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Six steps for South Florida owners and the companies that prepare their boats, based on guidance from BoatUS, FWC, NOAA and the National Hurricane Center.
A boat hurricane plan is a written set of decisions made before a storm: where the boat will be, who will move it, what comes off, what stays aboard, and who holds the keys. The National Hurricane Center says the plan must include a written checklist of procedures. Written down before hurricane season, it is a plan. Improvised in the 48 hours before landfall, it is a scramble. This guide lays out hurricane prep for boats as six steps for South Florida owners and the companies that prepare them.
Write down the boat's normal hurricane-season location, including the marina, address and slip, and where the boat will go during a storm. The BoatUS Boat Owner's Hurricane Plan worksheet asks for both. If the storm location is a hurricane hole, the worksheet asks for travel time, bridges, bottom type, depth and the extra anchors, line, chain and chafe gear. If it is a mooring, it asks whether the mooring was inspected within the last six months.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission advises hauling the boat out and moving it as far from tidal waters as possible. The National Hurricane Center says boats hauled out generally suffer less damage and advises finding a storm-worthy refuge well in advance. FWC also says never to ride out a hurricane or tropical storm aboard.
The BoatUS worksheet asks for alternate contacts or caretakers if the owner is unavailable, and whether each one has the boat's keys and access to the hurricane equipment. The National Hurricane Center says the owner must give the marina an emergency contact number, or the number for a caretaker such as a hired captain, and should file a hurricane worksheet with the marina manager. BoatUS also suggests leaving a spare key with the marina manager and keeping the marina's contact information current.
NOAA says not to wait for a hurricane warning to secure the boat. It says to haul out or add lines during a tropical storm or hurricane watch, about 48 hours before the expected onset of storm winds. Put those decision points in the plan and name who is responsible for each one.
The BoatUS worksheet separates the job into two lists. One is equipment that needs to be aboard: docklines, chafe guards or snubbers, chain, batteries, bilge pumps, flashlights and first aid. The other is what to remove: electronics, the dinghy, outboard and fuel, sails, bimini, galley fuel, ship's papers and personal effects. BoatUS also advises removing sails, canvas, dodger and bimini frames to reduce windage, and removing portable fuel tanks, oil containers and paint cans to limit environmental damage.
If the boat stays in the water, the guidance adds these steps:
Progressive suggests video and photographs of each item, plus a record of the overall condition of the exterior and interior. The National Hurricane Center says to consolidate registration, radio licenses, inventories, lease agreements and contact information in a waterproof box, and to keep extra copies separately. Those records give you something to compare with the boat after the storm. BoatUS says to take a complete set of photos afterward, contact the insurer, and not sign any contract or agreement with a salvor before telling the insurer.
Many dockage agreements contain hurricane clauses, but Florida law limits what those clauses can require. Under section 327.59 of the Florida Statutes, marinas may not adopt, maintain or enforce policies requiring vessels to be removed after a hurricane watch or warning is issued. An owner may still remove a boat voluntarily at any time. After a watch, a marina may take reasonable steps to secure vessels and may charge a reasonable fee. The statute also says marinas are not liable for storm damage to a vessel unless there were intentional acts or negligence. Read the statute and your dockage agreement, and ask the marina what it needs from you, such as an emergency contact or a filed worksheet.
BoatUS offers a Named Storm Haul-out Reimbursement. It covers 50 percent of the cost, up to $1,000 per event, to have the insured boat moved by a professional, hauled out professionally, or to have a hurricane plan professionally executed ahead of a NOAA named storm in your area. If your company prepares boats, keep the plan, invoice and photos. We did not verify the storm clauses of other insurers, so read your own policy.
The National Hurricane Center adds two points. It says policies cannot be bound while a watch or warning is in effect, so buy or change coverage before one is issued. It also says coverage could be questioned if a boat is abandoned at a marina after the owner has been told to leave. The same guidance says financial action taken to protect the vessel is usually reimbursable and advises documenting expenses and taking pictures.
If you prepare boats for owners, the owner's question afterward is what state the boat was in when you left it. In YachtGrade, a tech records the boat's condition on the visit with dated photos, and the report shows each photo with the date it was taken. The owner opens the report from a link, with no account. Each report is a frozen snapshot, so it keeps the record of that day. See how reports work.
The Safety plan covers the layout side: it prints deck plans with fire, escape, shutoff and gear marks, one deck per page, which helps whoever is securing the boat find the shutoffs fast. We do not offer a downloadable hurricane form. The steps above are the plan, and BoatUS publishes its own worksheet.
What should a hurricane plan for a boat include?
Boat and owner details, alternate contacts with keys and hurricane-equipment access, where the boat will be during the storm, what stays aboard and what comes off, and a written checklist of who does what and when.
Is there a boat hurricane plan example I can copy?
BoatUS publishes a Boat Owner's Hurricane Plan worksheet. It asks for the boat details,
caretakers, locations and equipment lists, and it says to share copies with your
alternate contact and your marina.
Can a Florida marina make me move my boat before a hurricane?
Under section 327.59, Florida Statutes, marinas may not enforce policies requiring vessels to leave after a hurricane watch or warning is issued. They may take reasonable steps to secure vessels and charge a reasonable fee. Check the statute and your dockage agreement.
Does insurance pay for hauling out before a storm?
BoatUS offers a Named Storm Haul-out Reimbursement of 50 percent, up to $1,000 per event, for a professional move, haul-out or professional execution of a hurricane plan. For other insurers, read the policy.
When should I secure my boat?
NOAA says not to wait for a warning. It says to haul out or add lines during a tropical storm or hurricane watch, about 48 hours before the expected onset of storm winds.
BoatUS, Boat Owner's Hurricane Plan worksheet and tips and claims information; FWC, Hurricane boating safety; NOAA, Safe boating in hurricanes; National Hurricane Center, mariner storm preparation paper; Progressive, Preparing your boat for a hurricane; Florida Statutes, section 327.59.
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This is general guidance, not legal or insurance advice. Read your own policy and dockage agreement.
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