Any El Niño preparations

[dieselbeep]

I've inherited a 32 foot beneteau an she's a beauty and I'd like to keep her that way. With El Niño "on its way," what preparations to the boat should I take once the storm approaches? Should I stock up on any items before the last minute crowd rushes to west-marine as the storm approaches?
Already have Marine-Tex epoxy putty, and a silicone sealant for leaks around the windows. Found my first leak last weekend over the navigation table.

[Bill Seal]

Maybe get some tinfoil hats.
El Ninyo (I don't know how to make a tilde) is just a weather pattern with more "pineapple express" storms than usual. The storm that took out the I-10 bridges was more of a typical Phoenix monsoonal system.
Having been born here some 80 years ago, I've seen lots of extreme weather (like lighting smudge pots during a freeze and irrigating our lemons for the drought on the same night back in 19-ought-55) or the floods of 1969. Like superstorms and such, the media has to have SOMETHING to warn us about.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by dieselbeep

I've inherited a 32 foot beneteau an she's a beauty and I'd like to keep her that way. With El Niño "on its way," what preparations to the boat should I take once the storm approaches? Should I stock up on any items before the last minute crowd rushes to west-marine as the storm approaches?
Already have Marine-Tex epoxy putty, and a silicone sealant for leaks around the windows. Found my first leak last weekend over the navigation table.

What storm?

Your profile doesn't say where you are, but regardless - you'd be better learning a bit about what ENSO is.

[StuM]

For your edification:

Climate Prediction Center - ENSO FAQ

"Typical atmospheric conditions of El Niño include:

1. Enhanced convective rainfall and below average air pressure across the eastern half of the equatorial Pacific.
2. Suppressed convective rainfall and above-average air pressure across Indonesia, the western equatorial Pacific, and northern Australia.
3. Weaker than average easterly trade winds across the eastern half of the equatorial Pacific.
4. Westerly winds at low levels of the atmosphere across the western equatorial Pacific.
5. A strong negative value of the Southern Oscillation Index due to lower-than-average surface air pressure at Tahiti, French Polynesia and higher-than-average surface air pressure at Darwin, Australia.
6. In the upper atmosphere higher than average air pressure over the subtropical eastern Pacific of both hemispheres flanking the region of enhanced equatorial convection located over the east-central equatorial Pacific.
7. Items 1-6 above are associated with a weaker-than-average equatorial Walker Circulation
8. An equatorward shift and eastward extension of the mean wintertime jet stream along the poleward flanks of these anomalous high-pressure cells (over the eastern half of the Pacific Ocean) in both hemispheres.
9. In August-October increased upper level westerly winds lead to higher-than-average vertical wind shear and reduced hurricane activity across the tropical North Atlantic, and to below-average vertical wind shear and increased hurricane activity over the eastern tropical North Pacific."

Edit: Also from that link:
It is inaccurate to label individual storms or events as a La Niña or El Niño event. Rather, these climate extremes affect the position and intensity of the jet streams, and the normal regions of high and low pressure, which in turn affect the average intensity and track of storms.

[exMaggieDrum]

Have fun with your inheritance. Somebody either really liked you or really hated you! But get rid of the silicone. May be in a pinch but you will pay for it over and over if you ever have to make the real fix later. Silicone is forever - nothing else will ever stick to it, including more silicone. Better to seal off the window on the outside with good tape and plastic and then fix it the right way when you can.

You are on the very first part of a long and steep learning curve. Hope you are ready. But in all honesty - have fun in between the rough patches. We all do.

[ztsf]

I suppose the effect of El Nino will depend on where your boat is located.

As others point out, it is not a storm, but a weather pattern originating in the Pacific. My observation is that, during El Nino years, there are less tropical systems impacting the East Coast of the USA - so even though El Nino is a Pacific event, it affects weather in the Caribbean as well. Study the effects of past years for the location you are in, or intend to sail.

[grantmc]

Excellent summary Stu, thanks.

For me where I am down here in the South Pacific, El Niño means a warmer drier summer/autumn and mostly good wind. Sure there'll be a few very windy days and the occasional storm. But for the most part great sailing. Can't wait.

[jeepbluetj]

Prep for an El Niño? Maybe an umbrella or something.

