Please select your home edition
Edition
Maritimo 2023 S-Series LEADERBOARD

How to prepare a boat for Helene

by BoatUS 25 Sep 2024 11:24 PDT
BoatUS can help Florida Panhandle boaters prepare for Helene with a free hurricane preparation checklist, how-to videos, storm-planning guides and more © Amy Beth Krisanda

With potential Tropical Cyclone Nine expected to reach hurricane strength as Helene before hitting parts of Florida's Gulf Coast later this week, recreational boat owners have all the hurricane preparation information they need at BoatUS.com/Hurricanes.

The website from Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) offers help to every boat owner, whether a boat will have to weather the storm in the slip, stored ashore, on a boat lift, in canals, or at marinas and boat clubs. BoatUS is the nation's largest boating advocacy, services and safety group with more than 725,000 members and with 40 years of experience in hurricane preparedness for recreational boats.

"This storm is expected to intensify," said BoatUS spokesperson Scott Croft. "Now is the time to give your boat the best chances for survival by preparing accordingly, no matter where you plan to keep it."

The storm-planning help, easily downloadable and all available free, includes a BoatUS Magazine Hurricane Preparations Guide and Hurricane Preparation Worksheet you can easily take to the boat to review to ensure you haven't missed anything, and a Guide for Preparing Boats and Marinas for Hurricanes — a helpful resource for marina and boat club staff, community resiliency managers and local government organizations that focus on protecting boating facilities.

A playlist, which includes nine hurricane preparation videos, makes it easy to understand the steps to take and additional articles, such as how to use protected canals or why some lines break before others, are also available.

Visit BoatUS.com/Hurricanes for up-to-the-minute storm tracking tools with live satellite images and checklists for what to do before and after a hurricane strikes.

Related Articles

Be wary of letters offering documentation renewal
Official-looking vessel documentation renewal notices can lead to confusion and higher costs Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is advising boaters with vessels that have a U.S. Coast Guard Certificate of Documentation to be wary of any letter arriving by U.S. mail offering renewal. Posted on 28 Jan
Got your boating safety certificate yet?
A 2025 mandatory boating safety education requirement BoatUS Foundation's online Boating Safety Course helps Empire State residents meet 2025 mandatory boating safety education requirement. Posted on 2 Jan
How to prepare a boat for Francine
Free online guides, videos, worksheet available for hurricanes from BoatUS With Tropical Storm Francine expected to reach hurricane strength before hitting parts of coastal Louisiana and the western Gulf Coast this week, recreational boat owners have all the hurricane preparation information they need at BoatUS.com/Hurricanes. Posted on 10 Sep 2024
Florida 90-day temporary boating certification
BoatUS Foundation offers new course for renters Vacationers headed to Florida and planning to rent a boat now have an easy and low-cost way to earn their temporary boating safety certificate. Posted on 31 Jul 2024
Try boating or hone your boat handling skills
With on-water powerboat training Summer boating season has arrived. Have you ever wanted to try out boating, or are you a boat owner looking to improve your confidence behind the helm? Posted on 3 Jul 2024
Four boating tips for July Fourth
Likely the longest anchoring day of the year According to the nationwide TowBoatUS on-water towing fleet, the busiest time of the year for America's recreational boat owners is, hands down, the Fourth of July holiday period, which typically includes some days before and after the official holiday. Posted on 24 Jun 2024
Are boaters doing better when it comes to safety?
Just-released U.S. Coast Guard stats show decrease in fatalities, accidents, but problems persist The recently released U.S. Coast Guard 2023 Recreational Boating Statistics shows some good news on the boating safety front, with fatalities falling by 11.3% to 564 from 636 in 2022. Posted on 15 Jun 2024
BoatUS Foundation opens Grant Program
For $7.5M effort to remove ADVs from nation's waterways From June 10-August 12, organizations are invited to apply for grant funding to clean up their local waterways Posted on 10 Jun 2024
‘Extremely active' 2024 hurricane season expected
BoatUS helps boaters prepare Colorado State University's (CSU) Tropical Weather and Climate researchers, long known for their annual hurricane forecasts, are calling for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season to be "extremely active". Posted on 30 May 2024
Boating season begins on Lake Texoma
Prepare with affordable 3-hour powerboat training courses It's boating season on Lake Texoma, and as boaters return for a summer of fun on the water, are they ready? It's important for every boat operator to be confident behind the helm. Posted on 25 May 2024
Maritimo 2023 S-Series FOOTER