Preventing Dingny/Tender Theft...

[SailBobSquarePants]

In another thread, I saw...

If it is almost new and cheap then likely to have been nicked. My new inflatable dinghy 2.9 m with dolly wheels, was nicked from Chichester 3 weeks ago.

That makes me think - what means and measures do the forumites use to help prevent dinghy theft? Perhaps as the season gets into full swing, it might be an idea for us to share our strategies...

I think my first idea is to not just letter the dinghy fabric, but I may consider using a set of dies or a burner and labeling the dinghy transom indelibly...something very obvious.

Anyone else want to say the lengths they go to?

 

[chewi]

In another thread, I saw...


That makes me think - what means and measures do the forumites use to help prevent dinghy theft? Perhaps as the season gets into full swing, it might be an idea for us to share our strategies...

I think my first idea is to not just letter the dinghy fabric, but I may consider using a set of dies or a burner and labeling the dinghy transom indelibly...something very obvious.

Anyone else want to say the lengths they go to?

One of our members uses an old pair of pants to cover his engine... complete with fake skid mark!.. No-one touches them...

 

[prv]

I have one of my old mizzen shrouds, which is long enough to be locked to the outboard screws (hence also locking the outboard to the dinghy), run the length of the dinghy, and reach round a strong point on shore without pinning the dinghy so close in that it's an inconvenience at a crowded jetty. There's a second padlock to form the shoreside loop; they both take the same key.

Certainly it's not impregnable, but hopefully enough to get opportunists to look elsewhere. The dinghy is ancient and tatty and not worth nicking to sell anyway, although the outboard is quite a nice 2hp 2-stroke.

I wouldn't bother to deploy this every time, only when I thought there was a risk of theft somewhere notorious, busy, or if leaving the tender for a while.

Pete

 

[GrahamM376]

Make it look as unattractive as possible, paint it etc. Always chain and padlock even at anchor at night.

 

[sam_uk]

Deliberate hole..

I saw a thing in the chandlers for inflatables. you cut a 3cm circular hole in the bottom of the dinghy, it has a screw on cap that you screw in to keep the water out.

You chain through the hole. It means that to get the dinghy the thief would have to destroy the dinghy.

 

[RUSSH]

Ditto PRV & GrahamM376.

Although I would deploy measures on every occasion as sod’s law dictates that on the one occasion you don’t that is when the tea leaf’s about. I know some Harbour Masters object to locked tenders but so long as you don’t leave it in an inconsiderate manner e.g. locked hard alongside on a short painter/strop and taking up more space than it need I‘ve never experienced such a problem and it’s not they who will end up paying for a replacement if it is stolen.

Take a look along any pontoon or landing area and you’ll see any number of shiny tenders & engines upon which the owners may as well have placed a sign inviting anyone to help themselves. All you have to do is make sure your tender looks less attractive than those and park yours right next to one.

In a way those tenders are the best theft prevention techniques for mine. So really I’m grateful to those who take no measures to protect theirs as it makes mine less at risk.

 

[Little Rascal]

Crime Hotspots?

It would be good to know where trouble has occurred in the past... visiting yachties are maybe more at risk if they don't know the area....

 

[Ubergeekian]

I've never had problems. I use a GRP dinghy and I row it.

 

[NUTMEG]

Thanks PRV, I have an old forestay that I just knew would come in useful if I kept it long enough. 8mm X 8m or so and a b****r to cut. Great idea.

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

I always mark by outboards and dinghies with paint and make them look old; however, in this case I was in a hurry and I was planning to get back in a few days to paint it and make it look "individual". Unfortunately, someone else got there before me!!!!

Lessons learnt; 1/ thieves don't like them rough. 2/ find time to make them look rough

 

[squidge]

Dinghy theft prevention

Take it home & lock it to something , Having to trail it around is a pain but not as much as finding it missing when you need it.

 

[Poignard]

.... without pinning the dinghy so close in that it's an inconvenience at a crowded jetty.

Good man.

