After every hurricane we see piles of damaged boats. It's always made me wonder why the owners wouldn't have the foresight to run north to safety days in advance- it's not like they didn't have warning enough.
piles of wrecked boats in Florida
- Thread starter Nitt1300
- Start date
Well, I am not a boat guy but I would imagine there are a number of reasons
1. They place their own safety and that of their family ahead of the boat
2. Most boats are small and probably cannot outrun the storm- regardless of how much lead time one gets.
3. Moving the boat requires a commitment of time that could be best used to address item 1.
1. They place their own safety and that of their family ahead of the boat
2. Most boats are small and probably cannot outrun the storm- regardless of how much lead time one gets.
3. Moving the boat requires a commitment of time that could be best used to address item 1.
I'm not talking about small boats- lots of them are oceangoing boats that could easily be sailed out of harms way. Hell, take the family and head for the Potomac-
No idea. Maybe they want the insurance money.
I’ve read that industry described as “hanging onto solvency by a thread” before this storm.
Not good.
Where u going to take it?? Up the coast was still in the path, most of the marinas along the way are full I guess w the benefit of hindsight they could have doubled back to the keys
If I had a high 6- low 7 figure boat, I'd take it to the Chesapeake Bay area and either head north up the Potomac or west into Norfolk.
yeah- of course I know- and it's well within the range of the kinds of boats I'm talking about
With hull insurance almost always higher than market value of used boats, there is little motivation for heroic actions to save boat in the face of devastating storm bearing down on home and family.
Have you seen the cost of diesel fuel? Double that when fueling on the water. My friend had a 30 ft yacht and it would cost $1900 to fill it before the season started. That was 15 years ago. Better off just crossing fingers and collecting insurance if it hits.
for a $700,000 boat? if you can't afford the diesel, you can't afford the boat to begin with
Florida resident and boat owner here, plus been in the path of a life altering storm.
1. The path is uncertain. Three days out everything from Pensacola to Savannah is at risk. You don't know where the storm is going.
2. As someone mentioned....2-3 days to get your boat out of harms way is 2-3 days you do not have. You are preparing your home, making your evac plan, figuring out what to do with the things that can't be replaced with insurance money- photos, collectibles, etc.
3. The storm was projected to hit Tampa around 24 hours before they finally settled on Sanibel area. No time left at that point.
I've been where all those people were....trust me, other than prepping the boat the best you can, it's not high on your priority list....your kids lives are.
1. The path is uncertain. Three days out everything from Pensacola to Savannah is at risk. You don't know where the storm is going.
2. As someone mentioned....2-3 days to get your boat out of harms way is 2-3 days you do not have. You are preparing your home, making your evac plan, figuring out what to do with the things that can't be replaced with insurance money- photos, collectibles, etc.
3. The storm was projected to hit Tampa around 24 hours before they finally settled on Sanibel area. No time left at that point.
I've been where all those people were....trust me, other than prepping the boat the best you can, it's not high on your priority list....your kids lives are.
Here’s the thing my friend has a boat you describe in Jax. He did take it north to Annapolis one year. It takes longer than you think and takes a lot of planning. You just can’t hop in it and take off like a car. The weather is another situation
So plan for before the season or if not put some extra lines on it
Good luck you doing it or finding a captain 3 days before the storm hits
So plan for before the season or if not put some extra lines on it
Good luck you doing it or finding a captain 3 days before the storm hits
Hell, I've seen a destroyer get out to sea on 20 minutes notice. It's not rocket science.
Well if you have an unlimited budget and personnel I m surprised it took 20 minutes
Of course it probably takes at least that long to warm up those engines and drop the lines
All ports now re-opened.
012151Z OCT 22
NAVAREA IV 1025/22(11).
GULF OF MEXICO.
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
FLORIDA TO NORTH CAROLINA.
DUE TO TROPICAL CYCLONE IAN:
1. THE FOLLOWING PORT(S) ARE CLOSED:
NONE TO REPORT.
