How to secure boat / prevent theft?

[skategoat]

Hope you guys don't mind all these newbie questions. I sure appreciate the advice.<br /><br />I once read that 15% of the boats on the water today are stolen boats. Don't know if that's true but it leads to a question.<br /><br />In a situation where the boat is moored at a private dock, how do you secure the boat to prevent theft? Sure you remove the starter key but what prevents someone from just towing your boat away?

 

[POINTER94]

Re: How to secure boat / prevent theft?

skategoat,<br /><br />All good questions. Not a lot you can do other than try to moor it where there is security or at least well lit. The 15% figure seem really high to me but I live here in gods country where stealing a boat might get you horsewhipped. You can do some things like remove the battery every time but that ruins you experience. Just don't let it make a good target and don't leave the key's in it. Any good/average car theif can steal a boat in a heartbeat.<br /><br />As for theft on a trailer. There are several trailer lock mechanism's all of which can be bypassed with a wrench and an extra trailer coupling.. Not easy to prevent theft. I have never seen a boat with one but a Denver boot could be added to your trailer tire..<br /><br />Good insurance should let you sleep at night....

 

[snapperbait]

Re: How to secure boat / prevent theft?

Know a few guys (self included) that use lengths of chain and padlocks on the bow eye and/or stern U-bolts when they dock their boats... Just make sure the chain is long enuff to allow for the tide..

 

[Solittle]

Re: How to secure boat / prevent theft?

You can slow a thief down but if he (or she) is determined he/she will get it. The best backup is a paid up insurance policy.<br /><br />While I love my boat there have been times when I would not have been too torqued if it had been stolen. It is insured for a good deal more than I have in it.

 

[2637042]

Re: How to secure boat / prevent theft?

it is true that if a thief wants to steal your boat, they will probably get it, but if you use a simple chain like was said above, a thief will go for an easier boat to steal. otherwise, insurance is a must!

 

[sloopy]

Re: How to secure boat / prevent theft?

I agree with SoLittle and Ratherbfishing, there is no way to protect you boat from theft, only ways to lesson the chance of it happening. If you remove the battery, you will have to lug it around with you and IF someone decides to steal your boat and brings there own battery. No one will notice anything out of place, have you ever noticed people working in boats, most people would thing he/she was a mechanic. Chains add weight and are useless unless the fittings that they are attached to are strong enough to hold your boat at full throttle. On my boat I have a valve on my fuel line that I turn off when I am not using it, I also loosen the spark plug wires.

 

[skategoat]

Re: How to secure boat / prevent theft?

You've given me some good ideas. I'm going to put in a battery cut-off switch which is trivial to install and may consider chaining the boat to a large hunk of Canadian Shield.<br /><br />BTW, I was talking to a friend of mine who had his stainless steel prop stolen off his boat while it was moored at his cottage. He now just runs cheap aluminum props.

 

[Solittle]

Re: How to secure boat / prevent theft?

It is not only the boat that thieves go after. 10 years ago my neighbor had his outdrive stolem from his boat in the driveway. His insurance co. bought him a new one. Two weeks later that was stolen. The insurance company replaced that one.<br /><br />Guess what? That one was stolen too. His insurance co. cancelled his policy. He might AND A BIG MIGHT have prevented it with a simple lock.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: How to secure boat / prevent theft?

A lock is to keep an honest person out. Period.<br /><br />I leave my boat at the dock throughout the season. I have a hidden solenoid valve on my gas line. While I'm away I flip a hidden switch that kills the power to the coil and the fuel solenoid/valve.<br /><br />I also have hooked up a micro switchs on the engine cover, cabin door, and anchor well that sounds the horns when they are raised.<br /><br />So far I have only had some rubber snakes that I use to keep the birds away stolen. The rangers at the lake know about my alarm system plus they do a good job patroling the park.<br /><br />Good Luck...

 

[airman]

Re: How to secure boat / prevent theft?

I took a tire and the license plate off my trailer for the winter. Also the lights come off (for launching) and I hid them too. There's a big tarp that's got to come off before you can tow it, too. It takes me over an hour to get going again in the spring and I know where all the parts are. It isn't insured right now so the effort was worth it to me.

 

[wajajaja]

Re: How to secure boat / prevent theft?

heres a couple of ideas, im a newbie soo take it for what its worth. <br /><br />wire in a second kill switch, <br /> a secret trim switch that will opperate the tilt up leaving the l drive up, or auto lift it if not defeated.

 

[kcole683]

Re: How to secure boat / prevent theft?

INSURANCE!!<br /><br />If they want it that bad they can have it.<br />Locks only stop honest people, any of them can be cut or destroyed.<br />Hidden switches and the like are OK if they make you feel better but if they want it they will take it anyway.<br />just my $.02 worth

 

[Fly Rod]

Re: How to secure boat / prevent theft?

