Boat Security

[ppem45]

Hey sparky, you got the quote right but you wrote that it was from ppem45 and it was from fishfactory, no cables here

 

[MaxOut]

One tool - cordless grinder with abrasive cut off wheel.

This will cut any cable, lock or anything else... :lol:

I have seen remotly located houses with alarm systems broken into by cutting through an exterior wall with a chain saw and the alarm was never set off. :shock:

I still think insurance is the best security. (and no I do not sell insurance)

 

[Megabyte]

Even a satellite link could be defeated by shooting down the satellite. :roll:

Tin foil hat. :wink:
Makes you invisible.

 

[ppem45]

You are so right FF, I think I will hit the button at the bottom of the page that gives me the option of not watching this topic or not. Bye now!

 

[MaxOut]

Sorry ppem45 and Fish Factory if you do not like people pointing out ways your security can be "thwarted", but that is what this thread is about "Boat Security" and you have to think like a thief in order to determine the strengths and weakness of your security measures. I'm sure you wouldn't comment if someone suggested to tape there doors shut with duct tape. :? That's just as silly as shooting down a satellite? :wink:

I thought living between Washington DC and Baltimore was bad but Rhode Island must be worse...

Fish Factory - how is locking your chair to your steering wheel going to stop someone from stealing your seat post? And what "as you say crack head" thief is going to know what that thing is or worth?? Paranoid?

Fish Factory Quote "My (fortunately limited) experience w/crack head thief’s is they will steal what they can get quick and easy"

This is a good point. Out of sight out of mind. Except all thief’s are not crack heads, in fact the majority of thefts committed are done by people you know or professionals. These days the thefts are even committed by the owners themselves to get insurance money.

The best way to secure your boat is based on where you keep it and what gives you piece of mind. I personally keep my boat in front of my house with cameras recording two angles and I keep the door and windows locked. That’s good enough for me and I am not going to spend another moment of my short life worrying about it. S$%t happens and if it does I know it will suck dealing with the insurance companies but in case no one told you Life Is Not Fair. At least I know I have the best insurance I can get and maybe best case scenario I will get upgraded stuff if it gets stolen :lol:

My Advice- (Like opinions and assholes everyone’s got one)

Keep your boat in a well lighted place whenever possible.

Cover your windows and lock the door and windows. (Good for keeping sun off your interior too.)

A sign saying you have security is almost as good as the security.

Keep all valuables out of sight in the cockpit and cover them when possible.

If you trailer your boat make sure when you stop park it were you can keep an eye on it.

Before you choose a marina ask them if they have any problems and get a slip near a light or close to the dock master.

GET GOOD INSURANCE AND READ THE POLICY. ASK QUESTIONS.

 

[HM5]

Keith's points are very valid. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" Of the situations that I have had to investigate, the bottom line is: if they can get to yer stuff they will! Gone in 60 seconds (or less)

Several years ago had report of a boat found on a secluded part of one of the beaches. Secured the boat which appeared to have been striped. Power, antenna, control, steering cables all cut. No anchor, engine, electronics or pfd's aboard.

Two days later got a report that there was a missing 15' Whaler from one of the marinas. Returned it to owner after verifying ownership. Was in a dimly light part of the marina, very accessible to parking lot and sea. No insurance, no record of serial #s. Dealer was able to provide that during investigation. Turned info over to PD's. A month or so later report came back engine among other automotive and marine items were confiscated during a drug bust up in our fair capital city.

Lucky or unlucky pay attention to details, as pointed out in Keith's previous post. Record all the model and serial numbers of all the stuff on your boat, so if recovered you might be able to get it back. At least it provides the authorities the ability to create a timeline of the theft, if it should happen, so as to aid in prosecution.

 

[MaxOut]

Thanks Mathew! I have a complete record of all serial #'s and even did a video walk through. Saved on a Disc and keep in a safe deposit box with other records. A good practice at your house as well. Takes a while at your house but I would never remember all the little stuff if there was a fire and you have a limited amount of time to claim losses in the event of a fire or theft. It's one of those things you put off and could end up regretting it. I do it every year as part of my New Year items to re inventory the house and gets easier every year. At the same time I review all of my insurance coverage to make sure it is sufficient. No insurance company is going to argue with a video record and makes things much easier if you need it. :wink:

 

[Brent]

I bought a couple of inexpensive
Pressure-Sensitive Alarm Mats
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... mber=96481

 

[MaxOut]

I recently added a fixed marine day/night vision camera on the rocket launchers facing the cockpit to use as a rear view mirror and record fishing events. I upgraded the Raymarine C-120 to an E-120 to gain video inputs/outputs and allows me to use the multifunction display as my video screen. I purchased a small 12v DVR with 1 terabyte storage for recording. Not that I feel I really need it for security but as added feature I am going to wire a battery powered motion sensor to the rocket launcher and use it to trigger the camera and DVR to record. I have a pulse stretcher that will connect to the motion sensor and when motion is sensed it will energies a relay sending power to the DVR & camera (the DVR automatically starts recording when powered). The pulse stretcher can be set for a certain amount of time to keep the system on for up to ten min for each trigger. The DVR & cameras draw very little power and even with the DVR set at 32 fps on its highest quality setting will record for nearly 1000 hours of video before filling the hard drive. I will have a DPDT switch in line to bypass the motion and deliver power full time when need for fishing. This way I have the best of both worlds. When I am hooked to shore power I can leave the camera and DVR running 24/7 when I am not around. I have around $500.00 invested in the camera & DVR and may be a good option for some here concerned about security. If you do not have a video source you could use a Lyra (pictured below) or any other portable video recorder with its own built in screen, drive as an alternative to a DVR and stash it somewhere in the boat. I have a Lyra that has a 12v power cord and video in-outs for recording and playback. This would be sufficient storage for use with the motion as my 60gig Lyra will record nearly 60 hours of video, audio and has a screen for review. Just thought I would add this as nothing replaces video when it goes to court. As an added benefit if you keep you boat near a network the DVR has network capability and remote monitoring. This would allow you to view recorded/live video from any computer with an internet connection and also change DVR settings and archive video on a remote computer. Sorry a little long winded…See pictures below.

