Less than 10 days after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida, the state is bracing for another potentially devastating blow from a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, this one a potential Category 3 storm.
I live on a 29’ cruising sailboat and I’m in SFla and I moved into a mangrove swamp / waterway last night to ride out in, same one that I just left for the last storm a week ago.
It’s been 10 days since the last storm that we saw 45+ knt winds in, and for 5 out of the last 10 days, at least here, it’s been raining and everything is WAY over-saturated.
This storm is going to seriously fuck some shit up.
I know this isn’t a great thing to say due to housing costs, but I think you really need to find a different place to live than a boat because hurricanes are only going to get worse.
I was recently looking at printed tiny houses. Some are pretty sturdy, and 0 carbon. They are pricier than tiny prefab but with no energy bills to speak of and sturdier construction, I’m wondering how they will fare in our area.
People who end up moving into tiny houses often regret it because they don’t really consider what ‘tiny’ means (things like not being able to cook a really nice meal because your kitchen is so small or just the inconvenience of having to go up and down a ladder at night if you need to use the bathroom).
The online real estate resource polled more than 2,264 U.S. adults about what they wish they had done differently with their current housing. A whopping 44 percent of participants had housing regrets, and the biggest regret among homeowners had to do with size. One in three homeowners said they wish they had chosen a larger home, compared to only nine percent who wished they had downsized.
Thanks for your reply. Meals wouldn’t be an issue. I’d be cooking dinner for my child and their partner at their place, so they wouldn’t have to worry about dinner and washing up, after work, and the model I’m looking at is single floor. I was more wondering about sturdiness in bad weather.
Tiny dome home looks great, but I’m not sure how doing it right would work with my realistic budget within a realistic time frame, since we’re in a weather race. For that cost, I could just move and get small place in a more climate-friendly area. The issue is my elderly parent is about 45 minutes away with good traffic flow and my child, partner and their business about an hour, and their partner’s parents, siblings and children. My child has been settled for about eight years with their significant other so I don’t look for it to be realistic to expect the whole family and family business to uproot and move, unless the realities of climate change become untenable, and that’s certainly a possibility. But if that timeline is shorter than we imagine, that may well occur. Thank you so much for a great idea, and for reminding me to have a plan B and C.
No worries. I’ve was construction-adjacent as a youngster, maybe I need to locate and converse with some general contractors I worked with. Thanks anyway.
As I understand it, mangrove swamps are a great place to ride out storms in a boat. They naturally reduce waves, and should help cut down on some of the wind. There’s a whole demonstration of how they work in the Keys. Can’t remember where I saw it.
Obviously it would be better to not be in the path of the storm, but if you have to be, there are much worse places than around mangroves.
I’m pretty sure they know what they’re doing better than you. I imagine the mangroves will protect them fairly well from damage, and as long as they have power and their bilge pump is working they shouldn’t sink. The water is probably pretty shallow anyway, so that might not even be possible.
Depends on the hurricane and how close it is. Boats can be better in flood conditions but there’s the potential to capsize them. There’s going to be a bit of risk calculus going on.
I live on a 29’ cruising sailboat and I’m in SFla and I moved into a mangrove swamp / waterway last night to ride out in, same one that I just left for the last storm a week ago.
It’s been 10 days since the last storm that we saw 45+ knt winds in, and for 5 out of the last 10 days, at least here, it’s been raining and everything is WAY over-saturated.
This storm is going to seriously fuck some shit up.
Yo this guy is awesome, whole ass sailor
Plunderin
Dat Booty
Thanks man, I needed the lift.
Ay, stay safe out there. I’m not expecting it to be too bad for me, just hoping we don’t lose power for an extended period of time.
Best wishes from 239.
Yeah man, it’s tense. When the non-natives start seeing the natives start sweating, they get neeerrrrrrvvvooouuuusssss.
I don’t think there’s a drop of gasoline left east of Pensacola.
… bourbon time
Did you make it through alright?
Alive and on the open water
Great to hear! I got power back about 3 hours ago myself
I know this isn’t a great thing to say due to housing costs, but I think you really need to find a different place to live than a boat because hurricanes are only going to get worse.
I was recently looking at printed tiny houses. Some are pretty sturdy, and 0 carbon. They are pricier than tiny prefab but with no energy bills to speak of and sturdier construction, I’m wondering how they will fare in our area.
People who end up moving into tiny houses often regret it because they don’t really consider what ‘tiny’ means (things like not being able to cook a really nice meal because your kitchen is so small or just the inconvenience of having to go up and down a ladder at night if you need to use the bathroom).
https://www.countryliving.com/real-estate/news/a44021/tiny-house-regret/
Thanks for your reply. Meals wouldn’t be an issue. I’d be cooking dinner for my child and their partner at their place, so they wouldn’t have to worry about dinner and washing up, after work, and the model I’m looking at is single floor. I was more wondering about sturdiness in bad weather.
It would have to be better attached to its foundations than your average trailer park trailer.
I was thinking about that. 3/8x10 rebar?
Steel frame construction with tstud sub structure and full insulation envelope clad in brick.
Or do a monolithic dome tiny house.
Both would be sturdy as hell and very energy efficient, which addresses climate change better than insulating a Home Depot shed.
Tiny dome home looks great, but I’m not sure how doing it right would work with my realistic budget within a realistic time frame, since we’re in a weather race. For that cost, I could just move and get small place in a more climate-friendly area. The issue is my elderly parent is about 45 minutes away with good traffic flow and my child, partner and their business about an hour, and their partner’s parents, siblings and children. My child has been settled for about eight years with their significant other so I don’t look for it to be realistic to expect the whole family and family business to uproot and move, unless the realities of climate change become untenable, and that’s certainly a possibility. But if that timeline is shorter than we imagine, that may well occur. Thank you so much for a great idea, and for reminding me to have a plan B and C.
Use all-thread set in drilled holes with epoxy if you didn’t plan for that with a slab
Thanks so much! I’m just in the bright idea stages, looking for a plan, but you gave me a great idea, maybe for lift.
That is more than I would be able to tell you, sorry. I know a little about a lot of things.
No worries. I’ve was construction-adjacent as a youngster, maybe I need to locate and converse with some general contractors I worked with. Thanks anyway.
Yup! Colombia for Christmas, Bazil for Spring.
Well that sounds lovely. Good luck to you!
As I understand it, mangrove swamps are a great place to ride out storms in a boat. They naturally reduce waves, and should help cut down on some of the wind. There’s a whole demonstration of how they work in the Keys. Can’t remember where I saw it.
Obviously it would be better to not be in the path of the storm, but if you have to be, there are much worse places than around mangroves.
Said Mangroves
Beautiful! Hope you stay safe!
I’m pretty sure they know what they’re doing better than you. I imagine the mangroves will protect them fairly well from damage, and as long as they have power and their bilge pump is working they shouldn’t sink. The water is probably pretty shallow anyway, so that might not even be possible.
At least boats can move
And sink.
Just like houses!
You can’t really be claiming that houses are no safer than boats in a hurricane.
Oh gods no. I’m saying get the fuck out of the southeast US while you still can!
You can when the boat is half way up the coast in the Chesapeake bay.
Exactly how fast do you think a sailboat someone lives on goes?
4-6knts in 25knts of wind.
Move the boat north before hurricane season starts. Sounds like a major pain, now that I think about it.
Probably pretty quick when it gets hit by a hurricane.
Then why have we invented houseboats? It’s clearly the best of both worlds
Depends on the hurricane and how close it is. Boats can be better in flood conditions but there’s the potential to capsize them. There’s going to be a bit of risk calculus going on.
And float.