Before the summer begins, we all make fun plans for red snapper fishing trips with your college buddies, tubing with the kids, and romantic sunset cruises with your spouse along Clear Lake and out to the coast.
There’s one aspect of summer planning on the Gulf Coast that boaters and summer enthusiasts easily overlook in all the excitement: hurricane preparation for your boat.
From June 1 to November 30, communities along the Gulf Coast brace for the possibility of hurricanes wreaking havoc on everything they hold dear. For boat owners especially, hurricane season causes a lot of stress because of what these storms can do to the vulnerable and expensive vessels in the water.
There’s only one way to alleviate this stress and that’s by preparing a plan for the hurricanes ahead of time.
So, whether you’re a new boat owner wondering what to do with a boat in a hurricane or a veteran boat owner aiming to improve an existing plan, review the following hurricane preparedness tips and resources to protect your vessel, your family, and yourself.
Hurricane preparation before the storm
Your hurricane preparedness plan should begin before there is even a hurricane watch announcement, or even before hurricane season starts. The first step is to connect with your marina.
Contact your marina
The exterior of Marina Bay Harbor.
Marinas such as Marina Bay Harbor have protocols and systems in place for hurricanes, and how you fit into these plans is dependent on your communication with the marina team. Collaborate with your marina’s management team regarding evacuation and boat preparation plans for your boat and get it all down in writing.
For example, Marina Bay Harbor is a haven for boats during hurricanes because of its 60,000-square-foot fully enclosed dry stack storage facility and protected location in a “hurricane hole,” a cove mainly surrounded by land. The marina also offers “per hurricane” contracts available to boat owners who just want a place to keep their boat during a hurricane. Because of the marina’s existing and high-end services and protocols, the dry stack storage facility fills up quickly, which should give you even more incentive to create your hurricane plan now.
However, not every boater uses a marina to store their vessel in a wet slip. So, what then?
Storing your boat during a hurricane
If you didn’t snag a spot for your boat in a secure storage facility, there are alternative Texas hurricane storage options for boats.
Securing your boat ashore
BoatUS’s Hurricane Catastrophe Team (CAT) has spent years analyzing the dos and don’ts of what to do with your boat during a hurricane. Apparently, all the experts agreed that the best move is to bring the vessel ashore.
One of the more successful tips CAT recommends for storing your boat ashore is to strap your boat down to eyes embedded in concrete. Regardless of whether you have access to a feature like this or not where your boat is located, the experts say that, “any attempt to anchor a boat on shore is worth the effort.”
Storing your boat in your yard during a hurricane
Moving your boat ashore and onto a trailer is one of the better ways you can protect your boat. Though, using a trailer is pretty useless if you don’t prep the trailer itself to perform its job. Confirm your trailer is up for the job by inspecting features like the tires and wheel bearings so the trailer is operable when it’s needed.
As to whether you should leave the trailer outside during the storm, BoatUS advises to store the boat in your garage instead of keeping your car in there. If that’s not possible, pick a spot in your yard out of harm’s way and block the tires.
Keeping your boat at a fixed dock
Photo credit: BoatUS
If your boat is located at a fixed dock, you’d better strap down the boat well. According to CAT, around 50 percent of damaged boats affected by hurricanes could’ve avoided damage by using better docklines. A successfully strapped-down vessel at a boat dock should resemble that of a fly in a spider’s web. With just enough slack, the “web” of straps should allow the boat to move with swells but remain in the slip.
Docking your boat at a floating dock
So your boat is at a floating dock, that’s good. Floating docks rise and fall with surges, allowing boats to take on storms more successfully. Keeping your boat at a floating dock offers relative protection from the hurricane but only if the pilings are taller than the storm’s surges.
This means that if your boat is to survive the storm, the pilings must be more than eight feet tall and ideally up to 18 feet tall. The taller the piling, the better the chance your boat doesn’t sustain damage.
During the storm
A hurricane warning has been announced, which means it’s time to take action. At this point, your boat should be safely secured in a dry stack storage facility (like Marina Bay Harbor) or in your garage. And by no means, whatsoever, should you be aboard your boat on the water.
Now, most importantly, is when you focus on the safety of you and your family. The City of Clear Lake Shores offers those in the area the following advice and tips:
- Listen for the latest emergency announcements and instructions and evacuate immediately upon notice. Sign up for Clear Lake Shore’s emergency notification system here or download the FEMA app for the latest updates.
- Turn around, don’t drown — follow the city’s evacuation instructions and do not attempt to cross flood waters. View the Clear Lake Shore’s evacuation map here.
- Mark your “Safe and Well” status for friends and family with the Red Cross.
- Continue to monitor news and emergency storm updates, if possible.
Of course, there’s plenty more preparation to carry out to protect your family from storm surges. For more information, review and plan accordingly by visiting The City of Clear Lake Shore’s Hurricane Preparedness page.
After the storm
The storm has passed, and thankfully, you and your family are safe. Now it’s time to confirm the same for your boat.
If you have evacuated, do not return to the area unless notified. If you stayed in the area, do not visit the marina where your boat is stored until the marina contacts you. If you’ve stored your boat properly or in the Marina Bay Harbor facility, there should be little to no damage.
If you’re one of the boaters who opted for an alternative storage solution, evaluating your boat’s condition after the hurricane is almost as important as prepping the vessel for the storm.
As you make your way to inspect your vessel post-hurricane, BoatUS recommends bringing duct tape to secure broken rigging or railings and to seal cracks/holes, writing utensils and paper for notes to record inventory damage, cleaning supplies and gear, trash bags, bug spray, closed-toe shoes, and gloves. Be sure to take plenty of pictures of your boat and report any damage to your insurance company.
Hurricane preparedness takeaways
The best time to prepare your boat for a hurricane is way before they even happen.
Marina Bay Harbor offers one of the most sophisticated dry hurricane storage facilities on the Gulf Coast. We’ll both help you develop a sound plan for your boat’s hurricane storage and provide a safe haven under the supervision of a team that is calm, reliable, prepared, and storm-tested.
You can also find our exact hurricane storage pricing and parameters on our “Boat Storage” page here. Reach out to our team to discuss your hurricane storage at Clear Lake at 281-535-2222 or email us at .
To develop your plan even further, check out The United States Coast Guard report or reference The City of Clear Lake Shores website for localized information.