Free Updated Boaters' Hurricane Preparation Guide Boat
Now Includes Lessons Learned From Recent Hurricanes

Recreational boaters and marinas in hurricane country don't have to go it alone when making vessel storm preparations with the availability of the newly revised guide, Preparing Boats & Marinas for Hurricanes, now available for free from Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.).

The 12-page guide presents up-to-date information learned from boaters' and marina operators' first-hand experiences during the past three hurricane-intensive years and has more information on the causes, types and prevention of hurricane damage to recreational boats. For a free copy of the guide, go to the BoatU.S. Hurricane Resource and Tracking Center at http://www.BoatUS.com/hurricane, or pick up one at your local West Marine store.

Included in the comprehensive guide are insights into preparing boats for storms while they are kept at docks, on boat lifts, in canals, on moorings, in high rise storage boatels and on trailers. It also includes valuable new ideas on how to reduce “chafe,” which causes lines that secure a boat to piers or pilings to break. A storm preparation checklist can help boaters methodically and carefully take the right precautions.

“During a hurricane, it only takes one poorly prepared boat to break free and damage a dozen others or marina property,” said Carroll Robertson, senior vice president of BoatU.S. Marine Insurance Claims division and leader of the Hurricane Catastrophe Response Team. “That's why it's every boater's responsibility to create a ‘hurricane plan' to evacuate or secure your boat, even if you live far from your vessel,” she added.

One of the most important recommendations is that any boater affected by hurricanes should share their own personal storm preparation plans with their marina to ensure it's consistent with the facility's plans.

BoatU.S. – Boat Owners Association of The United States – is the nation's leading advocate for recreational boaters providing its 665,000 members with a wide array of consumer services including a group-rate marine insurance program that insures nearly a quarter million boats; an industry-leading Hurricane Catastrophe Response Team consisting of salvage experts, surveyors, transportation specialists and claims adjusters; the largest fleet of more than 500 towing assistance vessels; discounts on fuel, slips, and repairs at over 835 Cooperating Marinas; boat financing; and a subscription to BoatU.S. Magazine , the most widely read boating publication in the U.S.