Hurricane season is here — slip, mooring, or haul? What's your actual plan?

Question

Every June we all pretend we have a plan, then the cone shows up and the group chat melts down. Real talk: my marina REQUIRES an evacuation plan on file but the haul-out list filled up by April.

Slip with doubled lines? Hurricane hole on anchor? Pre-paid haul? What's your plan and has it actually been tested by a storm?

gulfgypsy · Answer

Hauled for Ian. Boat survived on stands while the marina docks ended up in the parking lot. The $700 haul was the best money I've ever spent — but you MUST book the list in spring like you said.

saltydog_frank · Answer

Floating docks with tall pilings = stay. Floating docks with short pilings = leave, that's how boats end up stacked like cordwood when the surge lifts the whole dock off the piles.

hatterashank · Answer

Hurricane hole + three anchors set 120° apart + strip EVERYTHING off the deck. Rode out two cat-1s. Wouldn't try it past a 2 — at some point it's just insurance paperwork with extra steps.

perkins4108 · Answer

Whatever the plan is: photograph the boat the day before, every angle. Adjusters move your claim to the top when the documentation is clean.

Hurricane season is here — slip, mooring, or haul? What's your actual plan?

4 replies