Story by TMC Editor / May 11, 2017
1. When preparing a vessel for the approach of a tropical wave, depression, tropical storm or hurricane, be sure to close all seacocks, except the cockpit scupper seacocks. Leave the cockpit scuppers open to allow rain water and sea spray to drain out of the cockpit.
During one tropical storm, a large sailboat was blown onto soft sand in shoal water and would have suffered minimal damage. However, since the galley and head sink seacocks were left open, seawater flooded the vessel while the yacht was careened on its side. The interior was partially filled with seawater, causing damage to the engine, refrigeration, electrical systems and cabinetry. It was an unnecessary loss.
2. If you have the time when preparing for the arrival of a hurricane or tropical storm, consider removing your vessel’s lifelines and the vertical pieces of your two piece stanchions (base & vertical) from their bases along the gunwale of your sailboat.
If you are ashore in a safe haven, you will not need the lifelines and stanchions to hold on to during the storm. If they are removed that will keep them undamaged and they cannot engage stanchions or lifelines on a neighboring boat and cause unneeded damage.
3. If you are securing your sailboat alongside other sailboats in a rafting or marina setting, stagger the adjacent sailboats so that the mast, spreaders and standing rigging of your boat will not engage the neighboring boats.
During a storm, the wind and waves will hit each boat at a different time and each boat will respond and roll differently. If your masts are adjacent to one another there is a strong chance that they will catch on one another, causing unneeded damage. Move your boat fore or aft to keep the spars and rigging apart.
4. Boat/US has done research showing that polyester (Dacron) dock lines resist chafe much better than nylon. In fact, they have conducted experiments that showed that nylon anchor or dock lines would melt when mounted within rubber hose or tubing chafe gear! Apparently, the friction between the strands of the stretchy nylon line created so much that that the nylon line was able to part.
The recommendation from Boat/US is to use polyester lines at chafe points. Make a short polyester pennant that passes over the bow chock or by the bobstay to use between the bow anchor and the stretching behavior. Use the polyester line at the chafe points.
We had an outstanding experience working with Andrew Hodgdon to find our dream boat, an Outremer 52.
We were actually referred to him by several different people—clients who had been very happy working with him, as well as boat owners who were planning to use him to sell their own boats. After working with Andrew ourselves, we completely understand why he came so highly recommended.
We worked with him for several months, and from start to finish, he was exceptional. Andrew is incredibly knowledgeable and truly an expert when it comes to performance catamarans. He took the time to understand exactly what we were looking for, was always responsive and organized, and never made us feel pressured throughout the process.
Andrew went above and beyond to arrange showings for us in multiple states and even traveled to another state to be there with us for the sea trial. His expertise and guidance gave us tremendous confidence as we evaluated such a significant purchase.
The entire process could have been overwhelming, but he made it remarkably smooth. He was on top of every detail and made the paperwork and closing process easy, working seamlessly with his team at The Multihull Company.
What impressed us most was that he genuinely had our best interests in mind. And his support didn’t end when the sale was completed. He has continued to stay in touch and has made it clear that he is still available to help us if we ever need him. That kind of follow-through is rare and speaks volumes about the kind of broker he is.
Buying an Outremer 52 was a huge decision and a major investment, and having someone with his knowledge, experience, responsiveness, and integrity made the entire experience so much easier and more enjoyable.
We couldn’t recommend Andrew Hodgdon more highly. If you’re looking for a yacht broker—especially if you’re considering a performance catamaran—we would choose him again without hesitation. The fact that so many people recommended him to us was the reason we called him, and after working with him, we would be one of those people recommending him to others.
I highly recommend Andrew Hodgdon. He served as our buyers broker. He is responsive, highly knowledgeable and very experienced. He is also an excellent guide and counselor before, during and after the boat purchase process. If you are looking for a good-sailing cat, he seems to collect most of the available boats on the better-sailing side of the market. Top marks.
Andrew did an excellent job getting me started on my new adventures. Worked with my conflicting schedule. Is very knowledgeable in the catamaran industry. 😎
I recently sold my Lagoon 450 with the Multihull Team. I would highly recommend their services. The professionalism and personal treatment I received was greatly appreciated.
Great Service, Great People
Helped me through the process.
I would go through them again in a future purchase.
Successful relationships cannot exist without it. At The Multihull Company we base every relationship on a firm commitment to earning and retaining our client’s trust.
Advice of any kind is valuable only when grounded in hard-won expertise. It too, must be trustworthy. Trust and expertise define the heart and soul of The Multihull Company. We are a team of skilled professionals who thrive on providing expert, trustworthy advice and service to catamaran and trimaran sailors around the globe.
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