Boat security

Cloven

Cloven

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Just read Talbot's post of 2nd Dec and responses. I am considering the best way to increase security as the usual padlock on the sliding hatch seems woefully inadequate- one good wrench with a jemmy and that's it.

Any suggestions from the forum would be greatfully appreciated.

Thanks for any replies.
 
I think most boats only need a good crowbar whatever type of padlock you have. I worry about this too and can't see any better way of securing mine.

Is anyone aware of any "minimum" requirement for insurance purposes?

Pops
 
One of the best ways and an illegal way is to to attach lots of small sharp fishing hooks to nylon streched and woven across the enterance to your boat. Use cup hooks and remember its there. Cup hooks so that you can gain entry without injuring yourself by easily detaching the line.
Once the Barstewart burglar gets entangled in that lot they won't come back for more. If questioned by old bill your excuse is that you were hanging up a fishing line to dry.
 
A guy here has just fitted a domestic wireless alarm system with PIR detectors, bells and whistles. Not sure what good it would do, but probably reasonably effective if his boat gets invaded in a busy marina.
 
Bumblefish - Thanks for the link. Possible but would have to find out if the "motion" of the boat in marina swell set it off? If so, marina staff (& other baotowners) would be pretty soon be breaking in just to switch the thing off!!
 
The problem with intruder alarms is that like car alarms they are just ignored. At best they are a enviromental menace. If you are moored in some remote or quite area who's going to hear it and what action are they going to take. Usualy phoning the police about something like this brings a two day responce time.
 
I think the addition of any additional (electronic) security will add further complexity to a boat. And as more people have them, the more they become the 'norm' and the more that the insurance companies will insist upon them. Then, when someone breaks into your boat and the battery is flat in the alarm system the insurers will claim that your protection was inadequate.

If a burglar wants to get in, they will.

So long as any locking device is substantial enough that when a burglar breaks in enough mess is made to provide evidence of 'forced entry' then I think you're okay.
 
I think that in most cases thieves have a choice (always including not being a burglar ahem, but...) of boats to attack, and for each boatie the objective must be for them to make the burglar think "nah, let's try somewhere else". If everyone does this the thieves try anothr pontoon, another marina and so on.

Some boats leave the burglaring options on full view for careful "safe" evaluation beforehand. This is an important thing, i think: have a good look at your boat from the pontoon and try imaging what a burglar will think - whether to atack your boat, the one next door or the one aftr that. You want to be least attractive. And if all are unattractive it's likely that the scumbags will try elsewhere.

Consider (in a marina) frinstance whether it is safest to have bows-to or stern-to. Bows-to can make a casual waterborne thief very protected, but it varied s on location and access from stern etc.

For a burglar, the name of the game is lowest possible risk, as much knowledge in advance gaind from "safe viewing" distance, easiest possible access and very high speed.

So if their horrid litle job can be evaluated from afar that makes it more likely. As well as a padlock frinstance a canvas cover over the companionway door makes the entry much more speculative (how many padlocks under there?) and hence less likely. The same applies to outside instuments: covringt these (not just the plastic screen covers, a full dashboard/binnacle canvas cover or even just big plastic bag ) hides the target so they don't know how new/saleable the instruments, the burglar would have to waste time taking off covers that might reveal nothing at all - so they're less likely to waste time and risk exposure in doing so.

I know one chap in a marina who simply gets some cardboard boxes of junk from nearby skip on the dock and piles it in the companionway. Anothr hassle for the opportunist burglar, more time needed, and hence a less attractive target.

Security system? You probably already have one: leave the radio on playing quietly into the cockpit -inaudible to neighbours but a real no-no for the burglar.

A burglary at some years ago at Port Solent was effected by thieves who dinghied past the security gates. Boats which had "warning - alarmed" stickers on their doors weren't attacked - they went for those without.

Even on the very simplst level, I leave fenders with a round turn and 39 half hitches. Not cos it's realy secure - it just "moves on" a thief to easier (un)pickings.
 
