Locking a mast on trailered boat

[walt]

This post about a mast being stolen got me wondering that maybe I need to be more careful when the boat is on the trailer and for example parked in the side yard http://forums.macgregor.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=143778

Does anyone lock their mast to the boat when stored? Any good method of doing this as the lock itself has some metal scrap value and could be stolen along with the mast

 

[anchorclanker]

Thieves are generally not stupid, though some are beyond stupid. Point being, if someone wants something bad enough they will get destructive/creative if needed. They sawed ours sons catalytic converter off his car while parked overnight at his sisters using a cordless sawzall. 100's got hit around town...Got the son in laws parked next to it too, dogs didnt even bark. But the cars were parked "out back" where it was dark. Thieves love the dark.

Put motion lights up that will trip if anyone goes near the boat when its dark. Cover the boat so no one can see whats there. Store as much as possible, rigging etc., inside the boat, or in the garage. Put a fence around it. Put up a hidden motion sensor camera. If you lock the mast to the sailboat, and they they see it, they will want it, and if they can get to it, they may do a lot of damage. Best is to make them not want to go near it to begin with.

Buddies cars were getting broken into in his driveway. He put up motion lights, hasnt had a problem since.

 

[Bob McL]

Years ago I had a pontoon boat with a BIG Johnson on it - hundreds of pounds - and chained to the boat then to a tree. You can guess it - cut the chain and got the motor off. When the shop worked on the motor, they had to use a hoist. Very clever thieves!

But not as bad as when looking at some property in southern Arizona with a landing field on it. So the sales guy says he stayed on the property once - in a trailer. After shopping he came home and found that someone had stolen the wheels of the trailer. Two weeks later, came home and found that thieves had returned and removed the appliances. And two weeks later they brought the wheels back . . . . and, you guessed it, they put the wheels back on and took the rest of the trailer. And I was going to leave my plane their during the week? I was outta' there - fast!

 

[kpgraci]

Locks keep honest people honest.. Thieves will find a way if the payoff is big enough - if all it takes is a bolt cutter to defeat your security then all you're really doing is saving some honest guy's soul. One interesting solution is to install one of those wildlife cameras in some hidden place - catch them on film at least - usually a thief is known to the area.

 

[Mike B1026]

My luck, they would steal the camera too.

 

[Sail123]

He purchased a sailboat compleat and when he shows with the money, seller says he lost his mast on his sailboat?

Dude, cut it out. That cash in his pocket is his till the deal is finalized.

He had an incomplete sailboat, which is really only worth the scrap value of the keel, which ain't much or the thieves would have taken that also.

Now he has an incomplete sailboat. The debate skills that schools teach us, is going to come out, this is where he defends his actions and tell us it will be ok, and all will work out.

Had that been me, I would have walked.

I drove two hours to purchase a extra long shaft outboard. On the phone I asked him point blank, you sure this measures 25" from where they are measured. He says it is more like 27". That should have been my first clue. When I get there, I see a regular shaft engine. I ask the guy for a tape measure, and when he hands me one, I toss it in his face, and tell him he should learn how to use one.

People are stupid. The school system has failed us. I guess.



I insure anything sitting out. A padlock will only stop an honest person.

 

[anchorclanker]

I dont insure anything sitting out, but I wouldnt expect someone to buy something from me if parts were stolen off of it before they paid for it. And I wouldnt buy it if everything was missing when I came to pick it up. Caveat emptor, buyer beware.

Those remote motion cameras would be better if they didnt flash in low light, if you could turn off the flash. Flash gives them away, a thief would simply take it. Unless their stupid.

 

[anchorclanker]

On the phone I asked him point blank, you sure this measures 25" from where they are measured. He says it is more like 27". That should have been my first clue.

Did you explain where they are measured? I dont think I would have driven two hours without a pic or consensus on how it was measured.

 

[caguy]

Ahem, I can hear you....

He purchased a sailboat complete and when he shows with the money, seller says he lost his mast on his sailboat?

Dude, cut it out. That cash in his pocket is his till the deal is finalized.

He had an incomplete sailboat, which is really only worth the scrap value of the keel, which ain't much or the thieves would have taken that also.

