Hurricane Coming - Line system recommendations

[JonHupp]

Given the upcoming storm on the east coast, just wondering if there are any recommendations or resources for secure line placement for those of us who keep their boats in the water. On a similar subject, any experience with the piling mounted systems that compensate for tide changes? Thank you. Jon

 

[Reefgeorge]

I’ve had to strap in for a two of them and here are some of my observations:

Don’t use braided lines because they have more line stretch

The lines will stretch more than your used too so strap it in tighter than usual and don’t use any real short attachments which can’t accommodate large water level changes. Lots of crossing and long stretches. Double up on critical lines

Many failures are from the boat actually rising up and lifting the lines off of the poles or rising high enough to come down on a pole top

Secure to the strongest cleats and most secure poles available. Set the boat in the middle of the slip, it should look like a bug caught in the middle of a spider web when your done and it should be hard to get off the boat because the dock is far away. Secure fenders at key points

And this is really important - make sure that the boats around you are well attached and flying bombs are removed or properly secured. In my marina most of the damage is from poorly secured boats breaking loose and traveling elsewhere inflicting severe damage while dragging the remnants of poles around with it. I only remember one boat just quietly sinking it it’s own slip

Make sure batteries are strong and well charged so you have bilge pumps for as long as possible. Disconnect power at the last minute so that brown outs and surges don’t trash your systems

Good luck,

George

 

[captainwjm]

George pretty much said it all. We were 60 miles from the eye of Irma. With all our lines out, I had to take a paddle board to get off the boat. Even then, the lines stretched so that we had some minor cosmetic damage to our rub rail. We were also 30 miles from the eye of Matthew in '16 and the only line that parted was the shortest, a breast line. Next time [and there is always a next time] I'm going to run the boat in gear after I get the spider-web in place to get as much stretch out as I can, then hope that the surge doesn't do what the engines didn't. Also, you should pump-out the holding tank and fill the water and fuel tanks as you can't predict when those services will be available after the storm.


Good luck!

 

[SEVEN]

Best wishes to all of you out there. Praying it takes a different direction.

 

[Photolomy]

For those of you who are in marinas that require you to leave, what is generally your plan? On the hard?

 

[Reefgeorge]

Over the years I've moved to a distant marina if it was a bad one and there was a clear direction that was safe, a closer marina that is well protected if medium risk, the hard when I needed yard work done anyway and hunkered down at my marina when I didn't have a choice.

The problem with a hallout in my area is that these days the slots get filled with reservations far in advance with many stories of lack of space when you get there. The only way to avoid this issue is to buy annual garauntee slots which cost in the thousands.



George

 

[Texastailboard]

Our 52c went through Harvey and we took the storm head on, eye and all. Definitely as they have said above lines, double and triple if you can. Chafing guarding is really important, our boat didn’t beak loose from its moorings but it took the slip with it and decided to move in the marina. Looking back on the storm I wonder if I would have rolled up my enclosure I think it me have survived if not remove it completely. I would have removed my outriggers just cause the winds really took a toll on them. I left my boat hours before it made landfall and I wished I would have strapped a go pro to the bridge just to see what happened. It is a sickening feeling to look at your boat and to think it might be last time.

 

[Reefgeorge]

I forgot that point - remove your enclosure "eisenglass" or at least roll up all of the U zip sections. I used to take them out but found the last time that rolling them up did just as well. Tape all your electronics covers down with metal tape and either remove canvas covers or lash them down.

George

 

[dsharp]

How did it take the slip with it? Was it a floating dock system?

 

[Photolomy]

This is a good and timely thread. How about antenna and stuff on radar arches? Remove and stow? Do you tape all of the windows on the salon and the windshield? In my case, if I can't get on the hard, I would have to find a spot in the river (ICW). Do people just anchor in that case, and with what? Seems like it would drag a normal anchor.

 

[Boatsb]

I had 10 anchors and 40 lines from the dock and trees to the boat. Held up great. Others hide in the rivers and some do better than others.

 

[Pascal]

Antennas can stay but down and locked. Outriggers need to be removed for anything over 80kts... last year for irma (miami) many boats lost theirs. All canvas need to be pulled.

TAping glass doesnt make a difference, if debris hits it, it will burst

Problem with florence is that it will slow down before landfall. Duration is as bad as raw wind speed as lines and hardware that will make it for 6 hours may not survive 12 hours.

Spreading the loads on multiple pilings and cleats also helps although the lines need to adjusted so that they take the load the same way.

