Outboard pinched last night from Bray Marina

markc

markc

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Hi

Myself and I think 3 others had their outboards pinched from Bray Marina last night. Cut a hole in the fence then somehow got onto the pontoons. I'm going to keep an eye out on eBay but any other thoughts as to where some 'used' marine stuff may show up in these parts? Ideally I would like it back rather than forking out £1200 for another one - it is a hardly used Honda 5hp 4-stroke

Mark
 
Gumtree is another favourite for nicked stuff to turn up on.

Chances are though it's safely tucked away ready to go in a container to Africa or somewhere else like that. Would be interesting to hook up a secret tracker in a 'sting' outboard and see where it goes , i bet more than one would be recovered when it was found ;)
 
markc said:
Hi

Myself and I think 3 others had their outboards pinched from Bray Marina last night. Cut a hole in the fence then somehow got onto the pontoons. I'm going to keep an eye out on eBay but any other thoughts as to where some 'used' marine stuff may show up in these parts? Ideally I would like it back rather than forking out £1200 for another one - it is a hardly used Honda 5hp 4-stroke

Mark
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It's a national problem. Organised gang, stealing outboards and transporting to Eastern Europe/former USSR, often checking the place out during business hours before returning under the cover of darkness. Advice is to be vigilant and report strange visitors to marina/police.
I know it's of no help now but may highlight problem to others.
 
Last edited:
markc said:
Hi

Myself and I think 3 others had their outboards pinched from Bray Marina last night. Cut a hole in the fence then somehow got onto the pontoons. I'm going to keep an eye out on eBay but any other thoughts as to where some 'used' marine stuff may show up in these parts? Ideally I would like it back rather than forking out £1200 for another one - it is a hardly used Honda 5hp 4-stroke

Mark
Click to expand...
Sorry to here that Mark, which pontoon was it? I'm on G.
Did the CCTV not pick them up?
 
You're quite right, but I think alot of people are getting annoyed at being kept in the dark. If they told us we could all make some extra arrangements surely. :confused:
To quote you - You don't need eyes to see you need vision
(actually we do need eyes here, too!)
 
Hi.

Sorry to hear about your loss. However, it is probably a good idea for everybody with small outboards to remove them from the boat when not in use and left unattended.

I know this is a bit of a pain, especially if you have back problems as I have but these theiving b******s will nick anything that is not tied down. We all have to look after our gear nowadays, honesty has gone out of the window.
 
Virtually every marina and boat club on the eastern inland waterways have been done at least once in the past 12 months. From the Nene to the Ouse to the Wissey to the Cam and many more in-between.
 
River Thames News Item re thefts of outboards:-
http://www.riverthamesnews.com/News152.html

THAMES VALLEY POLICE ADVICE TO BEAT THE THIEVES

Police are aware of outboard motor thefts along the river Thames and would urge you to be extra vigilant..

Try and help yourself by taking the following advice: Reduce the attractiveness of your outboard engine

Engine covers: Replacing the engine cowling with a specially designed waterproof cover can help. In effect what you are doing is devaluing the engine and so helping to deter possible theft.

If the engine is stolen, replacing the cowling is going to be costly for the thieves and will probably leave an evidence trail for the police.

The downside to the engine covers is that they can leave your engine more exposed to the elements than if the cowling were on, and removing the cowling can be tricky on some engines.

If you are not worried about resale then permanently marking or defacing the engine will help to make it less attractive to thieves.

Alternatively there is an electronic security identification system for watercraft http://datatag.co.uk/pwc.php

Try to use good quality padlocks or other devices – these will deter potential thieves more effectively than cheap models.

Please ask members to register their outboard motor motors, radar, radio and gps systems on www.immobilise.com

Each of these parts has an unique number which you can register for free.

If you see anything at all suspicious then please contact the police immediately. If there is a crime in progress then dial 999 or to inform the police about suspicious incidents or report a crime dial the non-emergency number 101. Alternatively if you have information but wish to stay anonymous then call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
 
CCTV

Update - I had a call from the SOCO at the end of last week when he was at the marina. He felt that although the marina has CCTV it was old and useless, showing the thieves as just smudges. We all pay a lot of money to moor in marinas and CCTV is always highlighted as a great 'plus', but certainly isn't if it is not good enough quality to capture anything useful on it.
 
markc said:
Update - I had a call from the SOCO at the end of last week when he was at the marina. He felt that although the marina has CCTV it was old and useless, showing the thieves as just smudges. We all pay a lot of money to moor in marinas and CCTV is always highlighted as a great 'plus', but certainly isn't if it is not good enough quality to capture anything useful on it.
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It would help if the police told the marina that - as they seem to think they were congratulated on having a good system?
 
My She said:
It would help if the police told the marina that - as they seem to think they were congratulated on having a good system?
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Apparently he was off to tell them that straight after he put the phone down from me. He was very disparaging about the CCTV quality and said there was so much more that they could do. Maybe the officer was telling me porkies :-D
 
markc said:
Apparently he was off to tell them that straight after he put the phone down from me. He was very disparaging about the CCTV quality and said there was so much more that they could do. Maybe the officer was telling me porkies :-D
Click to expand...

He ain't telling you porkies.

Next time you're in the marina office, ask them to pan round to your boat and see how much you can actually see and the quality. Also try standing on or near your boat and look to the camera/s (some are fixed, some are 360 deg spyball type). Depending on what's moored next to you and your location in the marina, you'll be surprised how many blind spots and dead areas there actually are.
 
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