I don't think my 40-yr old aluminum beast of a canoe will fit in the garage anymore so I'm looking for different ways of securing it in case of a hurricane. Does anyone know if 150 mph winds would still send it flying if I just set it on the ground and filled it with water? The other idea I had was to swamp it in a neighbor's pool.

I don't really want to stick it in our livingroom if a hurricane is coming...

Any thoughts?

-Blast

Are you planning to ride it out? (the hurricane) Or will you evacuate?

We'll be riding out any hurricanes. We're 75 miles inland so we'd need a class 5 hurricane to hit to get the 150 mph winds. I have 5/8" plywood covers ready for all the windows and assorted other reinforcements so unless a tornado hits the house we'll be okay. I'm just concerned about the canoe turning into a scud missle.

-Blast

The neighbors pool works great for patio furniture. Should be OK for a canoe too.

The only other thing that I would trust would be to chain BOTH ends down with thick steel chains tied around stout trees. Even then, I would imagine that a strong enough wind might destroy the canoe itself. At just the right angle, a canoe can look like a long, skinny parachute.

If the canoe takes off while it's filled with water, I think that's gonna be the least of your worries <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />.

Troy

I would sink it if it doesn't have floatation units inside the ends. Otherwise, you could always bury it (upside-down.... <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

If you chain it to a couple of trees, the trees could come down on top of it.

Sue

Sink a couple of holes next to your house and fill with a bag of concrete. Set a large screw eye of some sort in the concrete anchor. Hurricane time, chain each end of your canoe down and then fill it with water. It won't be going anywhere.

First thought was that once the wind picks up the water won't stay in the canoe. I'd prefer to get it inside although the neighbor's pool would work.

Get a few of those large upside down triangle dog leash holders with the corkscrew bottoms. Put those in the ground all the way and use packing straps with the ratchets on them to tighten the staps to the canoe.

If the ground gets wet enough not to hold those corkscrews, then I think you're canoe would be gone no matter what you did. If you have lots of sugar sand and can't get down far enough, I don't know what to tell you! Perhaps some sail rigging rope and just "fly" your canoe. Might want to put it on the highest part of the house so it can wind vane! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I had considered those large, corckscrewy dog-leash holders but the soil around our house turns to soft goo even in fairly light Houston rains (2-3 inches in an hour). I wouldn't trust them in a major rain event. I think I'll drop it in the neighbor's pool and pile in the lawn furniture to make it sink to the bottom.

Thanks everyone for your responses!

-Blast

Would a Utility Pole or guywire anchor be good? Something like http://www.kencove.com/ShopItemIG.php?item=Earth+Anchor might stop it from moving, especially if you used two of them; one at bow and one at stern. That way, they can both be angled and you can ram them in pretty deep with them still being useful. Might be good for anchoring other items later too.

I think if I used anchors like those I'd need a rope that had no stretch to it whatsoever to keep the canoe from flying around. If the canoe starts flapping in the wind it could either wear through the tie-downs, suffer damage or cause damage to other nearby objects.

-Blast

Fill it with water, and put it beside sonething bigger than the boat. Mine goes next to the hedge at my back fence, and it survived Katrina and Rita like that. It's low to the ground, it has something (hedge) to catch/ break the broadside winds, and, being filled with water, it is hevy as all Hadies.
If the water goes out after the storm (it happened in New Orleans), you have a supply to flush toilets, wash down items from outside, etc.

Hope this helps,

.....CLIFF
(Like, who else?)

Yeah, I liked the previous idea of the ratcheting nylon strap tie-downs... You could surely anchor it tightly and since the keel would be mostly flat against the ground it shouldn't move too badly.

"won't be going anywhere"
The heck it won't. I've seen stuff a lot heavier and less aerodynamic..tethered just like you mention..easily break free in Cat IV or V winds or storm surge.
Sink it in a pool.