There should be an especially unpleasant place reserved in Hell for people who use short painters to secure their dinghies to pontoons.

Last summer I encountered a ****head on the crowded visitors' pontoon at St Peter Port who had secured his dinghy fore-and-aft with short painters and a padlock, completely indifferent to the fact that he might be inconveniencing anyone else.

 

[freespiritdavid]

Do your best

I always chain and lock my tender to its launch trolley when ashore. When it is on the mooring it is locked with a 12mm plastic coated wire bike lock, fastened to the bow and mooring chain. The outboard is always transfered to the yacht. Both tender and outboard are etched, chipped and display security stickers. It is better to prevent than have an insurance claim, as the prevention methods are reasonably cheap.

 

[prv]

Last summer I encountered a ****head on the crowded visitors' pontoon at St Peter Port who had secured his dinghy fore-and-aft with short painters and a padlock, completely indifferent to the fact that he might be inconveniencing anyone else.

Good job that most yachts carry bolt-cutters then, isn't it?

(OK, I wouldn't, but I'd definitely be thinking it)

Certainly I'd have no compunction about mooring outside of him (with my long painter to the jetty) and loading and unloading across his boat. I wouldn't be trying to do any damage, but if we happened to leave some grubby footprints back and forth it might demonstrate why it's less anti-social to moor properly.

Pete

 

[Ubergeekian]

Good job that most yachts carry bolt-cutters then, isn't it?

(OK, I wouldn't, but I'd definitely be thinking it)

What I did would probably depend on the presence or absence of potentially hostile witnesses.

Certainly I'd have no compunction about mooring outside of him (with my long painter to the jetty) and loading and unloading across his boat. I wouldn't be trying to do any damage, but if we happened to leave some grubby footprints back and forth it might demonstrate why it's less anti-social to moor properly.

It would be a terrible thing if someone spilt the contents of a chemical toilet or thunderbucket into the offending dinghy while crossing on the way to an emptying point. Terrible.

 

[Poignard]

I wouldn't be trying to do any damage, but if we happened to leave some grubby footprints back and forth it might demonstrate why it's less anti-social to moor properly.

Pete

Good idea - although in this case the dinghy was as grungy as its weird-bearded, smock-clad owner so he probably wouldn't have noticed them.

I was surprised that he thought that anyone might be tempted to steal it in preference to the numerous unlocked dinghies there.

 

[ianat182]

Perhaps the obvious thing is to make the dinghy obvious, paint the "TenderTo" name in large letters on stern and seats, at least it has a better chance of being noticed by other neighbours, friends or yachties.
Leaving your outboard on a pontoon or vacant mooring seriously lincreases chances of theft of either property.
The Hamble has recently had a spate of thefts from yachts themselves, so not an area to trust completely for any gear.

ianat182

 

[Robin]

Good man.

There should be an especially unpleasant place reserved in Hell for people who use short painters to secure their dinghies to pontoons.

Last summer I encountered a ****head on the crowded visitors' pontoon at St Peter Port who had secured his dinghy fore-and-aft with short painters and a padlock, completely indifferent to the fact that he might be inconveniencing anyone else.

+100!

I thought about carrying an old padlock or two in the pocket to add to the ones used by such folk, just to make it really secure from theft you understand. Key, what key?

 

[Boathook]

What I did would probably depend on the presence or absence of potentially hostile witnesses.



It would be a terrible thing if someone spilt the contents of a chemical toilet or thunderbucket into the offending dinghy while crossing on the way to an emptying point. Terrible.

I don't have a chemical toilet yet .....

 

[Rigger Mortice]

Last summer I encountered a ****head on the crowded visitors' pontoon at St Peter Port who had secured his dinghy fore-and-aft with short painters and a padlock, completely indifferent to the fact that he might be inconveniencing anyone else.

Difficult when they lock the things but I'm always surprised when I see a tender with long lines on board but still tied up tight to the pontoon.

Many times I've undone their lines, let them out and retied them. I've sometimes even retied them to a tender that's further out. I think that it's a considerate thing to do, as it helps them to get away.