Seems now days news articles related to boating thefts across the country occur all too often.
Perhaps the reason could be desperate people in a struggling economy, the availability of unlocked boats or simply a long stretch of nasty weather. Thieves make assumptions about your habits and conclude that you won’t be going anywhere near your boat while the weather is bad.
Across the nation, more and more boats, trailers, equipment, electronics and personal items are stolen each year. Most of these crimes are committed by amateurs who, when tempted with an easy opportunity, can’t resist that temptation. Remember the old adage that locks are just a means of keeping honest people honest. This certainly applies to boating.
You would be surprised at how often, when strolling the fuel dock, you will find a boat that has pulled up for fuel, or ice or refreshments, just sitting there unattended with the keys in the ignition or, worse yet, idling away. Or even if the keys aren’t present you might see a handheld VHF radio or a pair of expensive binoculars just lying in the seat or on the dash.
What can you do to make sure that your boat stays in your possession? Read on for tips on security.
MARK IT:
Permanently mark or engrave your boat, your trailer, all your equipment, electronics and personal items which you use regularly on your boat with your vessels hull identification number (HIN) and/or your driver’s license number. Your boat of course, unless manufactured prior to 1972, will already have a HIN on the transom. Permanently mark your driver’s license number in a location that is not readily accessible or noticeable. The same should apply to the trailer. Mark your boat’s HIN and your DL number on the underside of the tongue or axle. As for your equipment, electronics and other items, use some method of permanently marking them as well.
Be sure to keep a copy of your boat and trailer registrations at home in a safe place. It is also a good idea to take a hull rubbing of your HIN. Take a sheet of thin paper and tape it over your HIN number on the transom. Using a soft leaded pencil, rub back and forth across the number lightly until in shows up on the piece of paper.
RECORD IT:
Make a complete inventory of your boat, trailer and equipment. List all electronic gear, binoculars, outboard motors, PFDs, fishing equipment etc. by brand, model, and serial numbers if available. Also record your boat by make, model, registration and HIN number. Be sure to record the license number of your trailer.
Keep this master inventory list at home and keep a copy for reference in a hidden place on your boat in case you find something missing.
PHOTOGRAPH OR FILM IT:
Take pictures or videotape your boat, trailer and equipment from all angles. Keep copies at home in a safe place. Perhaps alongside your insurance papers.
ARM IT:
For larger boats, consider an alarm system. Self-contained systems are inexpensive and can be purchased at most any radio shack, electronics or marine store. Be sure to choose a system specifically designed for boating use. The damp and constantly moving marine environment puts demands on the alarm system requiring special sensors and properly protected location. Systems not designed for marine use may malfunction or report false alarms. Be sure, if you have an enclosed cabin, to include a smoke detector and carbon monoxide (CO) detector in your alarm system.
SECURE IT:
Boats should be covered and secured as completely as possible. Ignition switches should be locked and additional steps such as installing a hidden “kill switch,” hidden fuel shut off. I once met a man who even lugged his starter battery back and forth from his home to his boat.
Boats on trailers are easy crime targets if thieves can just hitch up and drive away. Here are several ways that you can help prevent that:
- If possible, store the boat and trailer in a locked garage, secured boat storage facility or mini-storage warehouse.
- Keep the boat well inside your yard, preferably out of sight.
- If possible, turn the trailer around so the it is “nose” in rather than out.
- In a carport or driveway, park a vehicle in front of the trailer, blocking easy removal.
- For any type of outside storage, remove at least one wheel from the trailer. Be sure to block up the axle to keep the trailer level.
- Use a high-security chain and quality lock to secure the boat and trailer to a fixed object such as a tree or post.
- No matter how you store your trailer, get a trailer hitch lock.
- Some trailers are available that allow you to remove the forward part of the tongue which contains the hitch.
STORE IT:
Obviously your best bet is to remove all equipment from your boat and store it in the garage or other secure area. Make sure you lock hatches and opening ports. If your boat doesn’t have them, or they are broken, you can purchase hatch locks at any marine store. When possible, valuable and easily removed items should be secured below deck in a locked compartment. Lockers should be equipped with non-removable hasps and hinges and secured with padlocks. Lock outboard motors and fuel tanks to the boat. When your boat is left unattended, close the window curtains if you have them so people can not “window shop.”
If your boat is kept in the water at a dock, consider chaining it to the dock. Also, get to know your marina neighbors and form a marina watch group.
INSURE IT:
Insurance is an important part of any theft protection plan. Unfortunately, it’s sometimes seen as a substitute for security precautions. True, insurance may replace stolen property and repair damage but there is usually a deductible that must be met and there are intangibles that insurance doesn’t cover. Down time, inconvenience and aggravation normally aren’t compensated.
Finally, insurance companies don’t like losses. Just one claim can result in increased rates and a loss history will probably result in cancellation. Even when no claims have been filed, using a facility with a poor crime history can result in prohibitively high premiums or denial of coverage.
REPORT IT:
What should you do if you are a victim of marine theft? Immediately report your loss to your local law enforcement agency, the United States Coast Guard if on federal waters, your insurance company and the marina or storage facility manager. When a loss occurs, the ability to positively identify property is crucial to its recovery and the the prosecution of thieves and dealers in stolen goods.
By following the above suggestions you can reduce the risk of loss of your boat, trailer or equipment by theft. You should also exercise caution when buying a boat or running across a “good deal” on equipment. To avoid problems, match the HIN listed on the title and registration to the one on the boat. Inspect the HIN on the transom to be sure it has not been altered in any way. (Also, contact the manufacturer to see if a second, duplicate HIN was placed on the vessel or equipment in an inconspicuous place.) And, if you think that pair of $500.00 binoculars is a real bargain at only twenty five bucks…well remember that saying, if it is too good to be true…
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