Insure it and FORGETABOUT IT!!! <br />Take your electronics off every day!!!

 

[madxbri]

Re: How to secure boat / prevent theft?

ok it might sound daft but on cars you get a tracker fitted so when it gets stolen you will at least find it anywhere it gose but this would deppend on wether you get it fitted to the engine or the boat but they can be tracked regardles <br />i know of people that have had cars stolen and they have bn returnd from hundreds of miles away <br />even the owner dosent get to know where the tracker gets fitted to you never get to c it <br /><br />just a thought if your car can get them why not the boat in the uk the aa use there ones to find break downs or stolen motors ect <br />any one know why they shouldent get fitted to boats to <br />

 

[bossee]

Re: How to secure boat / prevent theft?

Hi madxbri,<br />I have a GPS-GSM unit that is mounted (hidden) in my boat. If the boat is moved a few meters so the GPS unit sense the move it phone my mobile phone and I get a SMS telling me time, speed, Lat+Long etc. I can log on to a webpage and type in the Lat+Long and I will se where the boat is (as close as street level).<br />The boat season where I live is so short (3-4 months) that if the boat is stolen and not found rather quick it is probably the end of that boat season. I also use a snapp off steering wheel and an outboard electronic starting lock so You can not start the outboard if not the lock is first deactivated (by a remote key) - no thief has yet managed to bypass this electronic lock as far as I know. The electronic lock is a good theft prevention since You can not start the outboard as long as it is active (and only You, with the individual electronic "key", can inactivate it so the outboard can be started).

 

[madxbri]

Re: How to secure boat / prevent theft?

Hi Bo i bet the GPS-GSM unit was less £££ than lossing your boat and engine <br />as for emobilisers they all can be bypassed its just knowing how to ie you can always divert it back to the way it was b4 fitting it to the outboard ect so the old thing put a GPS-GSM unit or tracker on your boat or engine incase the just take the outboard ect ???<br />best bet realy is inside secure storage i would think then you caould go to town on a normal alarm ect <br /><br />if they want it bad they will always get it regardless buy a big gun and a bigger dog to live onboard lol

 

[bossee]

Re: How to secure boat / prevent theft?

Hi Bo i bet the GPS-GSM unit was less £££ than lossing your boat and engine <br /><br />Hi madxbri,<br /><br />Yes, since the boat was new (2003) when I bought it and also the outboard was new the cost of adding the GPS-GSM unit was marginal compared to total cost of boat+outboard. <br /><br /> as for emobilisers they all can be bypassed its just knowing how to ie you can always divert it back to the way it was b4 fitting it to the outboard ect <br /><br />I'm sure for the more "organized" thieves an imobilizer is no problem, but at least it is some barrier to overcome. The "casual" thieves may not have the knowledge or interest to try to steal a boat+outbaord with an outboard imobilizer.<br /><br /> so the old thing put a GPS-GSM unit or tracker on your boat or engine incase the just take the outboard ect ???<br /><br />I know of GPS units small enough to hide in the outboard but I do not know if they will cope with the vibrations, heat etc there.<br />The next best thing could be to hide a passive ID unit in the outboard that can be tracked by equipement that can identify the outboard with this ID, if the outboard is found later. The trouble in this case is that You do not get any "warning" when the outboard is stolen.<br /><br /> best bet realy is inside secure storage i would think then you caould go to town on a normal alarm ect <br /> <br />It depend also where You have the boat most of the time. A normal alarm (with siren) that go on for example if a thief enter the boat (IR detection) or open a door (magnetic switch) may not be effective in remote places. In a marina it would be fine, where it hopefully can be heard by someone. In case the outboard is stolen and all cables just cut off near the outboard it could be a solution to have a wire in the cabel/tube that if cut of activate some alarm (GPS-GSM or more traditional alarms). I have seen pictures of boats where the outboard has been removed by just using a chainsaw on the transom to cut loose the outboard and cables just cut off near the outboard.<br /><br /> if they want it bad they will always get it regardless buy a big gun and a bigger dog to live onboard lol <br /><br />Probably so. I can only hope my daycruiser boat is less attractive to the thieves than much more expensive boats in the neighbourhood.

 

[wajajaja]

Re: How to secure boat / prevent theft?

GPS- GPM Im not familar, tell me more, if you choose not to post send direct to wajajaja@nac.net<br />thanks. <br /><br />Just thinkin,, who says the aux battery must be next to the starter battery, I got a hole in my cuddy next to the back of the dash. where the fuse box is. why not set the battery there. use the feed from the starter battery as the charger leed for the aux batter and tie in the electronics.

 

[missed_shot]

Re: How to secure boat / prevent theft?

I had a friend arrive at the dock to find his entire left roller assembly was stolen off his trailer. He has a 27 ft. Mako. He was not a happy man.