Do you leave a key on board?

[CliffA]

Cliff,

Do you have locked gates on your docks? Not that any determined criminal could not get around our gates but they do keep out the occasional thief.

When the day comes that I need to lock myself in my boat at night I will sell it.

Our dock has changed a lot in the past 3 years. Used to be on a summer night the only problem was the noise from the several parties that lasted well into the night. Now its crickets. The cruisers are being sold off and replaced with deck boats on lifts. I hate the change. 5 years ago we have about fifteen 320DA's lined up. Now its down to three. The kids are moving out and many of our friends are getting out of boating.

hey Jim.....yes, we do have a locked gate but as you say that will only slow the thieves down, not stop them....i agree about not wanting to lock ourselves inside the boat....just not a very appealing idea.....our dock is still full of cruisers because it is a larger dock but there are many can boats and ski boats coming in to the smaller docks.....in the warmer months we still usually have a decent crowd of dock friends out on our dock and many, including ourselves, spend the night frequently....move your boat up to The Boat Rack....we still have a good and active marina life going on....

cliff

 

[sdarc]

Most thefts on boats come from the lake not land. When I had my boat there was a theft at the fuel dock. folks coming in after hours would leave their boat there to get hauled. I spoke with the Sheriff as to how common theft happens on the lake and how it happens. He said majority of the thieves are on boats late at night looking for easy targets.

 

[tdschafer]

......Our dock has changed a lot in the past 3 years. Used to be on a summer night the only problem was the noise from the several parties that lasted well into the night. Now its crickets. The cruisers are being sold off and replaced with deck boats on lifts. I hate the change. 5 years ago we have about fifteen 320DA's lined up. Now its down to three. The kids are moving out and many of our friends are getting out of boating.

Well.....that was depressing...lol

 

[ttmott]

In our area the "hot" items are the electronics which are usually not locked up. Our marina went through a phase of theft five or six years ago and found it was a live-aboard on another dock in the marina working with some outside characters; they were caught. The marina has made some changes and most of the "questionable" boats are now gone. My boat stays locked without on board access to keys but I have little confidence in that security alone; There is an audible alarm on the boat which has several technologies in detection and a text notice to my cell however, the audible alarm is the primary deterrence. The marina also installed a full coverage CCTV system which is questionable for crime prevention as it's not monitored 24-7. The other good thing is 1 in 5 boats including the good people next and behind me are live-aboard's and they keep an eye on things.

 

[JVM225]

They hung horse thief’s in the old west.
I think we should be able to do the same with car and boat thieves.
They would only have to get caught once.
That would solve a lot of problems.

 

[scooper321]

Most thefts on boats come from the lake not land...He said majority of the thieves are on boats late at night looking for easy targets.

Bingo. It all depends on geography. I keep mine in a locked/gates marina. But I’m in the Baltimore Harbor. Anyone brave enough to steal a dinghy or splash through 4’ of the Harbor water can get on the docks. I’d no sooner leave keys in my boat than I would car keys in my ignition, even when the car is parked in my garage.