If you want to know how to best protect recreational boats from damage in a hurricane, ask the experts who’ve been tasked with cleaning up the mess for nearly 40 years. They’re the ones who’ve seen the evidence after the storm passes: a lack of preparation, poorly maintained docks, low seawalls, fallen boat lifts, and destroyed marinas. So what can you do to protect your boat during the 2019 hurricane season? The editors of BoatUS Magazine have teamed up with the experts at the BoatUS Catastrophe Response Team to create the most up-to-date “Hurricane Preparation Guide” in the marine industry. The new 2019 guide as well as other hurricane preparation information is available at BoatUS.com/Hurricanes.

Available to all boaters at no cost, the completely updated BoatUS Hurricane Preparation Guide has clear articles on what to expect in terms of storm surge, wind, and waves; where to keep a boat – either ashore, in the water at floating or fixed docks, at anchor, or in a protected hurricane hole; how to find and fix potential breaking points such as chafing gear and reducing windage; and how to develop your own hurricane plan including hauling out, how to choose the most storm-safe location possible, and ensure that you have everything you need to implement your particular hurricane plan, long before any storm threatens your boat.

Also included is a hair-raising first-person account of how one BoatUS member got his boat safely through a major hurricane using time-worn techniques, and how to find the safest marina to weather a hurricane.

New to the guide is an easy-to-follow link to “create your own hurricane plan.” By downloading the PDF or Word form, boaters can put together their own hurricane plans that can be easily followed when a named hurricane threatening their area is announced.

“Use our free Hurricane Preparation Guide and watch our step-by-step videos to help you develop your own hurricane plan,” said BoatUS Magazine’s Editorial Director, Bernadette Bernon. “Then implement it when the next storm approaches. We’ve learned what will give your boat the best chance of survival, and we want to share that critical advice with as many boaters as possible.”