Taking A Boat Out After A Hurricane Or Tropical Storm

[LuvBoating]

I remember taking our boat out on the St Johns River a Saturday after a tropical storm hit a few years ago. We seen quite a bit of wood floating in the middle of the river, that we had to go back and forth to miss, and we never thought about the tropical storm that had hit the week before.

Tied up at JAX Landing and seen the City Ferry coming into the Landing. Stopped and asked the driver about the debris we seen on the water. He told us that we should wait at least a week or two, after a tropical storm or hurricane, to take our boat out. "Let the wood debris and other things, drift to the shore first."

So, this Saturday, the 23rd, will be about a week and a half since the Nor'easter wind/rains and Irma hit us. Wondering how much debris is still on the river. Wait another week or so before taking a boat ride?

What do you think?

 

[Scott Danforth]

there are a few mostly submerged boats still floating about the manatee river

 

[jennyo]

STAY HOME

 

[LuvBoating]

Due to all the debris that is/was in the St. Johns River by us and downtown, we haven't had our boat out since two Nor'easters and Hurricane Irma. The one Nor'easter hit the same weekend that Irma hit and the other Nor'easter hit two weekends ago.

Talked to a marine mechanic that has done work on our boat a number of times, and he told me last Friday (10-6) that he was doing a "boat test" on the river the Tuesday before and he came across a picnic table floating upside down, with only a few inches of each leg showing. He highly advised us not to take our boat out for a couple of more weeks.

When I was at Dry Storage last Friday, a guy had his boat taken out of the rack and brought up to a wash rack so he could take whatever was salvageable out of the boat. During Irma, his Bowrider broke away from it's dock, floated down the river, bumped into, and got caught under a bridge. It was really a mess, with lots of scratches, windshield bent up, a rather noticeable hole in the side and the prop was chipped on each fin.

Anyway, we hope to get our boat out on the water at least one more time, before we send it up to the marine shop for an oil change and empty the block of water. After that, I will take out/take home the batteries, put new cockpit cover and new full cover on and it will be "winter storage" on the rack for this boat. . {C}

{C}

​

 

[roffey]

When I take my boat out in early spring I go very slowly checking for dead heads and new submerged junk. I suspect it would be the same for after a major storm?

 

[JASinIL2006]

Boating on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, that is standard operating protocol (going slow and watching for junk), especially after heavy rains, just like roffey said. Actually, you have to be careful of that all the time, but it's especially true after rains. I've seen entire trees floating downstream, with only a few branch tips sticking out of the water.

 

[LuvBoating]

When we were at Dry Storage last Sunday, to fix our bench seat, there were two barges tied up to a dock there. One barge was empty, but the other barge had two complete trees laying on it.

​Wife is taking this Friday off, in hopes of taking our boat out before the weather turns to cold (well, cool) to take it out. Temp should be fine (low 80's), but the wind could very well be a problem. Today, Thursday, weather is calling for 10 to 20 mph winds. If this is what it is on Friday or the weekend, the boat won't go out.