Milton Mac 26 tie down techniques?

[The Islander]

Hey Guys,

I have been monitoring the progress of Milton for the last 8 days. It started with another 1st rate long range forecast by Bernie Raynoe of Accuweather broadcast available on your phone, tv and cable providers, etc.. I have used it in multiple remote locations for up to the minute forecast for all weather conditions while moving with my personal vehicle and or vessels for 10 years now. Numerous large broadcast networks have commended Accuweather over the last two weeks for "nailing" the long term forecast for Helene and now Milton 3 days before what NOAA and the national hurricane center (NHC) did. You guys need to use it.

As I have said, I am refurbishing and enhancing my newly acquired 2008, 26M from the daggerboard up. It is still on the trailer about 15 miles from the west coast of Florida. Directly in the eye of Milton. A few questions and hopefully some suggestions on how to keep it "keel down and not capsizing while on dry land".

I bought 3 helix 29.5" Mooring Anchors from West Marine on Sunday. Have enough rope, strap and chain to do whatever is necessary to hold in on the trailer and keep it from lifting off of the ground with wind only. Cost of the Mooring Anchors from West Marine, $49.94 each. Galvanized and can be screwed into my sandy soil with a 4 ' long steel bar.

Has anyone successfully secured at Mac 26 with side force winds in this scenario with about 115 MPH?

What was your technique?

Any suggestions? Going down the Interstate with it behind my truck is not an option. Have you seen the traffic?

Thanks, Ed

[pitchpolehobie]

Can you drive into a parking deck?

[The Islander]

Thats a thought.

Are you talking about a parking garage? Most only have a clearance of about 8 feet.

Maybe park along side of an interstate like Interstate 75, under a overpass and when the Highway Patrol comes along and asks if I am OK, I say yes and wait it out till the storm passes?

[pitchpolehobie]

Nah dont clog up the highway emergency vehicles will need it. Would think some mall would have a parking deck available. Can dmu take the mast and stanchions off? That would get you down to about 8

[The Islander]

Appreciate the idea about parking under a garage. In my area clearance and turning radius will not work.

The 3 Mooring Anchors bought from West Marine which are 29.5 inches long and can be screwed into the sand are my go to plan. They are going to be used for other purposes after the storm, as I take my Mac into unchartered waters. They are $49.95 each.

Has anyone sat in the Helmsman seat on the Mac 26 with 115 MPH seat do date? Going to try it.

Maybe sit in the campanionway area and peak up? Here We Go!

[Russ]

The helix anchors are a good idea. Actually a VERY good idea. I've seen them hold moorings during some crazy storms. Of course they are made to be underwater, but I bet you could "screw" them deep and hold very well. At least better than anything else.

There are several concerns:

TREES: They will be breaking and falling so if you can park the boat away from things that can fall on it.

FLOODING: Storm surge seems to be a big concern. Not much you can do if water comes up and your boat is anchored to the trailer/ground but hope things don't start to float away. My dad's boat (and MANY others) floated off their supports on land when Superstorm Sandy rose water and floated dozens of boats off their stands and into a big pile.

FILL THE BALLAST: You can add 1,150 lbs of weight to keep the boat from blowing over.

TIE EVERYTHING DOWN: Remove all the canvas sails and anything above deck that catches wind.

GET OUT: Get in your truck and drive away. This is a dangerous storm. In big picture, your stuff is just stuff, your life is not replaceable.
This storm looks like a 100+ year event. Load your truck with supplies and drive East.....maybe to the keys.

Good luck. Keep us posted. We have many members here in that path. Be safe Captains.

[Be Free]

At the risk of stating the obvious, leaving with or without the boat is your best option.

If you have to leave the boat, here's what I've done in previous hurricanes. I clocked the wind at 130 mph right next to the boat during one of them. There was no damage. The boat was facing the wind.

Trees (and other debris) and flooding are going to be your worst enemies. Direct wind damage is unlikely.

