Any tips on getting caught out in a thunderstorm?

[fiddlebick]

Yep it happened last night. We were on my brothers pontoon listening to the free concert provided by Owensboro each friday evening in the summer, anchored just off the bank with some other boats. Clouds began to build but my weather app radar looked minimal, and it looked as if it might skirt us altogether, so we stayed out. WRONG AGAIN. Now we are thinking of some items to help with the inevitable storms that pop up. First a few cheap rain ponchos, maybe a couple big trash bags to put purses and boat bags in. Any other ideas or tips?

[steveiam]

To be honest with you I took a chance on a storm passing by us while fishing and got into it.
To me, as long as your not going to be pushed into the bank or some other hazard/structure, i think your just gonna have to ride it out.
We had raingear but still got very wet.

We made a bad decision and had to ride it out, not sure of a good answer here.
I'll look at what others write though.

[fiddlebick]

Well, I still have a lot to learn about boating, but my bro said he has made the mad dash to the dock in years past, then had to deal with a bunch boaters in a big hurry to trailer, sort of the madhouse at the ramp experience, and battling wind and rough water is a nightmare, and that was when he owned a runabout, so he was not eager to try and load a 23 ft pontoon under those conditions either. Luckily, the storms had little lightning and the wind was not too bad either , just a popup kinda storm.

[MH Hawker]

Snickers, I got caught in one 2 weeks ago, it was one that was raining side ways even with full rain suits we still got drowned, it was so bad I put the nose up on the closest bank to wait it out and ended up with about 3 inches of water sloshing around on the back of the deck. It took 3 days to get the compartments dried out and I ended up adding 2 floor drains.

[landlockedsailor]

Newbie here. Good point about the other boats racing back to the ramp. Wouldn't want to be mixed up in that during a big storm. What about just anchoring? And saying a Novena that the anchor holds...

[Bamaman]

I've got caught out a number of times over the years. Because it's storming at home doesn't mean it's storming 12 miles across the river and up a big creek where I visit relatives.

I'm always looking for a slough or cover to put into to get away from the big waves and weather. I don't know about you, but I don't want my bimini top to be a lightning rod.

[Ron Burgundy]

My main concern is the lightning.

[tcpip95]

I got caught in a really nasty storm last summer. Made it to Gasparilla Marina just before it really hit. We just tied up when all hell broke loose. I didn't fold up my bimini top (just ran to get out of the lightning) and the winds actually bent the bimini frame! From now on I keep a bungee cord handy so that I can at least fold up the bimini and tie it with the bungee.

[badmoonrising]

Find a cove, anchor and wait it out. As for lightning, stay away from moored sailboats

[fiddlebick]

Yeah lightning was the biggest concern for me. We were anchored and had no trouble with the wind, but I did buy a couple of ponchos at wally world yesterday.... We are heading out again today and they are calling for afternoon storms again....boo

[landlockedsailor]

Here's what I've been reading. Lightning can strike from 6 (yes, six) miles away. Even if you've got clear blue skies overhead. Where is the best location to be goosed by the god of lightning? If you believe the statisticians:

26.8% Open field, ballparks, playgrounds, etc.
13.7% Under trees
8.1% Water related, fishing, boating, swimming, etc.
2.4% Telephone-related
0.7%. Radios, transmitters

Golfers account for around 5% of the human interactions with LEMP (lightning). You duffers may be familiar with the Lee Trevinos's quote: "If you are caught on a golf course during a storm and are afraid of lightning, hold up a 1-iron. Not even God can hit a 1-iron." Yeah, right. So far, Trevino's been hit twice.

Hear thunder, get off the water if at all possible. If we can't, stay low in the middle of the boat and don't touch anything metal.

[Chris.and.jamie]

Its not a horrible idea to keep a box of zippered sandwich vags handy for electronics like phonescameraa so on, its a space killer but if you can spare the room an extra anchor ain't a bad idea its nice to be able to not worry about which way your facing into the waves if the boat is front anchored and digging in the waves can break right over the bow but you also don't want to get sideways and have that rolling fear. Wet feet suck store you a 10 pair of shoes and a paor of socks some where dry.

[redbeard]

Find a cove, anchor and wait it out. As for lightning, stay away from moored sailboats

Here's a link to something that we use http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product ... rchID=4006 its kept 8 of us dry more than once.

[ROLAND]

last year we were about 5 or 6 miles from the launch, tied up to a tree and fishing for crappie when a storm blew up out of no where.... winds were gusting to 40 mph and the rain was coming down in buckets... wind was so strong it was trying to spin the boat... my wife and I were actually standing at the bow of the boat holding on to tree limbs to keep the wind from blowing us out into the open... last about 20 to 30 minutes ... wore us out... never saw the storm coming til it was too late...but like someone said in an earlier post, even if we had gotten back to the launch, I'm sure it was a mad house with people lined up waiting to load, and of course the rough water and wind would only make things worse....

[GXPWeasel]

Honestly, never been caught on the boat in one, but have a few times when camping, and the boat was beached. Went to check on the boat, and it had already broken 2 of the 3 lines I had it attached to the shore with. Four to Five foot swells are nothing to take lightly, even though they sound nothing like the ones on Deadliest Catch.


I think if I were on the actual boat when a storm rolled up, I'd beach somewhere, and as fast as possible. I rather the boat go down, with me on the shore, than it take my family and myself down in the middle of the lake. Dents can be fixed, so the beach is where I'd head as fast as possible.