Everything you need to know about protecting your vessel in Miami-Dade County — pricing, timing, process, and what to expect before, during, and after the storm.
Hurricane Boat Plan pricing is determined by two variables: your boat's length and the alert level under which you register and we mobilize (Storm Watch or Storm Warning).
Watch-tier rates are our most affordable pricing — issued when hurricane conditions are possible within 48 hours. Warning-tier rates apply when a Hurricane Warning is issued (conditions expected within 36 hours) and reflect the increased cost of emergency mobilization, extended crew hours, and compressed scheduling.
Our DIY drop-off service — where you trailer your vessel to our inland facility — is available at a reduced rate compared to full-service haul-out.
Visit our Pricing page to view current rates by boat size, or register to request a custom quote based on your vessel's specifications.
When a Hurricane Warning is issued, our crew mobilizes in emergency mode. We're coordinating haul-out teams, transport trucks, and facility preparation with a much shorter lead time — typically 18–30 hours before conditions become dangerous. This requires:
The Watch tier, by contrast, gives us 48+ hours of lead time — allowing for orderly scheduling, standard crew shifts, and the most efficient use of our haul-out and transport resources. The same level of care is provided at both tiers; the difference is entirely operational cost.
Our Full Service plan includes the complete storm storage cycle:
You do not need a trailer. You do not need to be present for haul-out (though marina access instructions must be provided in advance). All you need to do is pre-register, confirm your reservation, and prepare your vessel (remove canvas, loose items, secure hatches).
Our DIY Service is designed for boat owners who own a trailer capable of transporting their vessel and who have the time to haul out and deliver their boat to our inland facility before the storm — and pick it up once conditions are safe afterward.
With DIY Service, you:
This option offers our lowest per-storm pricing and is ideal for owners of trailerable boats up to approximately 30 feet who are comfortable with the haul-out and transport process.
The optimal time to initiate haul-out is immediately when a Hurricane Watch is issued for Miami-Dade County — typically 48 hours before projected landfall. This is when we activate our pre-registered client list and begin scheduling haul-outs.
Do not wait for a Hurricane Warning. By the time a Warning is issued (36 hours out), our scheduling slots are significantly reduced, Warning-tier pricing applies, and the logistics window is compressed. In the final 24 hours before landfall, we stop accepting new haul-out requests for safety reasons.
The absolute best timing strategy is to pre-register your vessel before hurricane season begins (before June 1). This ensures you're first in our notification and scheduling queue when any storm threatens Miami-Dade.
Hurricane Watch: Hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area, typically within 48 hours. The storm track still has some uncertainty. This is your trigger to execute your storm plan and contact us to confirm your reservation.
Hurricane Warning: Hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area within 36 hours. The storm's path is confirmed with higher confidence. Evacuation orders may follow within hours. This is our emergency mobilization phase — scheduling capacity is limited and pricing is higher.
For a deeper explanation of both alerts and what they mean for boat storage planning, see our full guide: Storm Watch vs. Storm Warning: What Boat Owners Need to Know.
Pre-registered clients receive direct notification from our team the moment a Hurricane Watch or Warning is issued for Miami-Dade County. We'll reach out via phone and email with your scheduling options and next steps.
You can also monitor alerts directly from the National Hurricane Center (nhc.noaa.gov), the National Weather Service Miami office, or Miami-Dade County Emergency Management's AlertMiami system.
We strongly recommend also following local news stations (Local 10, WSVN 7) for real-time updates as storms approach. Do not rely solely on our notification — monitor conditions yourself and reach out proactively if you see a storm developing.
We stop accepting new haul-out requests approximately 24 hours before projected landfall for safety reasons. At that point, marine conditions are deteriorating, roads are congested with evacuation traffic, and bridges may begin restricting or closing for safety. Our crews need time to complete all scheduled haul-outs and return to safety themselves.
DIY drop-off cutoff times are somewhat earlier than haul-out cutoffs — typically 30–36 hours before projected landfall — to allow all vehicles to clear our facility and for us to complete securing operations.
These cutoffs are firm. Do not wait until the last 24 hours to contact us expecting availability.
