Overnight security (rookie questions)

Doug/Karen · Feb 16, 2014

Re: sleeping overnight (rookie questions)

I would think a lot would depend on the nature of the marina. In out case, we are located in a rural area and have very little if any after-dark traffic on our dock. Our dock functions as a "neighborhood" wherein we all keep an eye on each other's boats and on the people visiting the dock. Signs back at the marina office advise that the docks are accessible only by slip-holders. We also have hardly any history of theft or vandalism. Marinas in urban surroundings with high pedestrian traffic (and, depending on ease of access to the slips) would have a greater concern for safety.

Don S/V ILLusion · Feb 16, 2014

Re: sleeping overnight (rookie questions)

My (then) teenage daughter used to sleep on our 40.5 during the summer when she bar tended at the marina restaurant and, although the marina was "secure", I still worried about her safety. In retrospect, it was safer for her to sleep on board then drive home very night.

All I did was install a hasp on the interior side of the companionway doors to prevent access while she was asleep.

Brezzin · Feb 16, 2014

Like others have said, it depends on the marina. I normally just click the lock but am fully aware that boat locks are for honest people. One night my buddy who owned a tanzer 22 spent the night aboard his boat and in the early morning hours the boat was boarded by a couple of people looking to loot it. They got a big surprise when a booming voice from the inside yelled out and they just ran off. Two lessons here, first this boat was the first slip so easy on easy off for the thief . Second if the thief knew someone was aboard then they won't choose your boat. In a marina that's not my home marina I will sometimes leave a cockpit light on to show that somebody is home. But the truth is in 30 years of being in a marina I've never heard of any type of random boat invasion crime in the USA.

Rick D · Feb 16, 2014

See this Lock

In our own (secure) marina, when I am there, I don't lock the companionway, When elsewhere, or when my wife or daughter are there alone, I have them lock it via the interior lock. See this thread: http://forums.hunter.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=150671

wufibugs · Feb 16, 2014

Re: sleeping overnight (rookie questions)

Not to rekindle the "we should all have an M-16 under the pillow" debate, but the admiral spends entirely too much time watching Law and Order and its progeny. As a result she has developed a paranoia that does not appear to be justified by our locked down marina and proximity to other live-aboards. Still, there is no arguing with paranoia so I replaced the old 12v radio/cd with one of the new gps/dvd enabled 7" screen jobs that supports a rear view camera for $140 for the nav station. Bought a color night vision camera from Harbor Freight for $33. Now if she feels uneasy, she can pop up and take a good look at everything aft of the mast [course now she wants me to back into the slip so she can see the entire dock as well]. I think her biggest remaining fear should be that an even more paranoid neighbor may think the set up is designed for peeping.

njsail · Feb 16, 2014

We keep two dogs on board. Anyone comes down the dock finger they wake everyone up and great the visitor expected or unexpected. The bad part....late night parties with people wandering keeps them edgy. Just thinking of a positive against walking the beasts several times a day in all weather.

thinwater · Feb 16, 2014

I've never locked anything nor worried about it.

If I did need to worry about it, that means I need to be somewhere else.

----

That said, if you are going to use a hasp, make darn sure you can open it in the dark. Also, in an emergency, can you fit through other hatches? Most folks can, thus, there are many exits, and the front door may well not be the best choice.

dcfleming · Feb 16, 2014

Re: sleeping overnight (rookie questions)

At my marina I always found it both amusing and annoying that my fellow vigilant marina neighbors would often intercept and question the presence of various girlfriends I’ve had through the years as they would walk down the dock to my boat. Mean while these same neighbors wouldn’t look twice at a group of gruff guys as long as they looked like they were working and carrying tools. Where did they think my bikini clad girlfriend was going to hide their high-end chart plotter?

My annoyance comes from working in law enforcement and knowing that most people both over and under estimate certain threats. If someone was determined to board your boat despite knowing it was occupied and locked any device would only slow them down a little. As with most situations, you are only safe when you are prepared to defend yourself.

quadrille38 · Feb 16, 2014

We have been on the same lake in two different marinas (next door to each other) for 24 years. Traveled a lot to different marinas as well. Have never bothered to lock up when we were aboard. There have been a few stories of occasional problems but nothing significant for us until the summer of 2012. We were sound asleep when I felt a very slight movement of the boat. It woke me up and I flew out of bed yelling a load as a could. Lots of scrambling of someone trying to get off the boat and run down the dock. Long story but it turned out to be a somewhat drunk couple (he was hiding in the shadows while she was looking to get in) looking for a place to ...... Well you know .... Still creeps us out. The guy dropped his cell phone and we found it the next morning. Called the police. The took the phone and began work to identify the owner. Get this, the guy uses the find my phone app and show up at the police department claiming he lost it in a bar and wanting it back. Refuses to show ID. Police not buying and ultimately the guy is out several hundred buck for his smartphone but he does avoid jail for breaking and entering Anyway what I'd say is that I'd depends heavily on where you boat as to how secure you will be. A lock on the inside is OK as long as it is very easily opened from the inside. I did a lot of research looking for intruder alarms. More the kind that when set off would wake the dead as opposed to the expensive monitored systems. I haven't found anything that really installed easily and would do the job without lots of false alarms. The motion sensor types seemed like a good idea until I determined that their range was such that someone on the dock could set it off. Too many false alarms will get them ignored.