2. THE FOLLOWING PORT(S) ARE OPEN WITH RESTRICTIONS:
A. PORT CANAVERAL 28-25N 080-37W.
B. PENSACOLA 30-24N 087-13W.
C. BRUNSWICK 31-09N 081-30W.
3. THE FOLLOWING PORT(S) HAVE RE-OPENED:
A. PORT OF JACKSONVILLE 30-19N 081-39W.
B. CAPE FEAR RIVER 34-14N 077-57W.
C. MOREHEAD CITY 34-44N 076-45W.
4. CURRENT PORT INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT
HOMEPORT.USCG.MIL USING THE PORT DIRECTORY TAB.
012151Z OCT 22
NAVAREA IV 1025/22(11).
GULF OF MEXICO.
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
FLORIDA TO NORTH CAROLINA.
DUE TO TROPICAL CYCLONE IAN:
1. THE FOLLOWING PORT(S) ARE CLOSED:
NONE TO REPORT.
2. THE FOLLOWING PORT(S) ARE OPEN WITH RESTRICTIONS:
A. PORT CANAVERAL 28-25N 080-37W.
B. PENSACOLA 30-24N 087-13W.
C. BRUNSWICK 31-09N 081-30W.
3. THE FOLLOWING PORT(S) HAVE RE-OPENED:
A. PORT OF JACKSONVILLE 30-19N 081-39W.
B. CAPE FEAR RIVER 34-14N 077-57W.
C. MOREHEAD CITY 34-44N 076-45W.
4. CURRENT PORT INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT
HOMEPORT.USCG.MIL USING THE PORT DIRECTORY TAB.
To add a bit to my post above....
I used the words "life altering" to describe the storm, and it really is.
Think about losing your home to a fire. Now think about losing it to a major hurricane.
With a major hurricane, your entire way of life is destroyed, not just your home. The supermarket where you get groceries....gone. The little restaurant where everyone knows your name...gone. Your kids school...gone. Your friends....gone because their homes are destroyed too. Power, water, sewer...out for weeks or even months.
It's hard to put into words what is going through your mind in the 72 hours before it happens but the boat isn't on the list of concerns.
I was there once, but 4 hours out the storm changed course and we were spared....
I used the words "life altering" to describe the storm, and it really is.
Think about losing your home to a fire. Now think about losing it to a major hurricane.
With a major hurricane, your entire way of life is destroyed, not just your home. The supermarket where you get groceries....gone. The little restaurant where everyone knows your name...gone. Your kids school...gone. Your friends....gone because their homes are destroyed too. Power, water, sewer...out for weeks or even months.
It's hard to put into words what is going through your mind in the 72 hours before it happens but the boat isn't on the list of concerns.
I was there once, but 4 hours out the storm changed course and we were spared....
Yeah 100000%. I live just N of Lumberton NC. Back in 16 when Matthew came through, lumberton was hammered. Already low income, they got historical flooding and the effects were still around the beginning of the FOLLOWING hurricane season. FEMA was still delivering stuff 2 years later.
I have to admit to a bit of pro-boat prejudice. Since I was a kid, I've loved boats of all types, from Kayaks to Aircraft Carriers. I just hate seeing them wrecked. Admittedly lives are far more important.
Matthew is the one that missed me. Four hours before landfall a slight course change had it miss me....my luck was their misfortune
I'm with you. Been around boats since I'm 8 years old. It's a shame to see so many wrecked.
Also, the ones that sink instead of washing up on shore end up being unmarked navigation hazards.
I wish people would secure their boats before a storm, but in some instances understand why they can't.
I don't own a boat so have no insight to boat insurance but homeowner's insurance here in FL has become a nightmare. So many companies have dropped policies in the state (my annual premium DOUBLED last year as the prior company dropped) due to paying out "questionable" claims. Any big storm event like this with thousands of new claims is probably going to be felt by homeowners across the state in their insurance rates.
Yes and no.
