Preventing boat theft: some basic advice
Every year in the United States thousands of boats are stolen. They get re-sold, engines are removed and sold, they’re stripped for parts and electronics that are fenced to unwitting buyers. In 2005 nearly 8800 boats were stolen in the U.S. (according to National Insurance Crime Bureau statistics), and in 2006 the number will most likely exceed 9000 boats.
I’ve been a victim of boat theft and it wasn’t any fun. But I was lucky—I got mine back. My outboard powered center console that I’d owned for 12 years was stolen from its mooring one dark summer night. It was discovered by a boater the next day. The previous night had been calm and the day it was found the tide was high and the water flat as a pancake. The boat rode motionless in the middle of the bay and was spared being thrown ashore by wind and tide. When I got to it I found the trusty 70hp Evinrude missing and, of all things, the stainless steel destroyer wheel too. Luckily nothing had been cut nor the hull damaged in any way. I loaded it on my trailer and took it home to wait for my insurance agent.
What could I have done to prevent that theft? Well, let’s take a look at what experts and police recommend we do to protect our boats and everything on them from the sticky hands of thieves. We’ll break it down into boats stored on trailers and boats kept on a mooring or at a marina.
If you keep your boat on a trailer then your job of theft prevention is both easier and harder. A trailer allows you to keep your boat near you, but it also allows it to be easily hauled away. Here are some suggestions to make theft more difficult.
• Store your boat where it can’t be seen. Behind the garage or barn, inside a building or behind another object like an infrequently used vehicle (how about that old pickup truck that you rarely use).
• Put a spare trailer ball in the ball socket on the hitch and then lock it in place with a high quality lock.
• Lock your wheel rims to the trailer frame or to each other.
• Remove the rims/tires if you plan to store the boat for a length of time, such as the winter, and especially if you go away for the winter. Remove the license plate too.
• Chain or cable the trailer frame to an immovable object such as a building post, deadman in the ground, or maybe even that old pickup.
• Don’t forget the outboard engine; lock it to the boat or trailer, or remove it if you’re going to leave the boat for an extended time.
• Remove important gear like electronics, anchors and valuable personal items. And take those keys out of the ignition! You’d be surprised how many folks leave them in.
The point is to make the job of stealing the boat or motor such a hassle that the thief goes looking for easier targets. If they have to spend too much time trying to get the boat out, they’ll cut and run. Marking your boat gear and electronics with an identifier will help if you are ripped off and try to recover items.
Preventing theft while your boat is on a mooring or at a private dock or marina is somewhat different. The boat’s in the water so preventing it from running is the key deterrent. But you also have to consider all that expensive stuff you leave on board.
• The #1 preventative measure is to remove the key to ignition and take it off the boat. Take the registration or other papers off too.
• Install a hidden ignition cut-off or battery disconnect to prevent boat from being started.
• Install good quality hasps and locks on doors and hatches
• Take valuables off the boat and store them someplace secure. Quick disconnects for electronics are very helpful here.
• Lock outboards to transoms, or in "up" position, and remove a key component like an ignition component to prevent starting the engine.
If you keep your boat at a marina talk to the manager/owner about the security details they have in place, and if you think something would improve security, let them know. Having boats or gear stolen from their facility is bad for business.
Last but not least, keep an inventory of your boat; important components, electronics, gear and personal items. Photograph the boat (including the hull ID plate) and all the gear of importance and put all of this in a file at home.
Securing your boat may sound like a lot to do everytime you get done with a boat outing, but if you make yourself a check list to follow, it will become second nature. We can’t prevent every theft as I found out that summer night, but we can take steps to lessen the chances. And above all, it’s wise to keep that insurance policy paid up.