Marking a dinghy

clyst

clyst

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Having just purchased a new dinghy I wish to security mark it ie with the boats name or something.If I permanently mark it with paint etc this will reduce itself value should I want to sell it in the future.
Whats the best way to mark it and with what ?
BTW I have stencils and a permanent marker pens
Cheers
 
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Are you likely to want to sell it while still relatively new? If I bought a new dinghy, I'd expect to keep it until it was a shabby old dinghy, at which point having a boat's name painted on it is more or less irrelevant to its value.

Pretty much by definition, security marking has to be almost impossible to remove and difficult to hide.

Maybe you could get a plate engraved and attach it to the transom with security screws?

Pete
 
I would have thought a solid lock and chain would be be a better deterrent. That said if the outboard is worth more than a few hundred then respraying the cowling definitely does act as a deterrent.
 
If it has a transom outboard plate, unscrew it and mark it underneath,
And give the dinghy a different name to your boat.
 
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prv said:
Are you likely to want to sell it while still relatively new? If I bought a new dinghy, I'd expect to keep it until it was a shabby old dinghy, at which point having a boat's name painted on it is more or less irrelevant to its value.

Pretty much by definition, security marking has to be almost impossible to remove and difficult to hide.

Maybe you could get a plate engraved and attach it to the transom with security screws?

Pete
Click to expand...

+1

I was in this position a few weeks back, not a new dinghy but new to me and given a fresh coat of paint to smarten. I had some vinyl boat names left over from the big-boat so put them on the tender, looks smart. I then added my phone number to the dinghy so that I can be contacted if some scroat (or I accidently) let it drift off down the harbour.
 
I don't know your location(Cornwall?) but is it possible that the local police or Harbourmaster may have the 'SMARTWATER' security fluid which uniquely identifies your dinghy in the event that it is stolen; it is transparent in use, and identified to you.
In the event of the item's resale you contact the SMARTWATER registrar to notify them of the change of ownership( and presumably they will send a marking system to the new owner to re identify).
The system can be used on all items aboard that are possible theft items.

ianat182
 
ianat182 said:
I don't know your location(Cornwall?) but is it possible that the local police or Harbourmaster may have the 'SMARTWATER' security fluid which uniquely identifies your dinghy in the event that it is stolen; it is transparent in use, and identified to you.
In the event of the item's resale you contact the SMARTWATER registrar to notify them of the change of ownership( and presumably they will send a marking system to the new owner to re identify).
The system can be used on all items aboard that are possible theft items.

ianat182
Click to expand...

you have to buy the smart water, doubt that the police would give you it, as it has a forensic marker unique to you, and once you have marked your property with the liquid, you have to pay a licence fee each year, so if your items are nicked, then the smartwater people would then inform you, your items have been found. if you do not keep licenced then they might not inform you of the recovery of items. for personal use around £50 a year. I have used the smartwater system for the last three years. the prosecution rate is 100%, the police automatically look for smartwater on all stolen items recovered.

so the thieves stay away and find someone else to rob.....
 
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SmartWater its being given free to berth holders on the Hamble by the HM, although there is an annual fee.

I personally feel anyone caught with stolen goods marked as such should have there hands cut off - one of the few things Sharia Law has got right.
 
Some place, like Salcombe, require owners to mark dinghies left on the Town pontoon. I have found a Permanent marker pen to be adequate for this purpose, lasting for several years. I like to think that the scroats don't know that it comes off with white spirit.
 
I believe the majority of thieves are not really smart. More interested in the possible immediate sale or just mucking around.
So it is vital that there are names phone numbers etc so that when and if it is recovered the owner can be found. This especially for dinghies where kids might just go for a bit of a paddle. Find them selves too far away from starting point so just abandon the dinghy.
I had a dinghy which was recovered from several miles out to sea once.
First and foremost lock it up with chain and padlock to something immovable. good luck olewill
 
Thanks for all your replies chaps . FWIW I have printed my postcode on tubes using a marker pen from a craft shop .I told the assistant what I wanted it for so presume it will do the job .Also removed the engine plate as suggested by Rich
and printed the same behind it.

Cheers
 
I removed the outboard plate, drilled a hole and Data chipped it. Filled the hole, replaced the plate and applied the sticker warning light fingerd Larry to look else where. Details sent away all recorded. I always use a s/steel wire and padlock when leaving it on a pontoon.
 
ianat182 said:
I don't know your location(Cornwall?) but is it possible that the local police or Harbourmaster may have the 'SMARTWATER' security fluid which uniquely identifies your dinghy in the event that it is stolen; it is transparent in use, and identified to you.
In the event of the item's resale you contact the SMARTWATER registrar to notify them of the change of ownership( and presumably they will send a marking system to the new owner to re identify).
The system can be used on all items aboard that are possible theft items.

ianat182
Click to expand...
Am i right in thinking that special equipment is needed to read the signature in the paint.
If so it is hardly likely that any police force would have the equipment to read it if they knew it was marker paint
Also if the dinghy appeared in the posession of a pikey somewhere miles away the police would need to know it was nicked in the first place ( although i suppose most of what they have might be nicked) & that it did have a marker paint.
Said pikey would just say he bought it as a paddling pool for his kids & local fuzz would just walk away
 
freespiritdavid said:
I removed the outboard plate, drilled a hole and Data chipped it. Filled the hole, replaced the plate and applied the sticker warning light fingerd Larry to look else where. Details sent away all recorded. I always use a s/steel wire and padlock when leaving it on a pontoon.
Click to expand...
I'd be interested to find out more about this data chipping?
 
>security mark it ie with the boats name

I don't know if this applies in the UK but in the Caribbean putting your boat name on a dinghy was an excellent way to get it stolen. The bad guys innocently potter round the anchorage noting boat names. Then at night they they check the dinghy dock to see which dinghies are there, hey presto no dinghy. We put on our Part One registration number other used a dighy nick name.
 
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