buying a RIB-stolen or not? paperwork required?

[yourmomm]

hi-i am thinking of buying a RIB with a larger outboard (40hp+) for diving, etc. but it occurs to me that many are stolen every year. what paperwork should i ask to see before i buy one? or are there identification marks (like VIN numbers?) which i can check against a national database to see whether its legit or not? or which organisation could i approach? the last thing i want is to buy one at great expense and then lose it due to a dodgy history...

on a related note, what precautions can i take to prevent my RIB from becoming one of the statistics after i have bought one? it will be stored in the water in an open-access mooring with no security to speak of /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

many thanks

ryan

 

[gjgm]

motor boat forum might be better, but on a smaller boat its not easy to show 100pct proof of ownership. There is no national database of owners for small vessels. It might have an ssr number, but that doesnt really show onership, but it might support ownership.
You can try checking stolenboats.org.uk, but depending on age, I'd like to see the original invoices, which previous owners would hopefully have passed on. If one thinks that a stolen boat might be turned quickly, then service bills going back to previous seasons should offer some comfort. The best way really is by talking to the seller.. does the story make sense? Does he know about boats and this boat? Where does he sail from? Where has he gone in the boat? Where does he get it service, or buy the spare parts? Is it on a trailer? Repair bills for the trailer? And so on... Get a land line number for the seller, and proof of address... a thief isnt going to want to offer too much detail, but an honest person should have any concerns. best buy if from his house, or if a marina, does the marina know him or the boat? Dont buy it in a car park somewhere etc..
For your own protection /insurance, if its on a trailer you need a proper wheel lock, and a hitch lock is a back up. You would expect a careful onwer to have these anyway...Dont leave it somewhere vulnerable, where someone can just back up, and drive off with it ( unlocked, even on the car in motorway/marina carparks are supposed to be a popular one). You can buy outboard locks too. Mark the boat, engine with your postcode if you like.
In the end.. you should feel comfortable that the seller has enough paperwork or knowledge of the boat for you to be sure he has owned it. Does the price make sense , or is it really stupidly cheap? If you cant get comfprtable, move on to the next boat.
(there is a ribnet forum.. maybe they have a list of stolen boats)

 

[Channel Ribs]

Hi Ryan,

You can search for a boat you are thinking of buying on www.stolenboats.org.uk

Also, take a look at www.rib.net where they discuss security issues for RIBs in great detail.

The first thing is to make sure you have a record of all the serial numbers and an inventory of all your equipment. Make sure you give your insurers a copy of this as they will distribute it in the event of a theft and good info increases the chance of you getting it back.

You can take various steps to disable the motor, to lock the boat to the mooring as well as other more sneaky things.

 

[Ecosse120]

Might be worth asking who they insure with and then ringing them up and saying that you are buying the boat could they move the boat details over to your insurance. If they have no insurance or the insurance company has never heard of them then probably best to walk away!!