SPECIAL PAGES

Texas Pearl Haul Out

On August 25, 2017 Hurricane Harvey sat over Rockport, Texas for fourteen hours. Not only did it bring extremely high winds and A LOT of rain, it also produced over 60 tornadoes in the area that night. The damage to Rockport and Aransas County was catastrophic. In one night the beautiful little coastal town was turned into a war zone. We were truly lucky to find our boat still in her slip, with no major damage...but she didn't come through the storm untouched. It's been seven months since the storm roared ashore in south Texas and Texas Pearl is almost back to her beautiful self.

Here's the list of damages to Texas Pearl from Hurricane Harvey
  • Depth finder and sensor
  • Radio
  • 2 speakers on flybridge blown out
  • Base speaker on flybridge blown out
  • 2 VFH antennas destroyed
  • TV antenna destroyed
  • Anchor light broken
  • Outside loud speaker on flybridge gone
  • Inside carpet was wet
  • Draperies in salon stained by water
  • Back deck carpet destroyed
  • Icinglass strips missing
  • Deck panel on starboard side damaged
  • Deck panel on stern missing
  • Wood trim on back deck damaged
  • Starboard and port instrument cabinets damaged
  • Flybridge hatch blown off and damaged
  • Fiberglass on flybridge damage from hatch
  • Windshield broken on port side
  • Lower rub rail on port side damaged
  • Upper rub rails on both sides damaged
  • Fiberglass broken near port side rub rail
  • Fiberglass under starboard rub rail damaged
  • Gel coat rubbed off on flybridge from broken antenna
  • 4 - ¾” dock lines broke (we had 14)
  • Grommets pulled out of front window cover
  • Broken vent cover on port side
  • Hundreds of dings on hull (down to fiberglass) from trash in water
Here are a few pictures of what damaged the hull. Some boards in the water were 6"x12" beams that were 5'-6' long
Damage to the bottom of the boat from the trash in the water
This is the way the dock on our port side looked when we returned after the hurricane...we figured the boat hit it during the storm, but couldn't see any damage...
Once we were hauled out we could see where the dock and the boat met. From the look of the dock and the damage on the boat...I'd say the boat won...she's a battleship.
More damage from debris in the water
Even the stabilizer fins took a few nicks from the trash in the water.
Thanks to our Progressive Insurance Texas Pearl got a whole new bottom. This man is sodablasting the bottom of the boat. It's a very mild form of abrasive blasting, which uses sodium bicarbonate to remove the old layers of paint.
The running gear...all clean and ready for paint
Wrapped and ready for paint
First layer of primer on and looking good
Being out of the water makes it easier to polish the hull and repair the rub rails...it's also the only way to service the stabilizers and replace the depth sensor of the depth finder. 
Stan used the buffer to apply Finesse-It ll and then I put on the protective polymer sealer. 
What a shine...our hard work makes this old girl look almost new. 
What an ordeal this haul out has been...many jobs had to be done twice, thanks to the people we hired not doing a good job and creating more of a mess. It reinforced what we already knew...if you want something done right...DO IT YOURSELF. 

For those who don't know what it looks like when a boat is hauled out...here's a little video

6 comments:

  1. Hi Guys, She looks brand new great job

    ReplyDelete
  2. Boy,,ya'l were lucky,, I would have expected much worse. It looks real good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We were extremely lucky considering where our boat was parked when the storm came ashore. We were saved because the tidal surge wasn't has high as expected.

      Delete
  3. I was always a bit Nervous when I had my 1967 45' Connie Hauled-- All the Creaking and Moaning and Groaning coming from her Wooden Hull.. Never had a issue though.. I always did my own "Blocking" on her Keel-- I've seen holes punched in Bottom of Boats before..

    Pearl looks Great-- Minor Damage considering what she must have gone through..
    Can't have to many Lines during a Hurricane..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It always makes me nervous too! We'd love to see some kind of video of what the boat went through...I can't imagine. There were a few live aboards a few boats down that stayed on their boats! Their boats were lucky to still be in the slip...lots of hull damage. Most of the boats that had major damage where not tired up properly and with lines that were much too small.

      Delete