Do your best to estimate the predominate wind direction. If possible, face the boat into the wind. Assume that any trees on that side are going to come down. Is the boat going to be safe when they do? I've seen a lot more trees broken off 10-15 feet above ground than I have trees that were uprooted. Depending on the wind those tree tops may travel a significant distance before they hit the ground.

Secure everything on the outside of the boat. There is a good chance that any canvass left out will be shredded. A boat cover will probably be destroyed.

Tying the boat down to secure anchors is a good idea. Think about pressure and chafe points with whatever you use to tie the boat down. Avoid knots; they significantly decrease the strength of a rope. Ratchet straps or something similar are better than rope. Don't leave loose ends that can whip in the wind. They can cause significant cosmetic damage even at highway speeds. Whatever you use, don't tie to the hardware on the boat; tie across the boat from one anchor to the other. Those sand anchors are going to hold a lot better than a cleat bolted through the gunwale. I usually run the strap between the pedestal and the companionway. That's pretty close to the middle and there's nothing in the way that can break.

Filling the ballast tank is a good idea. I've done it for the worst storms. It's a slow process; be patient. Your trailer should be able to carry the extra weight but keep an eye on it while you are filling. Tires should be at maximum pressure. If the springs look like they are almost straight then you should stop filling even if there is still room in the tank. Having a partially filled ballast tank is not a problem on the trailer.

Tie your forward hatch down from the inside. The factory latch may not hold (mine won't). Secure the sliding hatch (from the outside) so that it can't be blown open.

There is nothing you can do to protect against storm surge except to move the boat. Bradenton is in the 10-15 ft surge area right now. If you are close to the coast then it is likely that the boat will be damaged. Sorry.




This is three houses away from me. Notice that the boat house is completely destroyed but the boat is undamaged. Even the ice chest on the ground next to it did not move. The boat and boat house next door is also undamaged. Last week these boats saw winds comparable to what yours will see later this week. Most of the wind will be up high unless there is something that will "channel" it close to the ground.

Good luck and prayers to all in the storm's path. I have a niece in Tampa that her father and I have not convinced to leave yet.

[Russ]

^^^ THIS ^^^

All great advice from a seasoned Floridian. I would heed it.

Good points on chafe and not using deck hardware as attachment points. The Aluminum trailer has "sharp" edges with the I beams. They often cut through my winter cover.

I would also try to seal that sliding hatch from driving rain and as mentioned, secure it from sliding.

I think you said you have the aluminum Mac trailer. It should hold the ballast water fine. I've pulled my boat with ballast in and it was fine. That trailer has torsion springs not leaf springs.

If the surge comes up, your boat might want to try and float away. It would be interesting to see how anchoring it do the ground fairs in that situation. At that point there will be a lot of stuff floating around (and flying in the air).

[trswem]

...It started with another 1st rate long range forecast by Bernie Raynoe of Accuweather broadcast available on your phone, tv and cable providers, etc.. I have used it in multiple remote locations for up to the minute forecast for all weather conditions while moving with my personal vehicle and or vessels for 10 years now. Numerous large broadcast networks have commended Accuweather over the last two weeks for "nailing" the long term forecast for Helene and now Milton 3 days before what NOAA and the national hurricane center (NHC) did. You guys need to use it...

A brief word of warning against Accuweather. First of all it has none of it's own data. It get's it's weather data from the National Weather Service and then repackages it and sells it. It also has a contract with China's weather system, though it's unclear how much of that data they are using. To say that Accuweather "nailed it" when the NWS did not is inaccurate. They published data while the results were still unclear to the professionals at NOAA and the NWS, and they happened to be right. So to reiterate, Accuweather takes data for free from NOAA and sells it back to us while throwing some long range predictions on it (before the certainty is high enough that the NOAA feels it prudent to report), but none of the information is anything you couldn't have received directly from NOAA/NWS/ECMWF.