I have a friend with a Masters License....retired mechanic. He ferries boats for people sometimes. Recently moved a 53 Viking for someone...Jupiter to Cape Canaveral. Fuel burn was 55 gallons per hour.
Diesel at a marina is running $6 a gallon. So doing the math, for a 48 hour boat relocation you're looking at $15 grand, plus docking fees. Even "rich" people might not have that kind of liquidity on short notice
Florida resident and boat owner and best friend is an insurance executive for one of the largest publicly traded wholesale insurance firms.
- As already stated insurance in Florida is holding onto a thread
- The questionable claims started like this…few missing roof tiles you think would simply be a small repair job, no full roof replacement average cost to replace S tile roof $40K…
- Many insurance companies have half the reinsurance against there asset coverages they need and the folks in Tallahassee haven’t won’t address these issues..you can guess why $$$$$
- Boat insurance in Fl
- you are Not covered for a hurricane IF you don’t have a hurricane evacuation plan! Small little fine print details, which means you have to make genuinely attempt to get the boat out of harms way.
- Trailer somewhere safe-only so many boat haulers
- move Your boat under sail or power. Sail where and good luck if you choose wrong. Motor what’s ur range in the gulf?
- My boat insurance is $5,000 yr for a $350k boat and I keep it in a cat 4 dry stack in FTL. That’s with friends discount and cat 4 storage discount.
- Most of those owners aren’t collecting and they will either repair their boats, sell their boat as is or salvage it and take write off.
- last hurricane scare we had in 2016 I had a smaller 28’ boat and trailered my boat to a friends pull barn outside of Orlando. And I had Lloyd’s as my insurance binder
- Watching the reports this morning $1B in claims made and most of the damage per the reports was from Flooding not wind and of those claims only 20% of people have flood insurance
- If Ian hit us here in SoFla it would have been both wind and flood (flood not as bad) and claims would have been $3B+ and the ramifications all around oh my…
If it was that easy don't you think they would. i'm a Florida boat owner and it's not that easy. We tied ours down as we are up north for the summer. I live in Bonita Springs our house is approximately 10 feet above sea level we had 4 feet of water in our house. Our first floor is 6 feet above ground level. That means we had approximately 14 foot surge. Of the 25 boats in our marina on;y 2 ended up off their lifts. I wish could figure out how to share a picture of the biggest dumb *** in our neighborhood boat. It's sitting approximately 10 feet from it's lift and 6 feet above it resting on the boardwalk. He didn't tie his boat correctly.
This is our second hurricane with Erma's eye going right over our house. Both times our boat has survived.
I was able to download the picture as stated above one dumb ***. The best part is he’s always complaining about everything in the neighborhood. He whines more than any inmate I ever had to deal with in 25 year career.
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Florida resident and boat owner and best friend is an insurance executive for one of the largest publicly traded wholesale insurance firms.
We got very lucky here on the southeast side…pray for all those affected
- As already stated insurance in Florida is holding onto a thread
- Boat insurance in Fl
- Most of those owners aren’t collecting and they will either repair their boats, sell their boat as is or salvage it and take write off.
- last hurricane scare we had in 2016 I had a smaller 28’ boat and trailered my boat to a friends pull barn outside of Orlando. And I had Lloyd’s as my insurance binder
- Watching the reports this morning $1B in claims made and most of the damage per the reports was from Flooding not wind and of those claims only 20% of people have flood insurance
- If Ian hit us here in SoFla it would have been both wind and flood (flood not as bad) and claims would have been $3B+ and the ramifications all around oh my…
Agreed. I live in Delray Beach. The roof issue is the largest issue for everyone including the insurance companies. This whole I have a crack in my roof tile and "oh you need a whole new roof..." has to end. My insurance doubled this past year. My home insurance broker had some quotes come back with a $20,000 tag on them. It's crazy a $3-4,000 fix now easily goes to $70-80,000 for a whole new roof they don't need. Enough already Tallahassee is stepping in but not quick enough or with enough force.
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