Don't get your outboard nicked

[jonnybuoy]

I was at a talk a couple of weeks ago by the Poole Harbour marine police. They said by far the biggest crime they deal with is outboard theft. They are always amazed how many people leave their outboards attached to their tenders or boats with no form of security whatsoever. Apparently the engine number on an outboard is often not engraved but on a sticker so it is even easier to remove its identity. Sometimes they find outboards that they believe to be stolen (half a dozen in a lock-up for example) but because they are unmarked and no-one claims them, they are sometimes forced to hand them back to the crim because they can't prove with certainty that they are stolen.

They were urging everyone to mark their outboards with a microdot marking kit. The one they were recommending is called SelectDNA Marine Marking kit.

http://www.selectadna.co.uk/forensic-coding-domestic-kits/selectadna-marine-kit.html

Each dot contains a unique code which is registered on a database against your name. You can use it to mark anything removal from your boat. For £49 which marks up to 50 items it seems like a good idea. (I've got nothing to do with the company btw).

Jon

PS interestingly they say that they boat theft is almost non-existent - unless it is a tender with a nice outboard attached that is...

 

[alahol2]

There are several 'invisible' marking methods on the market. Do the police check recovered objects for any/all possibilities?
I've marked (visible engraving) several cycles which have subsequently gone 'missing', none have ever been returned. One was found in the lockup of the local police force prominently displaying post code and house number on the handlebars. It would have been auctioned off a few weeks/months later.

 

[Zagato]

Walking around a marina and a couple of boat yards last weekend I couldn't believe the amount of engines just left on the back of boats and trailer sailors just left ready to be hitched up and pinched with no security

I wonder if some are going for the insurance claim, it just seems crazy to me!

In half an hour I could have loaded up 4 engines into a trailer sailor and driven off - some people are so trusting or not really bothered! People don't seem to understand a pair of bolt cutters will go through some pretty big padlocks!

 

[dylanwinter]

wells solution

the slug is in wells and there the outbords on boats around the harbout have no cowls on them - just a cover provided by the Norfolk Constabulary. Local boat owners are encourage to remove their engine cowls and take them home.

It seems to have drastically reduced outboard thefts - as the thieves would have to buy a new cowl for each outboard they stole. Now the thieves got to lincolnshire or Suffolk instead.

D

 

[dylanwinter]

wells solution

the slug is in wells and there the outbords on boats around the harbout have no cowls on them - just a cover provided by the Norfolk Constabulary. Local boat owners are encouraged to remove their engine cowls and take them home.

It seems to have drastically reduced outboard thefts - as the thieves would have to buy a new cowl for each outboard they steal. Now the thieves go to lincolnshire or Suffolk instead.

D

 

[doug748]

Thanks for that Jonnybuoy. I must give my gear a looking at.

However;
If you get gear nicked from your car the copper will say you are a fool for leaving it there. If it's stolen form your boat he will say you should have taken it off. If it is from your shed he will say it should be in a secure place. If your house is burgled all you will get is a crime number.
The reponsiblilty for crime belongs to the criminal - If one more politician tell me crime is not a problem but my "fear of crime" is. I will take the trouble to boot him in the bollicks.
Now I'm going for a lie down.

 

[V1701]

Insurance only covers if the outboard is secured to the boat somehow. Mine's a 1974 British Seagull, not the most prone to thieving...

 

[jonnybuoy]

Insurance only covers if the outboard is secured to the boat somehow. Mine's a 1974 British Seagull, not the most prone to thieving...

I am sure you are right about insurance. I think the point they were making was that they could return stolen goods to their rightful owner if it was marked....thereby saving an insurance claim and presumably a higher premium on the next renewal

 

[HinewaisMan]

We psychedelicly sprayed our outboard with the dregs from the floro orange and green paint we use to mark our anchor chain.

After all, you can't stop a determined thief, but if you can make them move to the next boat with a less identifiable outboard....

 

[iain789]

Insurance only covers if the outboard is secured to the boat somehow. Mine's a 1974 British Seagull, not the most prone to thieving...

Don't you believe it. Had my ancient long shaft Seagull stolen from the back of my boat at Loch Lomond a few years ago. Reported it to the local police and a few weeks later got a phone call inviting me to a police station in Perthshire to see if I could identify my motor.

Whrn I got there I was shown to a store room with around a dozen or more ancient Seagulls which they had retrieved from someone's garage - all thought to be stolen. Sadly, mine wasn't one of them.

 

[Sybarite]

I saw a 350hp OB at the Salon Nautique; it would be interesting to see how one could nick that.

 

[V1701]

Don't you believe it. Had my ancient long shaft Seagull stolen from the back of my boat at Loch Lomond a few years ago. Reported it to the local police and a few weeks later got a phone call inviting me to a police station in Perthshire to see if I could identify my motor.

Whrn I got there I was shown to a store room with around a dozen or more ancient Seagulls which they had retrieved from someone's garage - all thought to be stolen. Sadly, mine wasn't one of them.

I shall lock it forthwith and think about a custom paint job for the petrol tank, there is some rust on it...

 

[Plyn]

I saw a 350hp OB at the Salon Nautique; it would be interesting to see how one could nick that.

you would be surprised.
Stolen to order, has been known for the transom to be cut off!

How would I know? HWMBO was involved with locks for outboards- you would be surprised what / how engines were stolen!

 

[DownWest]

The was an Eastern bloc gang caught here a few years ago, nicking the O/Bs from oysterboats. These are usually in the 150/200 hp sizes.

 

[steveghoward]

Outboard theft

Here in Essex, the police have a scheme where it is possible to buy a plastic cover which attaches securely over the outboard after you have removed the glass fibre cowl to take home.

Fully weather proof and with vent holes attached to prevent condensation, the cover has Essex police written on the side and acts as a deterrent to thieves as they end up with an outboard with no cover and the engine exposed

The police also have an arrangement where they investigate anyone buying a replacement cover for any outboard from the major outboard engine suppliers.

Seems like a neat idea to me. . . . . Medium cover costs about fifteen quid.

 

[oldharry]

Here in Essex, the police have a scheme where it is possible to buy a plastic cover which attaches securely over the outboard after you have removed the glass fibre cowl to take home.

Fully weather proof and with vent holes attached to prevent condensation, the cover has Essex police written on the side and acts as a deterrent to thieves as they end up with an outboard with no cover and the engine exposed

The police also have an arrangement where they investigate anyone buying a replacement cover for any outboard from the major outboard engine suppliers.

Seems like a neat idea to me. . . . . Medium cover costs about fifteen quid.

So THATS why so many outboards come up minus their cowls on fleabay...