Flying Boat and Trailer !!!

We had a big wind yesterday - about 30mph sustained with bigger gusts. As a result, my H16 and trailer, which were stored for the winter, went airborne and flipped into an evergreen tree upside down. WHAT A BUMMER!

Miraculously, the boat did not recieve a single scratch - I can`t friggin believe it! The tree, soft grass, sheer luck and the fact that all 4 pylons were secured to the trailer saved it. But, the tongue of my trailer got a little bent up (it was/remained secured to a fence post).

The boat/trailer was secured to the fence and the mast was secured over the boat and everything was tarped. I also had some ropes secured to a couple of cork-screw dog stakes in the ground. Well... none of it held! It seems to me the H16 is simply ment to FLY - even if it has to take the trailer with it.

This was a real lesson for me. And, I got off so lucky that I am still in a bit of shock. The moral of the story here is; be VERY, VERY careful about storing and tarping an H16 outside. I thought I was being careful (having stored/tarped many boats in the past), but clearly I was wrong!

At this point, I will settle only for indoor winter storage, or more practically, disassembly prior to storage.




Dave

Some more specifics on that wind:

I am learning that some of the sustained gusts were up to 60mph which is fairly unusual around here. So, for those who may be wondering how much was too much wind, this should help.

Whew! I can`t even imagine what those of you down south have gone through in terms of wind and weather. Especially considering what it took to turn my boat and trailer into a H16 kite.

I still have that "sick" feeling inside...just can`t believe I had the luck to dodge this bullet...


Dave

I used to have an H16 when I was living in Indiana. We frequently had strong sustained and gusting winds. Those thunderstorms and tornadoes tend to do that...

Anyway, I never had an issue with the boat moving at all while being stored. In the winter I would remove the tramp and rigging but leave the boat uncovered. I also never tied the boat/trailer combo down. In three years the boat/trailer never moved in strong winds.

The only time I ever had an issue with a boat blowing around in storage was when I was in Burlington, VT on a camping trip. We kept the boats (TheMightyHobie18's) on the beach all week with the masts up and the jibs furled. We had a really bad storm and my boat blew over. My buddy's boat was fine.

You never know.

Well Nick,

I guess I now know one reason why you sign your posts with "Pucker Factor". I`m a little "puckered up" myself! - might even have to steal that signature for a while.

Dave

Did it look like this?

NO ...thank god! It didn`t look like that. I think the fence post and tree helped immensely in my particular case.

But, come to think of it, I think the tree is also helping quite a bit in that photo too!


Dave

I also strip the boat down to hulls and rails only and leave outside uncovered. Most winter damage I have seen comes from tarps becoming sails or holding snow and bending the mast.

i dont have those kinds of problems storing my boat in the winter, but dave, why not go extreme? if storing the boat on concrete, get some climbing anchors ( http://www.climbhigh5.com/Climbing/Bolts___Anchors/Fixe_Glue-in_Anchor/fixe_glue-in_anchor.html ) and some chains, this system should do it, some might say its over kill, but your boat sure as hell wont be going anywhere. if you store it out on the grass, i dont know if you could anchor it down very securely

It just seems that if your boat wants to fly, it will. That's why I have my insurence cover the boat. It won't pay for all the hard work you put into restoring the boat, but at least you can buy another one.

I do agree that the tarp invites the wind and snow to cause damage.

"Pucker Factor" derives from my ability to scare the hell out of my soon to be wife when we start flying hulls. She loves it. I think she likes the adrenaline. I've been told, though, that I am only allowed to put a lemon on the hull for a graphic.

Nick,

I am definitely inclined to agree about the tarp issue - what a surprise eh? As you know, I`ve had this boat less than a year and this is the second time both the trailer and boat have become mobile because of wind. The first time was in my driveway (with no tarp) and this latest episode was with a tarp and 3 anchor points between the boat and the ground. It seems to me that the Hobie Gods are trying to show/tell me something, and I don`t think it is a new form of air-travel!