For irma, i had to leave my 53 in its slip but being inside a tee head i was able to tie the lines to the outer pilings across the tee to accomodate the surge. It did help as my boat was the only one to survive just inside one of the seven tee heads although it took out a piling..

on the motoryachts, bilge pumps arent much of a worry as it s difficuot for water to get in... no hatches to leak in the cockpit etc.

 

[Reefgeorge]

I have talked to some owners who prefer to anchor in a river and in fact leave their marina. They take very long lines and tie to trees if available, as mentioned by Scott and set multiple anchors.

Anchors are an entire subject in themselves. Danforths routinely test with the highest holding strength but only if they can be set right and deep enough. If there is say a grassy bottom then you sometimes have to sacrifice raw holding power for a design that sets easier. In the Bahamas I switch to a delta type because it sets easier in all that eel grass. I also travel with two back up anchors, a Danforth and a quickset - both of which break down.

As far as setting multiple anchors, look at the wind and currents that are expected and if it is one direction then set two at 30/45 degrees. If the direction will shift then set them at almost 180 degrees.

Good luck,

George

 

[Photolomy]

When you anchor in the river, I assume you stay on the boat?

 

[Reefgeorge]

some do, some swim to shore.

Met a guy who took a direct hit from Charlie in the peace river. Winds so strong the storm ripped his dinghy off the boat and it disappeared into the air. Boat rolled completely over twice with him in it. He had to put all the batteries back in the box during the storm standing in 2 feet of water. Saw the boat later, it was seriously beat up. The house was half gone. He made it and had great stories to tell.

George

 

[Photolomy]

some do, some swim to shore.

Met a guy who took a direct hit from Charlie in the peace river. Winds so strong the storm ripped his dinghy off the boat and it disappeared into the air. Boat rolled completely over twice with him in it. He had to put all the batteries back in the box during the storm standing in 2 feet of water. Saw the boat later, it was seriously beat up. The house was half gone. He made it and had great stories to tell.

George

Was this a Hatteras, or something like one? Seems like the engines are too heavy.

 

[Texastailboard]

How did it take the slip with it? Was it a floating dock system?

I wish it was a floating dock. The 4 boats that were at the end of our dock left the original slip area. I think it was the force of the boats pulled up the pickings. We didn’t get the high storm surge we were expecting. I think it was the wind and wave force. I will saw looking at what our boat went through compared to other makes of boats didn’t do so well. The strength of a classic Hatteras is really impressive.

 

[Reefgeorge]

Was this a Hatteras, or something like one? Seems like the engines are too heavy.

It was an old Hatteras, not sure about the model. I don't know what he meant by roll over but I can tell you that a good deal of the upper structure was destroyed and there was mud grass and debri everywhere at the top of the boat and hanging off of what was left of the railings. The thing looked like it had sunk rolled on its side, and was raised. He took a direct hit from the worst part of the eyewall with winds up to 150mph. I can't remember what he said the wind speeds were when the wind speed meter was ripped off the boat but it was around 120mph.

We arrived in the Punta Gorda area shortly after Charlie hit that area. A few days later this totally trashed older Hatt pulled into the slip next to us. The dock hands came running over to tell the owner of the African Queen that this was a private marina and that slip belonged to the owner. The captain/owner started yelling onscenities down to the dock hands basically saying, and I paraphrase - I'm not in the mood for this BS, I just want to tie up my boat and go home to take a shower and go to bed. They stepped back and looked again, then started apologizing profusely as he was the owner of the slip and boat, they just didnt recognize it all covered in mud and weeds and missing half of the top structure. Then the guys wife showed up and started yelling at him for being such a dumb a** and telling me that she wouldnt go with him the night of the storm and instead went home and went to bed.

I am giving you the short version but you can't make this stuff up. It was one of the greatest stories I ever heard.

 

[Passages]

Reviving an old thread with a follow up question.

In prepping for a storm with cleats of limited capacity, would it be better to double up with (2) half inch line or use a single 1" line?

 

[Reefgeorge]

How did it take the slip with it? Was it a floating dock system?

Sorry, I never noticed this question real time. Either a weak mooring pole gives way, a line fails, or the boat has too much movement and starts beating things up. In the extreme, the boat rises high enough to slack the lines and some start lifting off of the top of the poles. In all cases its either increased load on less poles, pole/line failure or impact damage .

I think in every case that I have seen there are still lines attached to the boats and pieces of dock/cleats or mooring poles still attached. If you take a direct hit the process is very violent. When I came home through the ditch and ICW across Florida during the 2004/2005 stretch I saw 60-70' class yachts up on peoples yards with all that stuff attached to the lines.

George