Unsolved Mystery Last Night on the Boat

Blueone

Blueone

Well-Known Member
SILVER Sponsor
Jan 24, 2007
13,790
Lake Erie, Ohio
Boat Info
2004 420 Sundancer
Engines
Cummins 6CTA 450's
I got a text at 2:00 in the morning last night from my camera onboard that there was motion on the boat. I looked at the recorded video and saw the lights were on and I could hear some kind of motor noise but no person. There were no other videos

I am too far from the boat to drive down so I waited for the marina to open and sent the mechanics down to check it out. When they arrived all the cockpit lights were on, Nav lights, windshield wipers and the blower were all on. I keep a sheet over the dash... when the mechanics removed it they noticed the 4 electronic monitor dust covers were off.

The video you see is the two mechanics going on board.(you can hear the wiper motors, that was the motor noise)..the later video is the 2:00 in the morning text. So the camera was working but it didn't capture anyone in the boat, it's not clear to me why it recorded and sent the text because there is no movement. There is no way to get to the camera from behind to unplug it.

I thought maybe an animal got in there and walked over the switches but it would not have been able to get all 4 covers off and put the sheet back...and the only way to get in is to slip over the aft door in between the canvas...but the camera would have caught that.

The marina camera that points right at my boat I come to find out can't see at night (don't understand that one) and there were no other reports last night.

I can't get down to the boat until tomorrow night ...maybe I will notice something out of place that the mechanics wouldn't see...but right now it's a mystery

 
Video unavailable/private

That's spooky... ghost?
 
Fixed the video.... I really hope the wipers didn't scratch the glass.. they were running for a few hours. I also notice the video doesnt record at the first second of movement. I did change the settings to have a longer buffer and it's now more sensitive
 
Copy the video URL and paste in another browser pointed to YouTube.
 
Do you have the key pads and EIM? If so, maybe a malfunction there. Maybe you left the dust covers off. You must leave your batteries on for the wipers to be running.

Don't know, just throwing out some ideas.
 
No the dust covers never came off this past weekend. Here is a pic of the dash and switches. All four Raymarine covers were off.
I never turn the batteries off in case I lose electric so the fridge freezer stays on in case. I will figure away around this so I don't have power at the helm in the future

IMG_8692.JPG
 
Even though you don't think so, it's possible you didn't put the covers back on, and somehow the lights got switched on too accidentally, but you sure would have caught it when the wipers accidentally started running. Because of the wipers I'd say you weren't responsible for any of it.

Where were the covers? Stacked up nice somewhere or laying around here and there. I see a couple loose screws in the pic of your dash, did someone start taking things apart?

I don't think a mouse would be heavy enough to work the switches unless he jumped up and down....maybe a squirrel, but why would he take off the instrument covers. Being nothing showed on the camera I'm going with a ghost.
 
I know the covers were on because I never moved all weekend and they are always on. Mechanic said they were just down between the switches and the vertical panel they are mounted too.
That pic is a year old, I was working on the panel when I took the pic. That’s why screws are out.
He also said the windshield isn’t scratched from the wipers running for 6 hours. He said there was a light mist in the morning... thank god
I left the boat on Sunday and I check it at least 3 times a day because of false texts from wind blowing the canvas. So I know all this stuff happened last night.
 
Here is a pic of how the mechanic left the cover. This is how I leave it and it looked the same at 2:00 this morning

820A402D-7B0A-47A0-A86B-F6F2C1C19D19.jpeg
 
Blueone said:
I know the covers were on because I never moved all weekend and they are always on. Mechanic said they were just down between the switches and the vertical panel they are mounted too.
That pic is a year old, I was working on the panel when I took the pic. That’s why screws are out.
He also said the windshield isn’t scratched from the wipers running for 6 hours. He said there was a light mist in the morning... thank god
I left the boat on Sunday and I check it at least 3 times a day because of false texts from wind blowing the canvas. So I know all this stuff happened last night.
Click to expand...


I think I can explain part of it...my money is on the covers striking the switches. The proximity between the covers and the dash switches is just too coincidental. As to what caused the covers to pop.....that is more of a mystery. The fact that all four popped means a pressure or temp event that would affected all four of them.
 
Yep. I'm going with the ghost idea. I don't even believe in ghosts! My surveillance cameras at home have caught some weird stuff that I can't explain. Wondering if it is best to not have known. They did get used to catch a group of teenagers that were getting into cars. Local news station and police used my footage.
 
IMG_4230.JPG
When you are ready to sell you can say this SR takes boating to an almost spiritual, new dimension. Something not to be missed.
 
What kind of snakes you got there?? sounds like one got in there knocked covers off and they hit switches.
 
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