Boat Burglary

rufus1138 · Oct 8, 2013

stupid people looking for stuff they think will pawn easy without questions, the know that the motor is serialized and wont pawn easy, more money but guaranteed to get busted, everything else is quick pawn shop fodder for a few bucks so they can buy their next fix, tell your liveaboards if the dock has any and things will be nice and quiet on the dock for a good long while. if you dont have any liveaboards i would suggest moving somewhere that does and making friends with them

Mr Mac · Oct 8, 2013

Thank God for insurance! While I've yet to have a boat broken in to, I have had a couple of trucks burglarized and it sucks! I hope they catch the moron(s) that did this to you!

Stu Jackson · Oct 8, 2013

Yes, liveaboards. Those truly wonderful people that the "authorities" keep trying to get rid of and limit.

rufus1138 · Oct 8, 2013

lol stu you would be surprised how many laws protect those living on their boats, there are definitely limits to what these "authorities" can and cant do, i know ive got a nice dock and good neighbors and all my dockmates like having me and my neighbor around. you shouldve seen the backlash from the marina owner trying to kick us out. he had 22 boats (some quite large) threaten a rent strike and a marina takeover.

Dan Johnson · Oct 8, 2013

Captn Morgan...

Are you on a mooring or at one of the marina docks (assuming you to be in Georgetown)?

A couple of years ago we had a large sailboat at our club stripped of all its electronics and last year a large powerboat suffered the same fate. Both of these acts occurred during a weeknight when there was no one around or staying aboard.

Our assumption is that the perps arrived and departed by water as getting from the docks up where they could have parked would have been a very large pain in the tranfer and exposure to neighbors and other boaters.

Good luck in obtaining any sort of recovery although unique items may inadvertantly give one of the perps up.

Rick486 · Oct 9, 2013

Capt Morgan said:
After a wonderful trip from the Chesapeake to NYC, Block Island, with a couple weekends in Newport RI, my boat returned to its wonderful home on the Sassafras River in MD at the end of Labor Day only to be burglarized sometime in the following 10 days. The perps took 2 stereo systems, VHF radio, handhled radio, GPS, compass, tools, binoculars, most of my dock lines, and a host of other items, some very unusual:
Entire contents of the chart table including keys, spare parts, spare bulbs, and charts, you know, all that hard to amass specialty items that are only valuable to me and my boat.
Fins, mask, snorkel, and WET SUIT (Who steals a used wet suit???????).
New in the box "Sea Fire" FM 200 Automatic fire suppression system, but they left the box and the instruction manual????
Luckily there was not a lot of other damage to the boat although they stole control panels for the charger/inverter and thermostat unit for two Polar Bay HVAC systems which are expensive to replace and are of no value alone.
Al the while not touching a 2 HP outboard on the back rail of the cockpit...

If I may ask, how did they get below? Was she locked up?

glonek5 · Oct 9, 2013

Now here is a question. Do you lock your boat or not? I've heard both sides. Some will say leave it open so if they are going to get into your boat it minimizes damage. Others say lock it up to keep them out.
Thoughts?
Bob

Dan Johnson · Oct 9, 2013

Bob...

Ask your insurer what your coverage is if you leave your boat unlocked...

Rick486 · Oct 10, 2013

glonek5 said:
Now here is a question. Do you lock your boat or not? I've heard both sides. Some will say leave it open so if they are going to get into your boat it minimizes damage. Others say lock it up to keep them out.
Thoughts?
Bob

I respectfully suggest that not locking a boat is over-thinking the problem. My boat is locked so tight that it would require a large pry bar to even come close to breaking in. Not locking the boat makes it way too easy and quiet for a casual entry by a non-professional evil doer.

woodster · Oct 10, 2013

from the items you described it may well be an 18 to 30 year old person or persons but i bet is they are connected to the immediate surroundings (inside job)...just my 2cents....

regards

woody

PGIJon · Oct 10, 2013

I've been googling for a good 12v IR detector with Alarm. Has anyone gone that route? If so, how did you set it up?

Rick486 · Oct 10, 2013

Capt Morgan said:
My boat was locked, and I believe the companion way was forced open without permanant damage to the doors/locks. I did need to re tighten screws on the door hinges

Your companionway is probably identical to mine. What I did to beef it up was first make sure any screws in the doors were thru bolts with lock nuts. Then I added locks to the companionway slider so that it cannot be moved without first opening the doors and unlocking the slider locks. I then added an additional padlock to the doors. Again, any bolts are fitted with lock nuts on the inside. So basically the only way to defeat the companionway is to destroy the doors or the slider, either of which actions would be very noisy. I also added a padlock on the inside so that the companionway is secure when we are below as well.

tadd5181 · Oct 17, 2013

Sorry to hear about your loss, but I must add that his type of info made me check on my own boat insurance...I have just upgraded my electronics.

I found that my policy covers an electronics loss/theft at the value of the boat, of course with a deductible, and, outside the entire boat being lost, there is a limit per item. That last limit is more than the cost of any one of the new electronic item aboard, so that is ok. I am glad I checked with my company.