Hurricane Sandy Pictures

[John A]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

Chains don't do a whole lot of good when the boats float off of the stands

No they don't. But when the wind causes the boat to shudder and the stands to slip apart the boat falls over.

I've also seen straps placed over the boat and sequred to the ground.

[perchance]

Looking at those pictures makes me glad my boat sits on a proper steel cradle and not jack stands. In our part of the planet only the power boats seem to use jack stands but in a storm surge situation the argument becomes academic.

[s/v 'Faith']

Originally Posted by shamrock

Here are some pictures of my boat among others before and after the 12 foot surge we saw in City Island.

The boats floated right off the jack stands...

I hope others fared better.

As far as my boat, I'm still wondering the extent of the damage damage. I'm optimistic, but I guess I won't know till we get a crane in .....

Keep the faith, your ship is a stout one... I look forward to hearing of the outcome, and wish all a speedy recovery.

[zeehag]

my cousins' boat left its moorage.docking and went walkabout--she is searching for it and still cannot find it---i will learn more about what it is, and report to you guys--mebbe some folks in nj may have witnessed it flying by their place or something.....or mebbe in someones back yard 30 miles from water---no one yet knows...

[TEE]

Bummer. I live in Charleston and one of boatyards here charges an annual fee if you hope to get hauled out. Then charges you again for hauling it out. Then they put the boat on jackstands. Looking at your photos, makes me wonder what people pay for. If a big storm comes through maybe anchoring in a creek with multiple lines tied to shore might be a better solution.

[zeehag]

i never trusted the idea of haulout for hurricane--seems counter productive--wind--boats in air--they will FLY away....sheesh-- gotta make sure they ar eaffixed to land in more than one manner.
my cousins boat in new jersey went gone from whatever reason in sandy--but is in an area in which was much damage--morgan something area--and boat name is 'serenity now'...anyone sees her please contact me..thankyou. if you see her boat, please post to me some pix so i can show my cousin the location. thankyou.

[SkiprJohn]

What a shame. I was imagining what might happen to all the many boats there. Now I know.

The best to your recovery and the recovery of your vessel.

I guess that's why some of us continue to pay insurance premiums. Oops, I guess I should ask if insurance will pay for this type of damage?

kind regards,

[delmarrey]

Sorry to see the mess and for your loss!

But it doesn't seem to matter what you do in a lot of catastrophic events. The ideal safe haven for a sailboat would be expensive and secluded. Mine was on the hard for most of 10 years and I feared that floods or earthquakes would take it down. I was lucky, it's in the water now. But now I have to worry about wind storms beating it against the dock/slip.

It seems like you guys down in the SE (now the NE) get hit so often I would think there would be special dry moorage available during the bad seasons. Almost every year we (CF forum) get pictures of a pile of boats that got hit. It's no wonder most boat parts come from the East Coast areas.

And I agree with boat cradles vs jack stands. Jacks stands are OK for working on boats but for permanent storage cradles are best.
This ones been sitting for a long time w/o moving.

.

[shamrock]

Thanks for the well wishes. I think the hull is intact? it's amazing how much strong those old solid fiberglass boats are

[shamrock]

Pressed send accidentally...

anyway, in hindsight, the boats would have done better on the moorings this time, but the surge which smashed any previous tidal surge record going back a hundred years + simply could not have been predicted when Sandy was in the Caribean and the decision was made to pull all the boats.

In the long Island Sound, most boats live on moorings and chafe tends to be the culprit when boats break loose. Most times you are better of on the hard, which is why most insurance policies will pay for a haul for named storms. The jack stands work remarkably well in a blow. If it had been a category 3+ wind might blow a boat down in the stands, I guess, but those storms don't hit the northeast all that often.

The issue here was the surge. As far as cradles, I have never seen one for a boat larger than a one design??

virtually every boatyard in the northeast I have ever seen uses the parking lot as the yard for winter storage. Where do you put the cradles when the boats are in the water and the lots need to be used for parking? jack stands can be pilled up ina a very small space.

My boat spent it's first 30 winters of life on jack stands without any issues and there is no practical way that will change until I can move aboard and spend winters in warm places with the rest of you live aboards.

I have heard of yards in the islands digging holes for boats and filling dirt around the keels as the ultimate hurricane solution! but that does not help with a rising sea...

as far as insurance, I have a liability policy. This will pay to get the boat upright, back on the stands. It appears my rudder stock might be bent, I have a lot of gel coat scratches to repair, bent stansions and bow and stern pulpits, and a damaged teak rub rail. The keel took a beating, but I think it's structurally sound.

I decided not to get a comprehensive policy because the boat is just not worth much. Maybe 35, 40k. I would have needed an $800 survey and $1500 premiums. I've had the boat for a few years already and will be able to put the 5k or so I've saved on insurance towards fixing her up.

I'll post updates when I can see the damage and will certainly need advice from you guys and gals as I begin repairs so THANKS in advance!

[cfarrar]

Shamrock,

You show admirable poise and clear thinking, given the circumstances.

I feel for you all on Long Island Sound. In Maine we have cold water to ward off the hurricanes, we have deep, narrow coves sheltered by terrain, and our boat yard storage is high above sea level. If I were in your locale with a hurricane coming, I would high tail it for Maine. Of course, that's easy for me to say, since I don't have a business or property to look after in New York.

[Sir Rondo Normal]

That's a sad bunch of pictures. A real mess but it makes me wonder why bother paying for the haulout if you're still ending up with an insurance claim. Do the marinas make you haul them out to protect their docks or something? Sorry for my ignorance, just curious.

All the best to you

[shamrock]

Nobody makes you haul, but it seems to be agreed on in my neck of the woods that you do better on the hard during hurricanes. I've seen countless boats break loose and get wrecked over the years and this is really the first time I've seen boats float in the yard because the surge was so high.

My mooring is surrounded by rocks. If I beak loose, it's bad news.

[Delancey]

I posted pictures of the carnage at Liberty Landing Marina on a different thread but will add from observation that the only sailboat on the hard that didn't end up in a pile happened to be on jack stands and also happened to be a racing boat with about a ten foot draft which was more than any boat in the pile.

The surge carried all the boats into a pile that it could float regardless of how they had been laying before the storm. There was a 52' shoal draft boat in there with the rest.

I've attached a picture of a Herreshoff boat called the Ai Ki to illustrate the point. I am certain this boat sank as the water level raised (boat was not watertight) and because of this it did not float into the pile with the rest. A J-30 with the red bottom snagged on the Herreshoff and is seen laying beside it. The rest are in a pile further downwind.

As far as I can tell a properly positioned and secured jack stand is as good as any cradle in a blow. Maybe if the ground was so wet as to be unstable, but then again if that were true boats would be falling over whenever it rained hard not just in a hurricane. Just saying.

[Delancey]

I liveaboard in a marina on the north side of Morris Canal opposite Liberty Landing. We are across the Hudson from the the Battery which I believe saw the highest surge recorded. Can't believe how many people couldn't be bothered to take their headsails off the boat for the storm. They're in ribbons now.