At least today the "sick" feeling has finally subsided.


Dave

Not sure if this is true, but maybe someone can confirm this:
That photo might have been taken in/near Port Elizabeth I'm told by a local friend down here...go figure the worlds were pretty much blown out

Clint

I wonder what the local fire dept. guys thought when then arrived to get a cat out of a tree?

Dave, the shiny paint gods must be laughing at you now!

What you need to do to satisfy them is get a screwdriver, and gough a big scratch in the hulls in a couple of inconspicuous places. That way, they will get off your back for awhile. This always works for me when I get a new car, after the first scratch, or door ding, I am usually good for 100,000 miles or more before I have to deal with them again! TnT

Tinkertom,

I am laughing a good one. You know it`s true too. The damn boat is still a virgin (as they say) and the Gods don`t like it. But, I still say she`s too young for the screwdriver! Perhaps, they will spare me a little while longer.

Here`s to hoping.


Dave

I'm ever surprised when I see someone recommend the dog chain corkscrew anchors for tying down a boat....I'm sure they wouldn't even hold my (large) dog if he seriously resisted. At our club, we use the auger anchors that are made for tying down mobile homes. They're maybe two feet long with about a three-quarter inch diameter shaft and a four inch or so diameter auger portion at the lower end. You have to use a tire tool or such to screw-drive them in. They'll probably work in anything but sand. We've never had one fail to hold, including reported 70 mph straight line winds and 60-80 mph winds sustained for hours during Katrina. Getting everyone to keep their tie-down straps/lines in good, tight condition is another story....

Jerome Vaughan
Hobie 16 102614
Clinton, Mississippi

We had the same wild windstorm on Sunday- gusts registered 93 km/hr in town, probably higher on the lake. I leave my Hobie Cat strapped at both ends to our 700 lb, 30ft long marine railway. I usually leave it about 3 feet out of the water, which is app. halfway up the railway. The wind got under the tramp and gradually pushed the boat AND 700 lbs of railway completely over. I would not have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. The entire railway was twisted over, and the Hobie was still tied to the cradle, completely and 100% not damaged. Not even the mast (the mast tip was resting on the shoreline in the water) was damaged.

We had to untie the tramp (the wind was still blowing at over 35 knots yesterday) just to try to get it back upright. It took 4 of us to disassemble the railway while it was lying on its side, and then right the section that had the boat in it. I should have taken pictures!


Cheers,

Mac

Yeah, you gotta take the tramp off for the winter. I do it every winter, then there is nothing for the wind to really grab on to.

I've been extremely lucky with summer storms. Straight line winds (100+ mph) tore the shingles off my house and threw a 140-year red oak on my garage. But the house wind-shadowed my unsecured Hobie and it didn't move an inch! A couple years later, I watched a small tornado suck a few gallons of water off the lake 25 feet away from my Hobie, which was sitting unsecured on a standing H-dock.-Didn't move that time, either. After these incidents, I thought it was well worth buying a back-up boat, which is disasembeled and stored in my garage. I don't want to waste sailing time trying to buy a replacement boat.

Just to add my little chirp. The luckiest I've been:
Last month, I left my boat on the trailor in our boat yard next to the beach overnight as I was sailing back to back days. The following morning while on route to the club I got a phone call from a mate saying he had just stopped my hobie from crashing into a car. Some members of the club like to park there cars in our boat yard (when they shouldn't as it's a pain for the sailors), and the wind had picked up enough to push my boat and trailor 6m accross the yard and straight for some guys new car. I was quite releived that my mate stopped it short of the car and secured the boat down

Jerome,

I have never heard of those "auger" anchors, but I would certainly like to get a hold of a few. Where would one buy them and how many would be used on a trailered H16?

Dave

Dave, I have always wondered, too, where people get these ground anchors. I think what they are talking about is a spiral, like a dog anchor, rather than an auger. I know a sailor out west told me they sail at a very windy lake, and they all use what he referred to as "sand anchors" or "sand screws" or something like that, and they are at least 3 feet long. But I can't find anything like that.

