How to protect my boaty property

[AntarcticPilot]

PITA! Obviously the more you do to hide bits, the longer it takes to re-assemble. You want available transport.
I wonder a few things - stolen to order for somebodies Xmas pressy?
What's the marina security man say about his failure?
Can you hang it over the rail away from the pontoon side so it isn't seen?
A really loud alarm operated by a bit of fishing line through the frame to an innocuous switch may spook an opportunist.
I dream of doing things with car ignition coils - they give a good jolt which I'd defy you not to want to disconnect from - easily done with ships 12V and a trembler switch. I was originally thinking about seagulls but your cause is more appropriate...
Problem is, the scum is probably reading this an another stolen device, we need to meet privately to discuss the ultimate deterrent. .(it involves out of date flares)

I like the ignition coil idea! I'm sure you know that an ignition coil generates enough magnetic field along the axis to operate like an electric bell? I remember setting one up like that when I was playing around with electricity in my teens. I think I then daisy-chained two coils, feeding the LT side of the second from the HT side of the first to get some BIG sparks. Great fun, and when you're 15 or 16, what's a few jolts of electricity? I hate to think what I did to radio transmissions anywhere near our house - of course, the whole thing was completely without any RF suppression!

The only downside I can think of as an anti-theft device is that you might have brown or yellow stains to clean up afterwards.

Sadly, while it is great fun playing with ideas like this, in practise if you used one I am sure it would not count as reasonable force, and lay you open to GBH, ABH or even manslaughter charges. After all, while it wouldn't kill someone with a healthy heart, it could kill someone with a dodgy ticker, or someone with a pace-maker. Bad hearts aren't confined to the ancient, either - a lad where I used to work , only in his late teens or early 20s, was found dead one morning from a bad heart. And that's a bit OTT as a punishment for casual theft.

Now, Seagulls are another matter!

 

[explores]

Watch out for your cats under the car as i hear these are the latest things to get nicked[only takes seconds with the right tool]!
you'll know when you start the car and it sounds like a tractor!
worth a bit more than the 30
as said make it look nasty and get a descent lock on the thing and take the seat off, smear it in excrement , cut all the spokes and slash the tyres ...you should be ok then...

That is true about the catalitic coverters.My son has had his taken off two of his firms vans.He went to have them renewed at a Mercedes garage and the chap there said they took all ours off the new vans on the forecourt last night.

 

[fireball]

Although I appreciate the sentiments of making your transport a shock to touch - beware recriminations that may occur ... you may end up with a lot more damage than just a stolen bike ...

FWIW I believe out of sight is best ... coupled with a reasonable deterrent lock.
You have to weigh up the position of "out of sight" against your inconvenience ... and the lock may be too heavy to take with you ..

Anchor chain should be plenty to stop the opportunist thief... if you can get the bike near the boat (but still on the pontoon) then terminate the chain & lock on the boat - that way they have to cut the chain or risk disturbing you on the boat.

If you're concerned about scratching your bike/boat then put the chain through an old bike inner tube first...

If you have a reasonable bike then look at quick release wheels - if you remove a wheel it makes it considerably less convenient to steal the rest of the bike. You can easily stash the removed wheel onboard ... Front wheel is by far the easiest ... I'd only remove the backwheel if you have a suitable stand to put the bike in as you risk damage to/from the chain and gears.

 

[dsw]

I knew someone that used to winch his bike up a telegraph pole
By putting a small pulley on it at ladder height and a couple of nails
To secure the rope at the bottom as the last place bike thieves
Would look is up there especially when it is dark.

 

[prv]

I knew someone that used to winch his bike up a telegraph pole.

Surely in any breeze the bike would be swinging around beating itself to bits against the pole? Same with the earlier suggestion of hauling it up the mast.

Pete

 

[alahol2]

If you've got the old style handlebar stem with a cone nut to lock it, undo the bolt a couple of turns and knock it down. Impossible to steer/ride the bike and only takes 10 secs to tighten again.