Mobile Boat Hurricane Prep in North Port, Charlotte & Sarasota County, FL

The best time to book is pre-season in May or early June before hurricane season starts. Booking early puts you at the top of the priority queue if a storm approaches, and lets us plan your specific prep needs in advance. Booking during storm approach is possible but capacity fills fast, so waiting until a storm is projected can leave you without service. Most experienced boat owners on this coast book pre-season as part of their regular storm preparation.

Hurricane prep includes mooring line and tie-down work to secure the boat against storm winds and surge, removal of canvas and electronics that could be damaged by wind or water, disconnecting batteries and turning off electrical systems to prevent surge damage, fuel and engine preparation appropriate to the storage situation, and securing interior storage and loose items. Post-storm service includes damage inspection, engine restart, and insurance claim documentation for any storm damage.

Yes. Post-storm damage documentation is part of our regular post-storm service. We photograph and document any storm damage during the post-storm inspection, provide a written description of the damage suitable for insurance claim submission, and can coordinate any repair work that gets covered by insurance. For collision damage, hull damage, engine damage, or interior damage, we handle both the documentation and, once approved, the repair work.

That depends on your storage options, the specific storm forecast, and whether haul-out capacity is available in your area. Boats moved to indoor dry storage or well-tied trailer storage generally fare better than boats left in slips. However, haul-out capacity fills quickly as a storm approaches, and boats moved to inadequate storage may actually be worse off than boats prepped properly in their normal slip. We discuss the specific options for your boat during the prep consultation.

Pre-storm prep typically takes two to four hours per boat depending on the size of the boat, the amount of canvas and electronics to remove, and the complexity of the mooring situation. Larger boats with more canvas, more electronics, and more complex mooring arrangements take longer. Post-storm service including inspection and engine restart typically takes an hour or two, longer if damage is found and needs to be documented in detail.

Even with good preparation, some storms produce damage that no prep could have prevented. In those cases, we handle post-storm inspection, damage documentation for your insurance company, engine restart and system verification once the storm passes, and repair work for anything within our scope including hull, engine, electrical, and fiberglass damage. For damage that requires services outside our scope, we can refer you to specialists.

Yes. Boats on lifts need different attention than boats in slips because the storm exposure is different. Lift-stored boats need lift tie-down verification, secondary safety lines, canvas removal, and consideration of debris that could damage the boat from above during the storm. Slip-stored boats need mooring line work, chafing protection, and different consideration of storm surge. We prep each boat based on its specific storage situation rather than following a generic checklist.