How to Prepare Your Boat for a Hurricane: The Owner's Checklist

Boats are lost to hurricanes in two ways: to the storm, and to the calendar. The owners who lose to the calendar had a plan but started it too late - haul-out slots gone, roads jammed, marina lists closed. This is the owner's version of hurricane prep (marina operators have their own playbook): the decisions in order, the checklist that survives insurance scrutiny, and how to buy yourself the 72 hours that decide everything.

#The one decision that matters: haul or stay

Statistically, hauled boats do far better - surge and dock failure destroy more boats than wind. If you can haul: book the yard relationship before the season, know their storm policy (many prioritize contract customers and close the list early), and understand that when a storm enters the 5-day cone, every yard within 100 miles fills in hours. If you cannot haul, the questions become: is your marina survivable (surge exposure, fixed vs floating docks, seawall height), is a hurricane hole within one day's run, and does your dock contract even allow you to stay for a named storm - some require boats to leave.

#If the boat stays in the water

1. 1Double every line and add chafe protection at every contact point - lines fail at the chock, not in the middle.
2. 2Rig a spider web: long lines to distant strong points let the boat rise with surge; short tight lines snap or hold the boat under.
3. 3Strip everything that catches wind: canvas, enclosures, sails off the furler (a furled headsail that unwraps becomes an engine of destruction), dinghies, antennas down.
4. 4Seal and shut: dorades plugged, hatches taped if old, batteries charged, bilge pumps tested, seacocks closed except cockpit drains.
5. 5Take the paperwork and valuables home - registration, title, insurance policy, electronics that lift out.

#The insurance side, before and after

Coastal policies increasingly carry named-storm requirements: a written hurricane plan, mandatory haul-out clauses, higher named-storm deductibles, or geographic limits during the season. Read yours before June - discovering an unmet requirement during a claim is how coverage evaporates. Then document: photos of the boat, the lines, the chafe gear, and the stripped deck before the storm; the same angles after. Keep receipts for haul-out and prep - many policies reimburse a share of named-storm haul costs, which quietly pays for doing the right thing. Keeping the boat's records - insurance, registration, survey, photos - in one place you can reach from anywhere is exactly what a document wallet exists for.

#Watching the storm so you move early

The National Hurricane Center feed is the source of truth, and the owners who fare best check it like a job during the season - or have something check it for them. Hurricane Watch in the Marine OS route planner (part of Boater Pro) watches your home port and hurricane hole against NOAA's live storm feed hourly: when an active storm's projected track approaches your watched location, you get an email with the distance, timing, and a decision checklist - the early-warning nudge that starts the 72-hour clock while haul-out slots still exist.

#Frequently asked questions

Plan in calm weather, move at the 5-day cone, document everything. Marina operators should see the marina hurricane preparation guide; for keeping the boat's papers and records reachable when it matters, see the boat maintenance log guide.