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Severe Weather Dock Preparation
When there is a storm on the horizon, your dock can be one of the most vulnerable spots on your property. Strong winds, surging waves and heavy rain can turn your peaceful waterfront into a scene of chaos. Preparing your boat dock for a hurricane is essential, as with the right preparation, you can keep your property safe, protect your investment and avoid costly repairs.
Advance preparation gives you peace of mind and may help reduce the risk of injury or loss during a storm. It can significantly affect how well your property withstands a storm and how quickly it can recover in the aftermath.
Why You Should Prep Your Dock for Severe Weather
The combination of storm surges and rough waters can cause structural damage and dislodge docks from their foundation, even causing them to break apart. Lose debris, like parts of the docks themselves, can also become hazardous in the water, posing risks to nearby vessels, properties and the environment. Early preparations also allow you to avoid the last-minute rush when a storm approaches, ensuring everything is in place for the best protection possible.
Local Regulations and Guidelines
Check your local regulations and guidelines for specific actions you need to take to prepare for severe weather. Many areas have rules for securing boats and docks, which contributes to the local community and ecosystem safety.
Hurricane Season Readiness
Hurricane readiness is crucial for preparing your dock for severe weather, as hurricanes bring waterfront havoc. The Atlantic hurricane season runs between June and November and can cause billions of dollars in damage. If you live around the coast, it is essential to prepare for this time, even if there are no expected hurricanes on the horizon.
Steps for Dock Preparation
When you get news that a storm approaching, head out and get your dock ready using the following checklist:
- Secure boats and watercraft: If possible, remove small vessels, like kayaks, from the water and store them in a secure location. Alternatively, cross-tie boats to ensure stability during high winds and surges.
- Reinforce the dock structure: Tighten bolts, screws and other hardware. Add extra bracing, like dock bumpers, to areas that may be vulnerable to high waves and wind.
- Clear the deck: Remove tools, furniture and storage containers and store them in a dry location away from the water. Detach and store non-permanent fixtures like dock boxes to prevent them from being swept away.
- Disconnect power and fuel lines: Shut off all power to the dock to prevent electrical hazards during flooding. Remove portable generators and appliances. If you have fuel lines or tanks, store them away from the dock to prevent leaks.
- Take photos and inventory: Before the storm, take photos of your dock and tied-up vessels and add them to the inventory of items you moved from the dock and improvements. This documentation is helpful if you need to file insurance claims.
- Monitor weather updates: Be ready to evacuate if conditions become dangerous and prioritize your safety over your property. Keep an eye on updates from local weather services and authorities.
Boat Lift Preparation
A well-prepared boat lift can help minimize your boat’s risk of damage during a hurricane, ensuring your property is more resilient in extreme weather. If you can, remove the boat from the lift and store it on land. Alternatively, keep the boat on the lift, tying it down with marine-grade ropes or hurricane straps to keep it stable.
Check the lift’s cables, pulleys and brackets to ensure they are still strong, and then raise the lift to its highest safe position. Try to keep it above anticipated storm surge levels.
Dock Securing Techniques
If you have a floating dock, anchor it and attach it to a solid fixture that will keep it in place during a storm. Without proper anchoring and reinforcement, even floating docks can break free and damage nearby vessels or properties.
Anchoring Methods
Use piling, helical, deadweight anchors or mooring lines to secure a floating dock to fixed structures like the seabed, trees or an existing fixed dock. Ensure you have a reliable anchoring system for that extra level of security in severe weather. The components you need include:
- Stiff-arm brackets
- Deadweight brackets and winch inserts
- Adjustable piling brackets
- Standard pipe and pipe stand-off brackets
- Mainframe piling hoops and brackets
Reinforcement Tips
Reinforce your dock connections, such as bolts, hinges and brackets, checking that these components will stay attached under stress. Flexibility in the mounting brackets will help absorb shock from wind and waves without stressing the structure. It will also lower the chances of brackets breaking under pressure. Add additional cleats and bollards to create more attachment points and distribute the tension from ropes and mooring lines.
Safety Positioning
If you can, move the floating dock to a sheltered area like a cove or inlet, where it has added protection against wind and waves. You can also add buoyancy with extra flotation devices like air-filled barrels or foam billets underneath the dock. These additions will stabilize it and prevent the dock from being submerged by rising water levels.
Why Choose EZ Dock for Severe Weather
Floating docks have several benefits over traditional docks. Fixed docks are easily submerged during flooding, which can lead to structural damage that causes the dock to collapse. Additionally, floating docks’ light weight and buoyancy can help prevent damage to boats during hurricane season. EZ dock offers several solutions to simplify your dock preparation for stormy weather:
- Durability: EZ Dock is made from durable polyethylene, which prevents it from fading, rotting and splintering. It also means the material does not absorb heat and will remain low-maintenance.
- Flexibility: EZ Docks’ modular floating docks let you configure or integrate your docking setup with an existing layout.
- Resilience: EZ Dock can withstand most storms and some hurricanes, as they fluctuate on turbulent water, with corrosion-resistant nuts and bolts.
Find Durable Floating Docks and More With EZ Dock
High winds, heavy rain and storm surges can harm or destroy docks without proper preparations. Tying down boats, removing loose items and reinforcing structures can prevent costly damage and minimize the risk of debris becoming dangerous in the water.
EZ Dock has maintenance-free, durable and slip-resistant modular floating docks that simplify your severe weather dock preparation. From boat lifts to PWC ports and more, our products are made to last, stable and eco-friendly. See for yourself how well our system performs in crashing storm waves, thanks to our coupler system that adds hurricane resistance to these floating docks.
Look at EZ Dock’s hurricane-resistant docks and prepare for the best investment you will ever make in your waterfront property.