I wish I had pictures but I dont, I so will try to describe a couple of ideas I tried,base exactly on the "visible deterent'' advocated by TCM and house insurers..
On most boats the companionway boards/sliding hatch are the most easily forced,imo,followed by any cockpit lockers and then probably the forehatch(es).
When I left my boat in a boatyard in the States I obtained some 1/4inch x 1 1/2inch flat s/steel bar and made up 2 long pieces,one of which rose vertically up the hatch boards and the other horizontally across the sliding hatch,with its forward end bent downward slightly and throughbolted through the cabin top using a mushroom headed bolt and wingnuts and large washers on the inside,(but allowing just enough movement of the sliding hatch to get the top hatchboard in when securing the boat!)Rubber washers on the outside prevent water ingress.

The vertical bar was similarly mushroom bolted through the face of the aft cabin bulkhead just below the hatch boards. Where they met (at the top of the hatchboards/aft edge of the sliding hatch) was contrived 2 bends and 3/8 holes to allow the worlds biggest padlock to secure them together..
For the forehatch another bent bar was mushroom bolted through the cabin top fore and aft and over the hatch itself.

The cockpit lockers I contrived 2 lines internally leading forward to secure the hatches shut from within,and with no visible padlocks hoped that this arrangement was pretty obvious to any scumbag casing the boat out...

Anyone who has tried to hacksaw or angle grind their way through bars of this size knows how noisy,attention seeking and lengthy is the process...
And at these sort of dimensions even a 3 foot crowbar is going to struggle to chew its way through the surrounding smaller area of wooden hatch or grp..Though the determined thief may still well do just that,eg stealing outboard motors chained to a grp transom....

Lastly consider fitting a 12v flashing led just to the side of the companionway hatch if you dont want the battery drain of a full alarm system!
Hope this may be of some use to someone. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
webcams are expensive and not so offputting - the burglar may be hooded ...or arrive in the dark.

Also, of course the police have to actually catch the burglar and your webcam has to show him in the act. All of which unlikely.
 
How does that cope with a salt water environment? It might fulfil the requirement to have a lock that can be sealed from within for certain offshore criteria?
 
I tried PIR detectors many years ago and found an interesting problem. It kept alarming with no obvious reason. I eventually found that the sun was being reflected off a shiny pole as the boat moved and flashing on the PIR! This was on a fore and aft mooring in Portsmouth harbour.
 
Some years ago I was involved in the psychology of a burglar and their MO.

The alarm that bumblefish suggests:

< http://www.c-p-p.co.uk/product/asp/ProdID/2088/CtgID/1031/af/page.htm >

does have PIR sensors and consequently, the note from jtwebb [#1264971 - 03/12/2006 16:40] needs to be addressed. More importantly, this alarm runs from 3 x AAA batteries and as anyone knows these are very small 1.2volt batteries and as such have no power at all. The fact that the advert suggests a ‘sound level’ of 130dB is very misleading.

When a thief / burglar decides to break into a property his first concern is not getting caught and his senses go on heightened alert. The most important sense is his/her sense of hearing and whilst inside ‘your’ property, looking for stuff to steal, he is listening the whole time to see if anyone is coming or can he/she hear sirens or alarm signals. Any continuous noise, signal or alarm can be successfully ‘notched out’ (traffic noise, aircraft noise are examples) and your ears become accustomed and can then listen for any other noises such as people approaching.

In the late 1980’s I was introduced to an alarm called a ‘Sound Bomb’. This alarm is available from a number of companies and also via mail order.

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/TSSB2.html

http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/search2/browse...equestid=130618

Basically, this is an “internal” alarm and it generates an extremely discordant audio signal which is so loud and of two signals, that when it is set off, your hearing cannot ‘notch out’ the sound. You can’t hear anything else! It produces standing waves bouncing round the confines of your house, shed, garage or boat and these vary in pitch and level. The sound level is 111dB at I believe this is at one metre distant. Micro-switches and pressure mats are to be preferred to PIR detectors.

Buy one and connect to a 12 volt battery and run it in a small room in your house to see the effect or if you liveaboard try one in the saloon . . . . !

Two are best, one in the saloon and another in the fo’castle and if your boat is larger, one in the engine room.
 
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