   I wonder if you could plug the scuppers and fill the cockpit with water up to the locker door levels? Definitely move the mast indoors. How 'bout removing the wheels altogether so it can't roll.  Just lower the trailer to the ground somehow. I guess it's best if the boat/trailer are on your property so your homeowners insurance might cover any damage. Hopefully you will not need it.
   Last year we had a good storm up here in NJ. I moved my 23 from her mooring to a boat slip where she recieved a nasty scratch from a protruding nail. Should've left her on her mooring.
   I like Mike's auger idea. Are you on concrete or the ground? Augers would work on the ground. Concrete? Get some Tap-con screws from Home Depot or Lowe's and drill 'em in. They usually come with thier own masonry bit. Secure something to the screws that you can hook a chain or caple to so you can secure the trailer. How about leaving the trailer hooked up to the car/truck?
   Try anything! Overkill can't hurt.
   Where in Florida do you live?
Bob23

[skip1930]

Short of parking her out to sea or below grade some where UP NORTH, like Georgia, and aside from pouring cement over the whole thing and watching the cement turn to concrete you windy weather prep is sounding pretty good. The wife has a old black and white photograph of a piece of STRAW that penetrated the restless practically new chrome front bumper of a 1960 something Ford Galaxy. The straw was blown clean through the steel by a hurricane.
Good luck to you.

skip. There is no stopping Mother Nature.

[Joseph]

Since she's on a trailer, I'd try renting for her a slip inside a well built covered garage... Hurricanes are natural monsters and, whenever possible, a boat - same as people - should not remain exposed either underway, moored or parked on a trailer. The only scenario in which a boat can be predicted to successfully sustain hurricane-intensity winds is when these are caused by her being towed in a highway...

J.

[larrysimonis]

Good Luck!! Suggest you use a sandbag instead of bricks though - much easier on the hull if things get ugly. I've been through a couple of monsoons on Okinawa, and have been impressed by the staying power of a good, heavy CANVAS tarp. Get an oversize one that will lay on the ground all around the boat, stake it down through the eyelets, and then lay sandbags all around to weight the edges. The idea is to deflect the wind over the boat, not let it get under it. What do the marinas and boat dealers do to protects their inventory?

[brackish]

think you've covered the bases.  When I lived in hurricane country, my boat was always in the water for the hurricanes.  Sometimes I moved it to the backwaters but often just left it in the slip, double lines that can rise and fall with the tidal surge.  Most of the damage I've seen in the past came from folks who left their furled Jib or covered main on (shredded) or didn't adjust their lines and springs, or were unfortunate enough when the piers broke up to have boards hurled at their boats.  In your case out of  the water, you should make sure there is nothing loose in the area that can become airborne and that there or no trees hanging close to where the boat is.  also maybe check your lie to the predicted path see what quadrant you're likely to be in, orient the boat bow to on the front side of the eye.

[Bob23]

Looks like us Northeasterners might be having to do a little hurricane prep ourselves. I'll reserve a slip at Long Key Marina if it looks like things are gonna get ugly. Great protected hurricane hole.
Bob23

[kickingbug1]

   im in agreement with removing the wheels from the trailer. anyway you can get the boat lower to the ground makes sense to me. being a shallow keel boat your 16 sits pretty high so anything you can do to keep the wind from lifting  it up is a good idea. if you cant put the mast inside i would lay it next to your house and cover it with about 5 sandbags. like mike said you dont want that thing flying around the neighborhood. it goes without saying that anything you can bring inside the better. with all the rigging secured i would buy a tarp, rope and sandbags and wrap her up good and add some sandbags to the trailer as well.

[AFurlan]

So this storm did not touch us in S. Florida. (I am a new member so I am now seeing this post)...

But for the next one maybe this will help: We have lived through several hurricanes but the mother of all was Andrew in 1992 (F4 steady and F5 plus gusts with tornadoes): 2x4 planks penetrated palm trees overturned loaded 40ft. ocean containers weighing 80,000 lbs. so there is little you can do to protect anything left outdoors. We were able to more or less save my 22 C. Console at the time by taking her off of the trailer and laying her on the lawn then filling the bilge with water as high as possible (water is 9 plus lbs. per gallon) the more the merrier! I still lost my console as the wind tore it clean off shearing 40 plus #10 screw heads, it disappeared along with most of our home. You should not under any circumstance cover the anything with canvas....want to sail to the moon?? Remove all that is of value and place indoors, leave nothing that can catch the wind, fill her up with water. If you are at sea put her into the mangroves (natural shock lines) lay lines from every angles possible and give play; if you must stand on a mooring, lay lines from your stern cleats along the hull to the bow this way you carry three bow lines (If you can place shock lines into your main lines amidship port and stbd), this will alleviate the strain on your three lines...last resort is to scuttle so she is completely submerged (will make you cry, but you will bring her up after, and love her up good) and set as much chain as you can get to the anchors off of the bow 45 deg. to port and to stbd. Lay 200 ft. rode each at least.
A strong hurricane is Mother Nature angry depressed and violent; it is terrifying when you are indoors and hear the wind and flying debris slam into your enclosure, the wind causes vacuums that make your ears pop, cinder block houses vibrate and makes noises of all sorts, the wind shrieks and howls that will make your hair stand on end!

Best recourse is to carry insurance and if a biggie is coming your way...run fast and far! 

[Pacman]

You might consider in-ground anchors.

I made mine using steel barbell weights with chain to rope.

I shackled the chain to the weight and buried it 6' deep using a post hole digger to dig the hole.

Then I held the chain taught and packed the soil back in the hole.

There was about 2' of chain above the surface of the ground.

I tied my lines to the chain using a bowline.

I made three of these anchors, one on port near the stern, one on starboard near the stern, and one by the bow.

The anchors were located about 3' away from the boat so the angle of pull was about45 degrees.

This makes a very secure "mooring" for a trailered boat.