How to Tie Up Your Boat for a Hurricane or Storm | BoatUS

BoatUS Magazine's Mark Corke shows you how to tie your boat for a hurricane or storm to give it the best chance of avoiding damage. While having your boat hauled when a hurricane is coming is usually the best option, sometimes it's not possible. So ensuring you properly set your boat lines for a hurricane is critical.
Preparing a boat in a slip for a hurricane includes creating a web with your lines: crossing stern lines, using three-strand rope with stretch, using farther pilings and longer lines to allow for storm surge, adding spring lines, using chafe protection, and more.
For more helpful hurricane information including weather maps & alerts, prep tips, a hurricane preparation worksheet, and links to more helpful hurricane prep videos, visit the BoatUS Hurricane Center at www.boatus.com/hurricane-prep.
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[@splintmeow4723]

Heck this is a very good video ❤️

[@boatus]

Thanks for watching. Glad you found it useful! You can see our entire playlist about preparing your boat for a hurricane at kzbin.info/aero/PLSrVa8gUFaPzhakTGVIGnJx2zi6h0J3FG

[@splintmeow4723]

@@boatus thank you 🥰

[@lawrencestephens5960]

use the whole cleat - a 1/2 wrap with a figure 8 and heavy winds tightens the rope and possible difficulty removing - if staying on board and needing to adjust in weather would be unmanageable, wrap around base twice and then use 1/2 bite on cleat - base takes load, your hands can manage it

[@boatus]

Thanks for the advice, Lawrence. That said, we never recommend staying aboard during a hurricane or storm, unless there's no other option available. Most people we've talked to who have tried that once say "never again!"

[@hcwbw3]

Having experience Hurricane Andrew (cat 5) when I was living on my 51 foot Thompson Trawler, around 30 ton vessel I have a little to say on this whole thing. 1. if you are in a "safe harbor / hurricane hole" you stand a chance to skate by but if you are in the bay or exposed to open waters good insurance and a little prayer is all you have especially if it is a major hurricane, (google images for hurricane Andrew, Michael or Ian). What do I mean by "safe harbor / hurricane hole"? Safe harbor is generally regarded as a body of water that is well inland from a large bay or the Gulf or Ocean, example the Miami River. I was living about 4 or 5 miles inland on the Miami River and my boat as well as 99.9 % of the boats survived with minor to no damage. The level of the River rose about 5 to 6 feet and there was very high winds but NO MONSTER WAVES. When you have tons and tons of water coming at you in the form of a very large wave, pilings and everything else will get ripped, snapped or other wise destroyed. There was a photo in the Miami Herald of large 50 or 60 footer thrown inland in Coconut Grove by Biscayne Bay well over a city bock. Lots of experienced boaters with the (financial means) kept an empty dock at Hardies Yacht Basin where I lived on the Miami River in reserve so they could bring their boat in for a hurricane. 2. The old man who owned the Marina Dan Hardie a friend who grew up in Miami in the boating business' and was a tug boat captain for the U.S. Army during Korea takes the credit for the one point that was not mentioned and to be fair is not mentioned that I have see in any video or instruction for boat hurricane preparation. The very simple yet powerful technique to improve your chances is to SINK THE END OF THE DOCK LINE THAT GOES ONTO THE PILING all the way down to the bottom with a chunk of steel, chain or what ever. Think "fulcrum effect" as the boat, provided you gave her enough slack struggles with the winds the pull (pressure) is on the very bottom of the piling and it would need to pull the whole thing out of the ground but it very likely won't snap the piling. If it gets to the point that it pulls the piling out your more than likely SOL. None of the pilings at Hardies pulled out or snaped and again 99.9% success rate in terms of boat damage was achieved. Needless or maybe not to needless to say you must take down all the outside stuff you "do not wish to donate to the wind gods. Bimini tops sails, antennas etc. and if you want you can duct tape the windows and door edges for water intrusion rain and splash water at 140 or 150 MPH is no joke. Of course chaffing protection and good lines are a must. I put on twelve 1 1/2 inch lines on the Karen Ann and 16 various girth lines on a friends sail boat that was in Virginia at the time. One more thing, DO NOT STAY ON THE BOAT! I left and went to a girlfriend's house. Hank a friend and former fighter pilot from Vietnam war who was a tough old dude stayed on his 30 something foot sail boat, his words, " the stupidest thing I have ever done, I was more scared than any other time in my life". Hank had to go out start the engine on his sailboat and crouching down in the cockpit try to run the motor and put it in gear to try to counteract the forces that were in his estimation about to break her loose. I hope you all take this in the spirit it was meant just sharing what in my estimation is old knowledge that appear to have been lost that certainly given the right set of circumstances (safe harbor or hurricane hole etc.) worked even for a Cat. 5 monster like Andrew, Aug. 24 1992 Miami Florida.

[@boatus]

Thanks for sharing your experience, hcwbw3! That sounds absolutely harrowing. Most of the folks who have lived to tell the tale of staying aboard their boats during a hurricane say they'd NEVER do it again. The boat is replaceable; you are not! Bottom line: Proper preparation increases the chances that a boat will survive a storm. It is never guaranteed, but you do what you can and then hope for the best. Preparation, preparation, preparation ... and make sure you have good insurance.

[@Captdal]

thanks

[@boatus]

You are welcome, as always! Thanks for watching.

[@akridged]

Is there any rule of thumb for determining how much slack to leave in the line? Since a hurricane can bring larger tidal swings and that can be unpredictable, I understand there needs to be slack in the lines, but too much could be as big a problem as too little.

[@boatus]

Hi David. You want the lines as slack as possible so the boat is free to move without hitting anything. Think of it like a spider suspended in the center of a web. Using pilings and cleats that are farther away will allow for more surge with lesser chance of hitting pilings, docks, and other boats. ETA: Using three-strand nylon line offers some elasticity as well and therefore absorbs some shock loading. You'll need to keep that in mind as well when determining line length. So if you have a 20' line, you might have around a foot of stretch.

[@carlrubino8745]

You did not address what about the tides when tying the lines . If you initially tie the lines during the normal low tide , the lines may be too slack and allow the boat to breach the dock. Before the storm hits the tides will increase 3 - 4 times the average in the area... sometimes they will decrease in the same attitude. Nice video to show the typical storm tie off. Gin clear, oily seas ,mate.

[@boatus]

Hi Carl. Thanks for your comment. We did explain that the stern lines are crossed and the bow lines are set as long as possible to account for storm surge. And the spring lines help keep the boat centered. Essentially you want your boat to be suspended in the center of the slip like a spider in a web.

[@allseriousness]

very british

[@Kajos-]

lmao