peteK
Well-known member
Perhaps something to make the boat look occupied rather than an alarm,a radio or internal light coupled to a motion sensor.
Broken in to
- Thread starter Thedreamoneday
- Start date
Perhaps something to make the boat look occupied rather than an alarm,a radio or internal light coupled to a motion sensor.
CreakyDecks
New member
Strange how boat crime around the Wirral is seasonal - a bit like cockling.
catlotion
Member
was this recently? We're on a swing mooring now by Windermere Quays - sometimes wonder how secure it is...
stevebrassett
Well-known member
You'd need a steady supply of scrotes to keep it fed.
Robin
Well-known member
Be wary of the return visit, the Poole plod told us that after 11 boats were done in one visit to our then marina and sure enough our berth neighbour back then in Poole was done a second time having only just replaced the smart wet weather gear that was stolen in the break in first time round. No doubt there was an excess of potential buyers in the local pubs leaving the seller no option but to return and keep his customer base happy... We were left alone that second time having fitted a 130dB PIR alarm system and stickers warning of it in conspicuous places outside.
DoubleEnder
Well-known member
[QUOTEI was bought up on a "sink estate". I am now a headmaster of a school. Not everyone on estates is a crook. there are plenty of rich crooks in the City of London[/QUOTE]
absolutely right
absolutely right
Robin
Well-known member
absolutely right[/QUOTE]
The 99% of good folk in any 'estate' area are dragged down by the 1% of baddies that operate from there, and profiling such rightly or wrongly goes for everything from getting higher insurance premium costs by postcode, to the police and local's opinion of where many of the scrotes congregate. when we were 'done' plod said they knew exactly who was to blame but had no evidence on which to act, not that they tried very hard to find it mind, much less work to just issue a crime number for the insurance company.
[3889]
...
Searush
New member
I was "done" at Heswall, some years ago, it was kids that had walked out across the mud. They threw the washboards overboard & a selection of gear went into the mud too, plus they stole a few toys to play with. Not much really, but when you work out the replacement costs it all adds up. I spoke to the insurers & offered to replace the locks & washboards myself & quoted a price that gave me a few quid for the effort. They were happy to agree as it was much cheaper than if it had been done by a shipwright.
It seems to happen everywhere, but fortunately not all that often,
Greenheart
Well-known member
Terrific idea! Is it your own creation, or a manufactured item?
Searush
New member
Just think of the smell & smoke damage tho - probably more expensive to repair than any damage by a thief. Each to their own.
Greenheart
Well-known member
Hmm. How about a carbon-monoxide-emitter?
Big warning stickers on the doors. Although...not much probability that the living garbage we're talking about, can read.
Searush
New member
Hmm. How about a carbon-monoxide-emitter?
If you think you can evade a murder charge if it ever works - most thieves tend not to close doors after them - if only to ensure a fast getaway.
Greenheart
Well-known member
Twas only a jest. Although...almost worthwhile, infuriated members buying a ropey but rugged steel yacht, reinforcing hatches and installing spring-locks, so she becomes a trap.
No need to harm the ruddy little rat who breaks in - just let him lose his mind trying to get out, then you turn up a day or so later with the constabulary.
Lakesailor
New member
No. It was a few years ago, but it goes in phases. Where you are should be fairly safe as there are a few overnighters around. Outboards are a favourite target. Slightly less populated mooring areas attract "fishermen" and wild campers are a vandalism/theft problem.
One member of the Royal Windermere Yacht Club was found to have 13 outboards in his outbuilding! Not receipt to be found.
My "break-in" wasn't strictly that as I didn't lock the cabin. The nuisance value of repairing washboards is worse than the little bits I lost.
I did however use an outboard lock, a padlocked chain and a wire strop on the outboard.
Make your motor less of a target than the bloke next to you.
Motor boats on trailers have been stolen from locked compounds by strapping them to their trailer, launching them complete with trailer and towing them across the lake to Harrow Slack behind Belle isle. Then just hook up the trailer, recover the boat and disappear into the night.
These people have access to boats, so are not opportunity thieves.
Last edited:
Graham_Wright
Well-known member
I spent some time working at AWRE, Aldermaston and stayed with the family at a woodland holiday camp (California I think!).
I had a Humber Hawk at the time with a radio - Whooooo! (We are talking 1963!). It was a valve radio in two halves, the control bit in the cabin and the slave bit under the bonnet. Scrotes took the inside bit but it gave me little satisfaction that they had an unsellable prize.
Determined to avoid a repeat, I installed a below valance microswitch that could be operated by lifting a foot under it. Doing that while opening the door disabled the alarm. Fiddling with the roof line while discreetly operating the switch left my colleagues baffled.
Determined to crack the problem, one of them opened the door while we were on site in the middle of AWRE. The alarm duly went off and within 90 seconds the place was surrounded by site police and their dogs.
Very embarrassing (and not answering the question!).
The smoke device was a small eddystone box with a coil of pvc wire inside it. The lid was perforated. If the alarm was activated, a relay connected this wire straight across the battery. Those who have heated pvc wire will know that the fumes are choking. Eventually the wire melts and the action stops.
The smell does linger!
Greenheart
Well-known member
You sound like a visionary, Mr Wright. :encouragement:
ricky_s
Active member
absolutely right[/QUOTE]
I spent my early life living in a dodgy council estate in South London and I've turned out great! Well, okay anyway.
. That said, I think this upbringing woud prevent me putting my boat on a swinging mooring, just too tempting for thieves.
Last edited:
Greenheart
Well-known member
I had the impression (possibly nonsense) that most harbour-masters or harbour authorities are opposed to liveaboards mooring for extended periods in their midst.
But an actual human presence on casual, permanent watch amongst remote moorings, must have at least as much effect in discouraging thieves, as hooters and flashing lights.
But an actual human presence on casual, permanent watch amongst remote moorings, must have at least as much effect in discouraging thieves, as hooters and flashing lights.
Robin
Well-known member
After our break in , plod were very enthusiastic in warning me of the consequences of any kind of scrote trap ideas (that I mentioned flippantly) during their very brief look see on board when they didn't even bother to take fingerprints from items obviously moved by the thieves and which were good surfaces on which to find them Iwould have thought, but I guess they just assumed all scrotes wear gloves when a'scroting.. just like they spent no time looking at the YC CCTV footage , 'cos sctotes wear hoodies, natch. Shame chief Constable Plod was not a club member then just maybe...