 

[BradV]

you let people pee on your motor?

 

[MaxOut]

you let people pee on your motor?

Alchohol rinse gets the salt off

 

[Brent]

excellent, thanks for posting

Any nighttime orl ow light images to post?

 

[Brent]

Do they have a camera with builtin wifi?

 

[skipperhub]

You are right Maxout.

Different circumstances surounding where and how you keep your boat call for different approaches to security.
In my case my 2520 is secure on a trailer in my back yard with a light on it and in a very crime free neighborhood and two dogs to sound the alarm. That is one setting. Next it is sitting dockside easily accessable from the water or land, at a Marina that closes at 2:am when the restaurant closes. Next it is tied at a dock, fifty miles from my house in a totally deserted area known for thievery. Even though it is a Federal dock and there are Federal boats there it doesn't make any difference. That river is black as sin on a moonless night and any matter of people might come sliding by in the dark with bolt cutters and a tow rope! The best I can do is run a cable thru equipment that it is inconvenient to move or store at that point in time, run a cable to the dock, and hope for the best, (along with a peace of mind investment in full coverage insurance)

Skipperhub

 

[BradV]

http://www.guardianmobility.com/MarineApplication.php

 

[greatcir]

I sure agree on the bright lights at night around my boat as priority #1. I will not lock my boat to the dock for a lot of reasons such as fire which we had not long ago & the marina owner pulled the endangered boats out of their slips and out of the way of the burning vessel so no other collateral damage was done.

I keep an alarm decal on my boat door window from my home system. I also keep an LED dummy false alarm velcroed to the gray cover of my Raytheon C70 unit. It has two red LEDs and flashes for months on a couple of AAA batteries. Never shut it off. Similar to this unit:

http://www.proactive-personal-protectio ... t-wwm.html

And I stay heavily insured with a man who owns a boat and who understands boats...............Pete

 

[TheOtherLine]

Was toying around with the idea of keeping a weapon on board when doing those long offshore trips.

I've read some of the posts here and other places about the benefits of shotguns versus 30/6 .

I always carry a automatic Sig but it's pretty useless in a not so close situation with rocking seas. So, I'm inclined to go with a shotgun and load up with alternating rounds...slug, buck, slug etc.,

I've seen Kev's "modified" Mossberg and I kinda like that gun, just not the price.

I'm eyeballing an Ithaca "tactical" model that holds 9 rounds and can deliver rounds as quickly as you can rack the slide. (keep the trigger depressed and she will fire with every "pump".)

The it's not a stainless gun but the dealer suggested I have it coated, ( I forget what he called it but it's like powder coating) and it should not succumb to the elements. $550 including powder coating.

He also suggested I install a fixed mount PVC tube, capped on both ends, large enough in diameter to house the shotgun, small enough in length to keep it from sliding around.

Any thoughts??

 

[Brent]

I have an old Winchester 12G pump shotgun and it breaks apart for easy storage and stored in a lined canvas (yes canvas) case with leather straps
and an old S&W 38 sp police revolver.
It is so old, most folks have not seen one
If something happens, most likely I will be out gunned but these fire arms will make some noise.

I always wanted a BAR

 

[Megabyte]

The Mossberg Mariner that I have is the 20" (9 shot) version. They can also be had in an 18" (6 shot) version. I have see the 18" version for about $400.00 new
You can see all of Mossbergs special purpose shotguns here:
http://www.mossberg.com/products/default.asp?id=5

Remington makes an 870 in a 'Marine Magnum' version that is similar to the Mossberg, and there might be other companies that make similar, non-corroding versions built for the saltwater environment.
http://www.remington.com/products/firea ... magnum.asp
The Remingtons go for about $600.00 new

My Mossy was customized quite a bit for home and boat protection, but you don't have to get quite that trick.
Or you could buy the Mossy JIC that already comes in a tube.
http://www.impactguns.com/store/015813523400.html#

I don't care for the pistol grip model without a butt stock (too difficult to control), but if you go with that model, I just happen to know where you can get a 'factory' butt stock to replace that pistol grip. :wink:

For loading, I would not alternate rounds... but that is just my preference.

For anti-personnel or anti fiberglass boat duty, I would load with law enforcement 00Buck.
For strictly anti-bad-guys-boat... load with reduced recoil slugs and aim for the water line.

Mine is loaded with LE 00Buck.

 

[dcunniff]

Remington mariner one looks good like Mossberg's. Both readily available. You mentioned Ithica. Benelli has one too. I would lean toward readily available and with parts. Stainless steel is a good feature.

Also one shot wonder, a flare gun. A gaff. Filet knife. Handgun as you mentioned.

People have to be careful when they boat in waters near other states, and other countries.

Dana