I did a Google search, and here are a couple of the web sites I came up with:

www.spyra-base.com (They have a "hurricane anchor" that looks pretty interesting, and strong.

www.shadeusa.com/beach_umbrella_holders.htm (Although originally designed for supporting umbrellas, they look like they would work for most anything you are trying to anchor down.)

www.doityourself.com (Do a search on the site for "double helix anchors.")

Hope this is helpful. We should get some, too, to secure all the boats in our yard during hurricane season. Problem is that we have very rocky soil, and I don't know whether any of those things would be able to penetrate it without mechanical assistance. That Spyra-base one looks the most likely.

The sweetest mechanical advantage is a rotary hammer, nickname Macho Drill for a reason, that's what the guys that set trailers use. Will blast an anchor right through six inches of asphalt and underlayment like it was butter. If you can borrow one of these and find an anchor with a head setup for, or driver attachment to adapt to your anchor, it's the way to go. The alternative, like Jerome said is a tire tool or long piece of pipe or rod for a cheater bar. If the ground is hard, get your anchor started, pour a 32 ounce cup of water on it, wait a minute, twist some more and repeat if necessary.

The anchors we use are more akin to the "auger anchor" shown on this page:

http://tinyurl.com/cmwgn

Each boat has an anchor on either side that's shared with the neighboring boat. We tie them down over the tramp near the mast base. Most boats use the ratcheting tie-down straps, but some just use line. Most boats are on trailers, but some are not.

We've had a surplus of the anchors around our club forever, so I've never had to purchase one. However, I've assumed they can be obtained at a local mobile home dealer. (We've got lots of those in the southern U.S., but such housing is probably not practical in Canada!)

If I were preparing for serious wind exposure and/or long-term strorage, I'd drop the mast and strip the tramp as well.

Jerome Vaughan
Hobie 16 102614
Clinton, Mississippi

I just noticed the Light Aircraft Anchor at www.spyra-base.com. That is more like what I was picturing.

Mary,

I checked out a few of those anchors. I am also going to check out another source via the mobile home route. I`ll let you know if I have any luck.

Dave

Why not use the stakes the tent rental people use? They can't be that expensive and they hold in both asphalt and soil. They look like really big and long nails.

Well for whatever it's worth, Dave I'm sorry you had a problem with your boat in the wind but glad it wasn't seriously damaged! I guess doggie tie-downs are good enough until they're not. I use them here at Abilene and they seem to have decent holding power. I screw them in as far as they'll go and then I use all my strength to try and pull them out. If they come out then I find another place for them. I've watched several huge (orange and red on the RADAR) storms go over the lake and my 16 has never moved.

Jaime,

Thanks for the sentiment. On the topic of the tie-downs, it seems that when a wind hits something (H16) "just right", bad stuff can happen - despite the best laid plans.

It gets me to thinking about the famous video footage of the Tacoma Narrows bridge occilating 10-20 feet in the wind before the catastrophic collapse - I`ll bet the enginner for that project is serving fries these days. But, as I recall, the whole incident was only possible with a very specific velocity and direction of wind - precisely what was required to expose a weakness in the engineering. Unfortunately for the engineer, the price of technological progress can be quite high sometimes. Fortunately for me, my H16 is undamaged, and...well...it is still just an H16 and not a bridge!

...other than that, it seems the doggie tie-downs really do work just fine...until they don`t.


Dave

/start thread hijack

The 1940 Tacoma Narrows bridge was designed by Clark Eldridge (1896-1990), whose design was modified by Leon Moisseiff (1872-1943). It was Moisseiff who neglected the affects of aerodynamic occillations on a slender bridge. He died just 3 years after the bridge collapsed.

After spending WWII in a Japanese prison camp, Eldridge continued his career as a consulting engineer until his death in 1990.

Learn about the whole thing here.

/end hijack

Very interesting info Matt. I was sure one of those guys ended up serving fries - for certain!

Dave