Flooding down a fish??

roccaas

roccaas

Member
TS Fay is coming and I don't have any way to get the hull under cover.

Without deck ports, is their anyway to get a hose into the hull to flood the hull down before chaining it to a tree?

I'd also like to be able to de-water the hull after the storm in case I need to use the hull to get around flooded streets (it was designed as a lifeguard board).

Thanks
 
Remember, filling up the hull will only make it about neutral buoyancy in flood waters. The internal pressure would be awfully stressful against a hull designed to withstand force in the opposite direction. Not a good idea as I see it - probably break open like a raw egg. Chaining to a tree will just get the bow handle torn off - better string that chain through the dagger board hole. Hope the tree stays put. You might be better off bringing the boat inside and making a big coffee table out of it for the duration. :eek:
 
lovin the coffee table idea. You could use the cockpit to ice your beer down, it should hold enough to get you through the storm, and if the water gets to high you always have an escape plan. good luck and let us know how it goes.
 
yea I wouldn't tie it down - it will just get smashed by a tree. I like the idea of taking it inside and using for a beer cooler. Just make sure its good beer that's good warm in case you loose electricity for a week or more. Budweiser sucks warm!

During hurricane Hugo in Charleston '89 my Hobie cat ended up on the neighbors car on the far side of their house, still attached to the trailer. The sailboat was ok, their car - not so good. :eek:
 
A guaranteed way of ensuring that your Sunfish doesn't get blown away , is to strap it to something boring , or hide it under something you absolutely hate.
Murphy's-law says that all your nice toys will fly away , never to be seen again , no matter how well you tied them down ..... Meanwhile , all your unwanted stuff will stay intact , even if you've left it out front for the garbage man ..... That's what happened to me during Hurricane Wilma !
I don't take any chances during potentially imminent destructive storms now .... I go surfing before the winds hit , then the shutters go down , the car gets barricaded into the garage , the coffee table gets relegated to the dining room , and my Sunfish & International Europe both get promoted to the front room.
 
I'd suggest either bringing it inside, or else getting four screw-in-the-ground tiedown anchors (Lowe's, Home Depot, mobile home supply store) and two ratcheting cargo straps (Auto Zone) with hooks that fit your anchors, and tie the thing upside-down to the ground in a grassy area. If you tie it to a tree, it is liable to get beaten against the tree. Use one strap three or four feet back from the bow, and another three or four feet back from the stern. If you're concerned about it being tied down submerged, set the boat upside-down on a couple of strong sawhorses padded with old carpet first, and then strap it down to the tiedowns.

I personally tie mine down to its trailer with strong cargo straps, and then tie the trailer down to screw-in-the-ground anchors. That way it stays out of standing water. Needless to say, the mast/sail and other hardware stay in my garage.
 
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