Our inland storage facility is located at least 5 miles from Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic coastline — well outside the documented storm surge reach of even major (Category 3) hurricanes making direct landfall near Miami.
This is the foundational advantage of our service. Marinas, waterfront boatyards, and even "dry storage" facilities near the coast are still within potential surge zones. At 5+ miles inland, your boat is protected from storm surge flooding entirely in all but the most extreme Category 5 scenarios.
For a detailed explanation of storm surge reach by distance, see: Why Mainland Storage Protects Your Boat Better.
Every vessel stored at our facility is individually secured to ground stakes using heavy-gauge strapping systems. This method is specifically designed for hurricane wind conditions and addresses the most common failure mode for stored boats: tip-over.
Ground-stake securing distributes wind load directly to the earth, dramatically reducing the risk of vessels tipping off stands even in sustained high winds. Boats are also spaced with adequate separation so that even minor movement doesn't create chain-reaction collisions between vessels.
Before securing, each vessel is assessed for its center of gravity, wind-catchment profile (canvas, biminis, superstructure), and weight distribution so that the staking pattern is tailored to each specific boat.
You do not need to be physically present for haul-out. However, you must provide our team with all necessary access information in advance, including:
We do require that your vessel is properly prepared before our crew arrives: all canvas and biminis removed or securely stowed, loose items removed from the deck and cockpit, batteries turned off at the main switch, and hatches/ports closed and latched.
Return transport and relaunch begins as soon as Miami-Dade County authorities issue the official all-clear and roads are confirmed safe for heavy vehicle transport. This typically occurs 12–48 hours after a storm passes, depending on the storm's intensity and infrastructure damage.
Full-service clients are scheduled for return transport on a first-in, first-out basis. We will communicate directly with all stored clients throughout the process — before, during, and after the storm — via phone and email.
DIY service clients may retrieve their vessel from our inland facility once road conditions permit and we confirm site access. We will notify you when the facility is open for pickup.
Do not attempt to access our facility or marinas before receiving clearance from us or county officials. Post-storm debris, road damage, and compromised infrastructure make early access dangerous.
No — registration places you in our priority queue, but does not guarantee storage. We have a finite number of storage spaces per storm event, and space is allocated on a first-registered, first-confirmed basis.
After you register, our team will contact you to discuss your vessel's details, confirm eligibility (boat size, current location, service type), and finalize your reservation. Only confirmed reservations guarantee your spot.
We accommodate vessels in four size categories:
Full-service haul-out is available for vessels up to 60 feet. The DIY drop-off option is best suited for trailerable boats (typically up to 30 feet). For very large vessels (60+ feet), contact us directly to discuss custom arrangements.
We serve boat owners throughout Miami-Dade County, including vessels located at marinas and private docks in:
If your vessel is located in a neighboring county (Broward, Monroe), contact us to discuss service availability — we may be able to accommodate depending on storm timing and scheduling capacity.
Not necessarily — and this is one of the most important issues Miami-Dade boat owners overlook. Many marine insurance policies contain a "hurricane plan" clause or "navigational warranty" that requires you to take specified protective actions when a named storm threatens your area.
Specific requirements vary by policy, but commonly include:
Failure to comply with your policy's hurricane plan requirements may result in partial or complete denial of your damage claim. We strongly recommend reviewing your specific policy with your insurance agent before hurricane season begins.
Hurricane Boat Plan's inland storage service — with documented haul-out, inland transport, and ground-stake securing — satisfies the requirements of most major marine insurance policies. We can provide storage documentation for insurance purposes upon request.
All services are performed by licensed marine contractors, and we take every reasonable precaution to protect vessels in our care during haul-out, transport, and storage.
However, please note that Hurricane Boat Plan LLC is not liable for damage resulting from force majeure events — including but not limited to the hurricane itself, extreme weather conditions, or events beyond our reasonable control. Our liability disclaimer is included in your service agreement.
We recommend maintaining your marine insurance coverage throughout the storm event regardless of storage location. Inland storage significantly reduces your risk, but no storage option eliminates it entirely in extreme storm scenarios.
Our team is available to answer questions specific to your vessel, marina location, or storm situation. The best first step is a free registration — it takes under 2 minutes and commits you to nothing.
Register Your Vessel — Free Email Us