we did hear of two guys dressed as workman who in broad daylight walked down a long dock went aboard the boat and removed the expensive down riggers system and some fishing poles and then strolled down the dock with them. So vigilant neighbors do really help. When they are on the alert for people who aren't familiar.

artboas · Feb 16, 2014

I have a perfect solution

quadrille38 said:
We have been on the same lake in two different marinas (next door to each other) for 24 years. Traveled a lot to different marinas as well. Have never bothered to lock up when we were aboard. There have been a few stories of occasional problems but nothing significant for us until the summer of 2012. We were sound asleep when I felt a very slight movement of the boat. It woke me up and I flew out of bed yelling a load as a could. Lots of scrambling of someone trying to get off the boat and run down the dock. Long story but it turned out to be a somewhat drunk couple (he was hiding in the shadows while she was looking to get in) looking for a place to ...... Well you know .... Still creeps us out. The guy dropped his cell phone and we found it the next morning. Called the police. The took the phone and began work to identify the owner. Get this, the guy uses the find my phone app and show up at the police department claiming he lost it in a bar and wanting it back. Refuses to show ID. Police not buying and ultimately the guy is out several hundred buck for his smartphone but he does avoid jail for breaking and entering Anyway what I'd say is that I'd depends heavily on where you boat as to how secure you will be. A lock on the inside is OK as long as it is very easily opened from the inside. I did a lot of research looking for intruder alarms. More the kind that when set off would wake the dead as opposed to the expensive monitored systems. I haven't found anything that really installed easily and would do the job without lots of false alarms. The motion sensor types seemed like a good idea until I determined that their range was such that someone on the dock could set it off. Too many false alarms will get them ignored.

we did hear of two guys dressed as workman who in broad daylight walked down a long dock went aboard the boat and removed the expensive down riggers system and some fishing poles and then strolled down the dock with them. So vigilant neighbors do really help. When they are on the alert for people who aren't familiar.

My wife recently bought a "Morkie"
It's a combination of Yorkie, and something else.
It barks all day long from morning to night.

Answers to name "Shut up already"
Give me your address & I'll ship him to you.

dmc · Feb 17, 2014

On the Great Lakes.....

most people in public marinas close their boats to bugs. I don't know how many have interior locks, most don't I suspect. When I'm "locked down" to the screens no one could enter without making enough noise to wake me. When I leave my boat in a public marina I lock it up. Reduce the opportunity for crime.
In 40 years I have never been in a Michigan Public Marina when a crime was committed or even rumored around the docks, but......I've heard stories, so I'm careful. All in all, sailing the Great Lakes and staying at public marinas is safe and Great fun. It's about 35 miles, or less, between marinas all around the State.

Peace
dmc

IH82BL8 · Feb 17, 2014

This won't secure the boat but what about a motion sensor for the spreader lights?

Bill Roosa · Feb 17, 2014

I'm with Thinwater, I never lock the boat when aboard.
And if you are spending the night then you are probably not going to be going to bed early ....... not really much to worry about.

brianhess · Feb 17, 2014

I keep a small calibre pistol under my pillow at night in the event that I would sleep into an "invasion." That being said, in a marina with gated security requiring a key code to access the docks, most marinas have working video security. If you are in a public dock, depending on the neighborhood and if it is secluded, if someone really wants to board you and steal your wares then they will do it. You can never be 100% secured. In one season on the Hood Canal, my boat was broken into and robbed twice despite being locked up tight. Each time was during times when I wasn't onboard to avert the crimes. This was at the the same marina when the previous two years nothing happened. To be paranoid about the what ifs is not going to be productive, but if you want to deter a would-be burglary then I would recommend a video surveillance system or a wildlife camera that uploads photos to your cell phone through a gps signal. Then you have photographic evidence of stupid people that ignore your privacy or try to help themselves to your stuff-an uncommon creature that's more common than bigfoot.

EmmaC · Feb 17, 2014

security

I lived on my Hunter 33 in the marina in Key West - city marina - and never or rarely locked the boat when on board. I was a single woman and never worried. I knew if someone was on board - and a quick shout would have brought a ton of neighbors. We were an unsecured marina, and I never had a problem. I kept all deck electronics stowed and locked when not in use, but other than that - no one messed with boats in the live aboard marina.

sailndays · Feb 17, 2014

I'd use one of the solar powered motion sensing security lights so I could see who/what I'm shooting at with my 40 M&P. Useful in some areas of the Caribbean.

Don Lucas · Feb 17, 2014

There's always a light on in my cockpit, I bet that is enough to make 99% of people who would be thinking of boarding a boat to move along to a different boat. So if I discourage 99% of the 0.05% percent of the chance to begin with I feel I'm pretty well covered.

braddexter · Feb 17, 2014

In the UK and (where I am now based) in France, I leave a small light on when I'm on board. This at least (I hope) let's anyone know that it's likely than some one is actually on this boat, so go elsewhere. But, in truth, I never seen any crime. How big an issue is this? On the other hand, my better half would have everything padlocked closed, security lights, guard dogs etc. I guess you can worry too much? Or as she sees it, I worry too little....