How to Recover Your Boat After a Hurricane

To help owners recover their boats after a hurricane, the Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) offers five tips to begin the salvage process.

1) Make sure you have permission to access your vessel. Never try to enter a storm-affected marina or boat storage facility without it. Bring proof of ownership. Spilled fuel combined with the potential of downed electrical wires and a host of other hazards make them extremely dangerous places. Don’t even think of smoking. Stay off docks until it is safe to do so and never climb in or on boats that have piled up together or are dangling precariously from dock pilings or other obstructions.

2. Remove valuables. Remove as much equipment as possible and move it to a safe place to protect it from looters and vandals. It’s a good idea to put your name, telephone number, address and email somewhere conspicuously on the boat – along with a “No Trespassing” sign.

3. Minimize further damage. Protect your boat from further damage. This could include covering it with a tarp or boarding up broken windows or hatches. As soon as possible, start drying out the boat, either by taking advantage of sunny weather or using electric air handlers. All sogged materials, such as cushions, must be removed and saved for a potential insurance claim. The storm may be gone, but the clock is ticking on mold growth.

4. “Pickle” wet machinery. Engines and other machinery that were submerged or have gotten wet should be “pickled” by flushing with freshwater and then filled with diesel fuel or kerosene. Here’s how.

5. Consult your insurance provider. If your boat must be removed by a salvage company, BoatUS recommends that boat owners not sign any salvage or wreck-removal contract without first getting approval from their insurance company. Proceeding without your insurer’s knowledge and approval may jeopardize your coverage.

Additional post-hurricane boat recovery tips can be found at the BoatUS website.