Boat security

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Sailing steve

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Looking at my hatch I guess it'd take a just few seconds with a screwdriver to rip the padlock hasp off the coach roof and gain entry.

Apart from beefing it all up any other ideas or suggestions for making a boat more secure?
 
I was always told to make it easy, if toerags want to get in they will, so the less damage the better....I always went with this one very flimsy padlock. But my new boat has a proper fitted lock , if they use a crowbar on it it will make a right mess.
 
A big problem is that a more secure boat has more damage caused when broken into. More security might put off an opportunistic thief and move them onto the next boat.
It is difficult to know how secure to make any property. Just depends upon the area I suspect.
 
As others above, I arrived at the conclusion that making it harder for scrotes to get in would lead to more damage so I left locks etc as they were and didn't leave anything worth thieving on the boat.
 
All any security does is move the scrotes on to a softer target. We went into detail on this on another thread and the consensus was" just enough to pacify the insurance and remove anything worth stealing". Remember though if you do claim, everything was left in the boat, capisce ? ???
 
There is usually lots of valuable electronics on boats which attract thieves. Best advice is fit secure padlocks and keep the curtains drawn so valuables are not visible.
 
When I had a small boat on a remotish swinging mooring I engraved postcode on the face of everything resellable including echo sounder , binoculars etc

if you are serious , flat shaped metal bars across apertures with receiver end and deadlock in lieu of ratty padlock make for a lot of grinding in order for the thief to gain prospective access.. but I’m talking heavy, 70mm x 12mm stainless and such!
 
Newer and larger vessels are more attractive to those with light fingers. If you are on a swing mooring make sure your yacht looks the oldest and smallest. With the slow increase in the average size of yacht over the years being 'small' becomes increasingly easy.

With the rapidity of development of electronics what was state of the art 2 years ago is probably not a very attractive proposition.


The posts prompts a question in my mind - if you are 'that rich' to afford a marina berth (we have never had one, hence the question) are insurance premiums lower?

Jonathan
 
Neeves said:
Newer and larger vessels are more attractive to those with light fingers. If you are on a swing mooring make sure your yacht looks the oldest and smallest. With the slow increase in the average size of yacht over the years being 'small' becomes increasingly easy.

With the rapidity of development of electronics what was state of the art 2 years ago is probably not a very attractive proposition.


The posts prompts a question in my mind - if you are 'that rich' to afford a marina berth (we have never had one, hence the question) are insurance premiums lower?

Jonathan
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Don't know about lower but my insurance in Ireland only covers my from end Oct till April if on the hard or in a marina.
 
For me, a bigger security issue is that the boat may be stolen. Not so common for sailboats, but there where a couple of cases in Norway last year. The boats were recovered. I have s small car tracker with SIM card that I can call to for position.
 
Blueboatman said:
When I had a small boat on a remotish swinging mooring I engraved postcode on the face of everything resellable including echo sounder , binoculars etc

if you are serious , flat shaped metal bars across apertures with receiver end and deadlock in lieu of ratty padlock make for a lot of grinding in order for the thief to gain prospective access.. but I’m talking heavy, 70mm x 12mm stainless and such!
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Wow ! look at all that security ,there must be some expensive stuff in there! said every scrote who walked past any shed/building /boat/caravan ever. :)
 
dansaskip said:
I take it that comment was made with a touch of cynicism and with tongue in cheek? Not all of us are that rich to be able to afford that.
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Actually no! It was to answer the poster's question.

Here is my thinking. There is little you can do to 'secure' a boat - I had to break into my old boat after the padlock seized, it took about 10 seconds with a small pair of bolt cutters. The poster wants more security. The only way to achieve that is by adding other layers of security and that costs money.

Personally, I moved out of a marina in 2021 as I could not justify the cost and did not feel I was getting value for money. As a result the costs of 'attaching the boat to something when not in use' has been cut by 75%, it would have been more but I am required to have the mooring inspected by professional divers due to its location, and I have facilities that are just as good and better beer. The only downside is I can't stagger back from the bar, but need to use the dinghy.
 
Well you can buy the cameras that operate with a SIM card. Got 2 and work well. You need to be close enough to catch them though when you get a notification on your phone.
steveeasy
 
steveinnice said:
Wow ! look at all that security ,there must be some expensive stuff in there! said every scrote who walked past any shed/building /boat/caravan ever. :)
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Not at all
They don’t know what’s there
What they do know is that you take security seriously ( and this is just the visible deterrent bit.)
And all for what is , to them, just another white boat like the 25 either side with the same dials and aerials and lifebuoys …?

With houses , you start by fitting double Banham locks??
 
Blueboatman said:
Not at all
They don’t know what’s there
What they do know is that you take security seriously ( and this is just the visible deterrent bit.)
And all for what is , to them, just another white boat like the 25 either side with the same dials and aerials and lifebuoys …?

With houses , you start by fitting double Banham locks??
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and outward opening ,impact absorbing cored, steel framed doors with level 8 security glass. ( I think we had this conversation on another thread :ROFLMAO: )
 
Sailing steve said:
Apart from beefing it all up any other ideas or suggestions for making a boat more secure?
Click to expand...


Some boats were broken into a few years ago near us. The damage to the boats was greater cost than the value of the stolen items.
But I would not suggest leaving the door unlocked.
 
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