My cousin Mary texted me on the way to her boat as she was preparing her boat for the storm. She had some good ideas and suggested I do a post….alas this is it!
Before a storm:
LINES: Put extra lines on the boat to the dock or the mooring. You can double up the lines. Also add both aft and forward spring lines if you don’t already have them. Cover all lines to prevent chafing. Wrap all lines at where lines feed through chocks with tape, rags and rubber hoses or leather.
FENDERS: Put out a couple of extra fenders since they can pop up sometimes if the boat is rocking. You can install bumpers or tires to protect the boat from rubbing against the pier, pilings, or other boats.
BILGE PUMP: Test it to make sure it’s working. The pump should be wired so that it turns on even when the battery isn’t on so you don’t need to leave the battery on which could cause bigger problems if it dies during the storm.
BATTERIES: Charge batteries and make sure they can run automatic bilge pumps throughout the storm. Consider adding back-up batteries and shut off all other devices that consume electricity.
After a storm:
Check on the boat ASAP! Make sure it weathered the storm.
BATTERY- batteries will get low with the bilge pump running a lot. Start up the boat to make sure the battery is still good and keep it running for 20 minutes or more. You can also put it in fast forward to charge it faster. Be prepared for a dead battery and bring jumper cables or a jumper pack which is always helpful to have.
