Preparing your boat for a hurricane¶

This page helps you prepare your boat for a hurricane. The work takes most of a day, so it needs to start when a watch is issued, not when the wind picks up.

If you only do three things¶

1. Decide now whether you will haul out or stay in the water, and book the haul out early.
2. Double every line, add chafe protection, and strip everything that catches wind.
3. Never stay aboard. No boat is worth a life.

Haul out or stay in the water¶

Hauling out is the safer choice for most boats when it is possible. A boat on stands or a trailer, well inland, tied down and with the drain plug out, usually rides out a storm better than one in a slip. Blocked on the hard near the water, it can still be knocked over by surge, so ask the yard where it will be placed.

Staying in the water works for boats that are too large to haul or when yards are full. The keys are a well protected slip, floating docks with tall pilings, and lines that let the boat rise with surge. Fixed docks in open water are the worst place to leave a boat.

Yards fill up fast once a storm is named. Arrange a haul out contract before the season, and ask the yard how much notice it needs.

Lines and chafe protection¶

Storm lines fail from chafe more than from strength. Use the largest line the cleats will take, and double every line so there is a backup for each. Run lines long to distant pilings and cleats to allow for the surge rise. Add chafe guards, such as hose or leather, wherever a line passes through a chock or rubs on a piling.

Set spring lines fore and aft so the boat cannot surge into the dock. Use fenders and fender boards on the side facing the dock. If your dock has short pilings, a boat can ride up and over them, which is another reason to haul out.

Strip the boat¶

Wind on canvas and gear is what tears a boat loose.

• Remove sails, biminis, dodgers, and all canvas
• Take off or lash down the boom, and tie halyards away from the mast
• Remove electronics, radios, and anything you would miss
• Take dinghies, kayaks, and paddleboards ashore
• Remove cushions, cockpit tables, and loose gear
• Close seacocks except cockpit drains
• Charge batteries and check that bilge pumps work
• Top off fuel and add stabilizer
• Shut off propane and fuel lines
• Secure hatches and tape over ports
• Take photos of the boat and the docking arrangement for insurance

Marina hurricane plans and contracts¶

Read your slip contract before the season. Many marinas require boats to leave or be hauled when a watch is issued, and some can move your boat without you if you are unreachable. Find out what the marina will do, what it expects of you, and the phone number for the dockmaster.

Ask whether the marina has a hurricane plan and where boats are placed. If you belong to a boat club, know its plan too. Some coastal areas have hurricane holes, protected creeks or basins where boats can be anchored or tied among mangroves. Learn yours and know that space in them is limited.

Insurance requirements¶

Many boat policies require you to have a written hurricane plan and to follow it. Some pay part of the cost of a haul out before a named storm. Others restrict where the boat can be kept during hurricane season, or limit coverage if the boat was left unprepared in a named storm. Read the policy and talk to your agent.

Keep the policy number and the claims phone number with your other documents. See Hurricane insurance and important documents.

Never stay aboard¶

Some owners want to stay on the boat to tend lines. Do not. In hurricane winds, a person on deck can be thrown into the water, and the marina will be under surge with no one able to reach you. Boats are replaceable.

Finish the preparation, take a last set of photos, and leave with the rest of your family. Come back after officials say it is safe. See Returning home.

Timeline¶

Related guides¶

• Hurricane insurance and important documents
• Watches and warnings
• Hurricane hazards
• Final preparations
• Returning home