Lastly, a couple years ago they got caught sharing IOS location data with an advertising company (Reveal Mobile), despite not having received permission from the user to retain it. Remember that relationship that Accuweather formed with China? I take a pass on Accuweather, but I'm glad you've had good results with it. I'm not saying don't use it, but this is information I found helpful in deciding where to get my forecasts.

[OverEasy]

Hi All!

I’m with Russ on this one…

GET OUT: Get in your truck and drive away. This is a dangerous storm. In big picture, your stuff is just stuff, your life is not replaceable.
This storm looks like a 100+ year event. Load your truck with supplies and drive East.....maybe to the keys.

Driving SOUTH to the southern Florida is probably a good move as everything is jammed headed North.

Just a heads up:



Be Safe!

Best Regards,
Over Easy

Personal note: I appreciate your perspective trswem, but I’ll disagree. Data is data and whether a source “pays for it” or gets it “free” isn’t really all that relevant. In the current world weather modeling comes from many reputable sources and are integrated to get probabilistic statistical projections…sophisticated guesswork to hopefully give an indication of what to possibly expect. Those sources come from all over the world done by good capable competent individuals trying to do the best with what information is available. I wouldn’t dismiss a source from an intelligent sophisticated source like those in China just because of it being Chinese. They have had a darn good batting average and share openly. Just my two cents.

Just an update for posterity….











Its nice to have this technology available to us today… Heck I remember the first grainy black & white “weather satellite “ cloud photos

[Gotro]

Hello Islander . We all see you were in the direct path of this storm and I just saw some video of your area and looks like you all have a lot of clean up to do . Let us know you are ok when you get on line again . Prayers for you and fellow coastal dwellers affected down there .

[OverEasy]

Ditto!

Hoping you and your loved ones are safe and secure after this storm.
We know you may be busy with more important things to contend with but please let us all know when you get a chance.

Best Regards,
Over Easy

[The Islander]

Hey Guys,

I appreciate your comments on this thread. Just read them after being without power and fuel till last night. Sunday. 4 days and nights without both.

The 26M on a stock trailer came out unblemished. Following is how I prepared and made it through the eye of Milton.

1. Bought 29.5" helix Mooring Anchors from West Marine. (3) at $49.95 each. Screwed all 3 of them into the ground using a 6' digging rod from Home Depot that had length and torque to screw them into the ground in less than 5 minutes each. The rod weighs about 20 lbs and does a nice job of loosening up the top few inches of sandy, oyster shell mix top. Then you use the rod to put through the eyelet on the top of the anchor to screw it into the ground.

2. Placed the Mooring Anchors at the tongue of the trailer and at both right angle portions of the back of the aluminum trailer. A 3 point securement using medium sized ratchet straps. Placed 6 other medium sized ratchet straps around the perimeter of the boat using the clevets and the bow hook.

3. Pointed this boat and trailer towards the North East (NE). Why? I wanted to secure it in the most probable position to face the most strongest wind with gusts if the storm made landfall off of the coast about 15 miles.

4. The boat took wind gusts from first at around 90MPH from the East at first then about an hour later took gusts from the NW at about 95 MPH. The boat was about 10 miles north of the center of the eye of the storm.

5. Nothing moved. Boat, mast, rigging not damaged. Flooding was not an issue in this area, on this storm. 4 inches of rain only. I believe these mooring anchors could have held with a lot of flooding. "They were the key"..

6. These mooring anchors should come out of the ground very easy. I am going to leave them in for another 6 weeks around where I park the boat. Hurricane season does not officially end until 11/30.

Appreciate your comments and insight,

Ed

[Be Free]

I'm glad to hear you came through safely and without major damage.

We did not lose power or have any significant damage up here. Thanks for taking the hit this time.

Helene knocked out our power for almost exactly 7 days and the water for about 3 weeks.

[OverEasy]

Hi Islander

Glad things worked out for you!
Great prep!

Best Regards
Over Easy