Silicone belongs nowhere near a boat. The stuff is awful. It's unrepairable since nothing sticks to it or whatever it touched -- forever. Get the right stuff for the job. Butyl, polysulfides, etc... Anything but silicone.

[Carol24]

El Ninos if you are on the west coast are rarely doom and gloom.

If you are in SOCAL the wet stuff that falls from the sky is going to be the big deal with potential high winds during the peaks of the storm.

This being said this is a good time to do things like replace mooring lines, check for loose fittings that might leak and reseal and seat any fitting on the deck.
Life line sanctions, bow pulpets and running rigging tracks generally are the cause of most leaks and need to be regularly re-seated to keep from leaking.
Since doing this is all a part of regular maintenance for the rest of the U.S.
I would plan to remove the fitting, clean off the old sealent and reseating the fitting to make it a more than temporary fix.
For parts that need to move around look at WOOLSEY Dolfinite Bedding Compound which is a bedding compound thats been around a long time.
For more perminate stuff look to seaflex and other sealents designed for the marine environment. Its not that stuff from Home depot will not work but it may not adhear to parts nor survive exposure to UV radiation.

A new really cool waterproofer to look at is NeverWet by Rust-Oleum. Its a liquid repelling barrier. What it creates is a superhydrophobic surface that causes water to bead up and roll off. If you watch the youtube videos its really bazar but it would be great sealer for window leaks, teak deck trim and other stuff you cannot remove.


If you do not have a dodger on your hatchway it maybe a good time to invest in one. If you do you may think about Repairing and re-waterproofing the canvas.

[zeehag]

as this is second year of el nino in sequence, you shoulda prepped last year before may. you have been experiencing el nino for two summers now, and a winter between. enjoy the rest of it, which should last until next spring.

btw--i am sure this is not your first el nino, as this pattern occurs approx every 4 yrs or so. this one follows last years, and is stronger. there is no prep for el nino, other than buying an air conditioner if you are in a hot region.

[Dexterbase]

Originally Posted by exMaggieDrum

Have fun with your inheritance. Somebody either really liked you or really hated you! But get rid of the silicone. May be in a pinch but you will pay for it over and over if you ever have to make the real fix later. Silicone is forever - nothing else will ever stick to it, including more silicone. Better to seal off the window on the outside with good tape and plastic and then fix it the right way when you can.

You are on the very first part of a long and steep learning curve. Hope you are ready. But in all honesty - have fun in between the rough patches. We all do.

Wow. How unnecessarily rude. :-/ Not to mention unhelpful.

[gonesail]

Originally Posted by exMaggieDrum

Better to seal off the window on the outside with good tape and plastic and then fix it the right way when you can.

she's right. it is raining steady in Tampa. seems like el nino is producing PLENTY of liquid here in Florida with more to come.

[exMaggieDrum]

Originally Posted by Dexterbase

Wow. How unnecessarily rude. :-/ Not to mention unhelpful.

Sorry that you took my comments to be rude. In no way were they meant to be. I respect the OP's issue and made a comment about staying away from silicone - which is a particularly helpful suggestion. You don't have to agree with that suggestion but many others would. Not sure what you took as rude really. Blunt may be. But the ending was pretty nice, sincere, and nice if I do say so myself.

I wish you the best too.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by exMaggieDrum

Sorry that you took my comments to be rude. In no way were they meant to be. I respect the OP's issue and made a comment about staying away from silicone - which is a particularly helpful suggestion. You don't have to agree with that suggestion but many others would. Not sure what you took as rude really. Blunt may be. But the ending was pretty nice, sincere, and nice if I do say so myself.

I wish you the best too.

I agree. It wasn't rude, it was true.

For the OP, research butyl tape from Maine Sail, and Dow 795 for fixed portlights.

Do it right, do it once. The ONLY place for silicone left on my boat are the Beckson opening portlights, because that's what they say to use.

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

The ONLY place for silicone left on my boat are the Beckson opening portlights, because that's what they say to use.

Right! Some plastic windows are only compatible with silicone sealant. But if you leave any on fiberglass or wood it will leave a permanent thin layer that darkens over time. Eventually the sun will fade it but takes a long time.