Now he has an incomplete sailboat. The debate skills that schools teach us, is going to come out, this is where he defends his actions and tell us it will be ok, and all will work out.

Had that been me, I would have walked.
People are stupid. The school system has failed us. I guess.
I insure anything sitting out. A padlock will only stop an honest person.

I bought the boat from the PO a couple of years ago for $1K. I have since replaced both sets of brakes (with new backing plates), replaced the master brake cylinder. I replaced all of the bunks and carpeted them. I removed the old antifouling paint and resealed and applied new antifouling paint. I removed the old boot stripe and painted a new one. I replaced all of the trailer lights and wiring. I had already transferred the boat to my name.

I stored the boat in his yard for two years while I worked on it. I had not been to see the boat in the past year since I was busy restoring and sailing the C27. I owed the PO about 18 months rent at $50/ mo. The PO offered to forgive the 18 months of rent after I explained the replacement cost for a new one was about 3K.

First of all had it been you, you probably would have walked, because, yes some people are "stupid".

Secondly: I'm sure you do insure everything that sits out. I prefer to weigh the cost of the insurance, assess the risk and then insure accordingly. I'm admittedly a little less jaded about human nature and a little more trusting than most. The statement, "A padlock will only stop an honest person", seems a bit oxymoronic to me. I do lock things down to discourage the lazy and impetuous thieves. I have found on several occasions the combination lock on my kayak at the marina with all four numbers turned to zero, indicating that the lock was tampered with.

Thirdly: I don't normally respond to people like you but not to I feel would be a diservice. I work for one of those school systems that apparently "has failed you". I apologize for their not teaching you common courtesy. I will try to rectify that omission, since it is in my didactic nature to do so, by telling you, that I think you are rude.

 

[kpgraci]

To bring this back to topic - I have an observation - stealing a mast off a sailboat that is parked on the side of someones house is no small task. My sailboat can't really be accessed on the trailer without a step ladder, and the mast, although not heavy, is awkward - moving it is a two person job especially if you want to be quiet. And hauling it off with your pickup truck is pretty obvious - it has to lay on top the cab sticking out 10 feet in both directions. Seems like this would be an isolated incident, and anyone that determined would not have a problem defeating a padlock.

If you're really worried about your mast being stolen off your stored boat - consider an enclosed outbuilding - a friend of mine with several acres of land got one of those aluminum carports - elevated it with some posts and enclosed the whole thing with scrap fence board - looks like an old barn - locking swinging doors on both ends and I added security cameras watching it. He makes a point to tell all his neighbors and anyone that visits about his camera and how he can see everything that goes on.

 

[anchorclanker]

Frank, I feel your being a bit heavy handed towards Sail 123. He makes some good points, even without the additional information you just offered. If I drove two hours to see something and found the owner misrepresented it, I may very well have thrown the tape in his face too.

I also learned young that its not always wise to lock everything up. I owned a convertible at 16 years old, locked it up everywhere I went. That is, until a thief cut the top to get into the car to steal a $25 radio. Now I was stuck driving the car with duct tape on the top until I could scrounge up $700 for a new top. After that I never locked it again. Take whatever ya want, just dont wreck my car in the process?

You want to cable lock the mast to your boat? What do you do if they tear it out of the hull? There is a time to be cautious, and a time to be wise.

I am also calling BS, one more time, about YOUR theft. No one would take cushions and cabin items unless they had a use for them, they sure as heck didnt scrap them. Sure, a thief would take the mast for scrap, but as suggested, hard to get away quietly and unobserved with something 30 feet long. But if they were looking for scrap, why they take the cushions? Those cushions would only fit THAT boat, and nothing else.

My theory is, you left the boat sit there for 18 months, and the PO sold all those items or gave them away to someone with the same boat. In any case, it would be foolish to think otherwise. I would bet my boat he knows where that stuff went.

But leaving it in his yard for 18 months? When I buy something, I remove it immediately from the sellers possession. Leaving it for any length of time has proven, repeatedly, to be bad business.

I have a 500 watt flood light up on the roof wired through a remote motion sensor. It will light up the yard like its Noon. Thieves would freak and run.

 

[caguy]

Frank, I feel your being a bit heavy handed towards Sail 123. He makes some good points, even without the additional information you just offered. If I drove two hours to see something and found the owner misrepresented it, I may very well have thrown the tape in his face too.

I also learned young that its not always wise to lock everything up. I owned a convertible at 16 years old, locked it up everywhere I went. That is, until a thief cut the top to get into the car to steal a $25 radio. Now I was stuck driving the car with duct tape on the top until I could scrounge up $700 for a new top. After that I never locked it again. Take whatever ya want, just dont wreck my car in the process?

You want to cable lock the mast to your boat? What do you do if they tear it out of the hull? There is a time to be cautious, and a time to be wise.

I am also calling BS, one more time, about YOUR theft. No one would take cushions and cabin items unless they had a use for them, they sure as heck didnt scrap them. Sure, a thief would take the mast for scrap, but as suggested, hard to get away quietly and unobserved with something 30 feet long. But if they were looking for scrap, why they take the cushions? Those cushions would only fit THAT boat, and nothing else.

My theory is, you left the boat sit there for 18 months, and the PO sold all those items or gave them away to someone with the same boat. In any case, it would be foolish to think otherwise. I would bet my boat he knows where that stuff went.

But leaving it in his yard for 18 months? When I buy something, I remove it immediately from the sellers possession. Leaving it for any length of time has proven, repeatedly, to be bad business.

I have a 500 watt flood light up on the roof wired through a remote motion sensor. It will light up the yard like its Noon. Thieves would freak and run.

There were no cushions when I bought the boat. The mast was not next to his house but in the back of the lot. It was close to a fence that backs up to a parking lot where people party on Fri and Sat nights. I trust the PO in working on the boat for the first 6-8 months we built a pretty good relationship. He's 89 years old with some good old school ethics.

In hindsight I wish that I had locked it down.

Here is pict of the the yard and the boat and an earlier pict of the boat and the mast on top of the storage bin.

 

[anchorclanker]

Did the ladders disappear as well? If someone was taking aluminum for scrap they certainly wouldnt pass up two easy to carry off ladders. Is there other stuff missing, or just your boat parts? Age has no bearing on honesty.

Its all moot anyway, cant prove anything one way or the other.

 

[monkeybars]

lucky you didnt get your ass kicked tossing the tape back in his face, i know i would have whooped on you a little for pulling a stunt like that.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Recenlty I sold my boat using various on the internet and craigs list as well.

I had an inquiry with a phone number only and no addreess. For Bill of Sale which he requested without an address to be sent over the internet was unusal. I demanded an address. When I got it, well the address was in california with a land based phone in NYC Bronx area. Well I sent it anyway and it came back undeliverable as address unknown which I would suspect would happen. So even on the internet you have to be on guard. There are comapnies that can be hired to be the go between with the monies and title work. If the buyer says no, back away from that.

When I was a sailboat dealer selling out of the area, for payment, I had the monies wire transferred to a specific account and when the bank notified me they were in, I went and transferred the monies into another account as that account was never given out to protect it. Then the boat was released along with the paperwork to include titles.

Whenever I left a boat at port for shipping overseas, I took photos. It was good in one case as the buyer said I had sent the boat torn apart. I sent him photos but also a list of folks to include the freight forwarder, importer, exporter, shipping company and also the agent with autstrailian customs who said he was going to tear it apart as the buyer gave that agent a difficult time since the buyer was trying to fraudently get back some of the shipping costs. He apoloized and left it at that.

crazy dave condon

 

[anchorclanker]

Also, you cant trust cashiers checks, even legitimate ones. Guy I know sold a 185 on floats to a guy in NY. Guy had a pre purchase done, flew with his mechanic, set it down on local water, etc.. Made the deal. On touchdown on the Hudson, he flipped it and it was destroyed. Had his bank cancel the check, which they did, and threatened a law suit for improper float setup, leading to loss of control, if the seller squawked. Cash is King.

 

[kpgraci]

lucky you didnt get your ass kicked tossing the tape back in his face, i know i would have whooped on you a little for pulling a stunt like that.

I was thinking the same thing...but then I figured it was just a 'what I wanted to do" comment.

I would have taken the tape and shown the guy how to properly measure the motor, by example, noting it was not 27" or even 25", and saying sorry, not what I'm looking for.