Preventing Dingny/Tender Theft...
- Thread starter SailBobSquarePants
- Start date
Ubergeekian
Well-Known Member
You mean you have to use a bucket? Terribly easy things to spill, buckets.
KellysEye
Well-Known Member
We use stainless steel chain with a padlocked loop through the engine lifting handle then though the petrol container handle then to the boat/dock with another padlocked loop. Both loops are covered with a short length of water hose to prevent damage to paintwork.
Twister_Ken
Well-Known Member
Halfords and similar sell meaty eff-off security chains for motorbikes. Would need industrial sized croppers to cut through.
salinia
Well-Known Member
This reminds me of when we had our tender and outboard stolen (but quickly recovered) quite a few years ago. We arrived at Caernarfon and picked up a visitors mooring and went ashore for a meal at the floating restaurant. As my wife and I sat at the table enjoying a drink awaiting our meal and taking in the view she said "Oh look doesn't that look like our dinghy" as it made its way out of harbour. I replied "nah" She said " IT IS OUR DINGHY!
" To which we left the drinks on the table and did what could only be described as a runner. As we ran out of the eaterie the dinghy and its occupier were making their way out of the harbour. I went to try and find a boat to go in pursuit while my wife kept an eye on the would be chancer. I came across some folk on what must have been a 40ft yacht moored alongside the harbour wall and explained what had happened...no sooner said than they had cast off and the bridge was opened to allow them passage in pursuit...in the meantime my wife had crossed the bridge and managed to recover the boat and engine. It turned out to be a young lad who didn't get very far due to the airscrew not being open on the tank. He managed to paddle ashore and leg it. We went back to the restaurant full of apologies and later thanked the crew of the Yacht and forced them to accept a nice bottle of red. Funnily enough later that same day the crew of a charter yacht that was moored close by, were making their way to shore in their dinghy when the engine died on them and they could not restart it. I nipped across in the dinghy to help and suggested it could be the airscrew...they were soon on there way again. Later that evening a lot of shouting fetched me up on deck and out of the darkness came the bows of the charter yacht with one of the crew handing over a nice bottle of red as they went on there way Isn't boating just full of surprises.
" To which we left the drinks on the table and did what could only be described as a runner. As we ran out of the eaterie the dinghy and its occupier were making their way out of the harbour. I went to try and find a boat to go in pursuit while my wife kept an eye on the would be chancer. I came across some folk on what must have been a 40ft yacht moored alongside the harbour wall and explained what had happened...no sooner said than they had cast off and the bridge was opened to allow them passage in pursuit...in the meantime my wife had crossed the bridge and managed to recover the boat and engine. It turned out to be a young lad who didn't get very far due to the airscrew not being open on the tank. He managed to paddle ashore and leg it. We went back to the restaurant full of apologies and later thanked the crew of the Yacht and forced them to accept a nice bottle of red. Funnily enough later that same day the crew of a charter yacht that was moored close by, were making their way to shore in their dinghy when the engine died on them and they could not restart it. I nipped across in the dinghy to help and suggested it could be the airscrew...they were soon on there way again. Later that evening a lot of shouting fetched me up on deck and out of the darkness came the bows of the charter yacht with one of the crew handing over a nice bottle of red as they went on there way Isn't boating just full of surprises.
Twister_Ken
Well-Known Member
Thinking of the bleed screw makes me wonder how hard it would be to fit a concealed switch that would disable the HT lead, so that the o/b wouldn't start.
chewi
Well-Known Member
Crime hotspot
Yarmouth IOW first day of opening post revamp.
attempted theft of Honda 2.3 o/b from a rubbadub at the proper tender park. Foiled by decent stainless circular padlock threaded thro stainless eyes in the clamps. would be thief let the rubbadub down to try to take the bracket instead, but when it all went floppy I think they gave up..
By this time the o/b was in the drink & needed an emergency flushout.
Yarmouth IOW first day of opening post revamp.
attempted theft of Honda 2.3 o/b from a rubbadub at the proper tender park. Foiled by decent stainless circular padlock threaded thro stainless eyes in the clamps. would be thief let the rubbadub down to try to take the bracket instead, but when it all went floppy I think they gave up..
By this time the o/b was in the drink & needed an emergency flushout.
longjohnsilver
Well-Known Member
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
Short dinghy painters are a curse. Especially those with padlocks. I'm very tempted to add (sacrifice) a padlock of my own.......
SimbaDog
Well-Known Member
It also advertises the fact that you are ashore & your pride & joy is now sitting unoccupied & ready to be plundered
prv
Well-Known Member
Good thought. The kill switch on mine is a simple switch in a wire attached to the block - not sure whether it closes to short things out or opens to break the circuit, but there's a fair length of surplus wire and it would be easy to add another switch alongside. Wonder how best to make it concealed - I've used reed switches before so you put a magnet on an otherwise blank surface and things magically happen, but that sounds inconvenient on an outboard.
Of course, all this stops the joyrider who takes the boat for a spin, but not the thief who chucks it in the back of a van without attempting to start. Might annoy him later, but that's no help to you.
Pete
longjohnsilver
Well-Known Member
Seems we think alike.......
Short tender lines are a constant problem in Dartmouth as are those who insist on lifting their outboard. I guess it's the same everywhere.
If someone leaves their tender on a very short line but with yards of spare line then I will often re-tie it on max scope with multiple knots, again to ensure it doesn't float off by itself.
Ubergeekian
Well-Known Member
It also advertises the fact that you are ashore & your pride & joy is now sitting unoccupied & ready to be plundered
Doesn't the absence of a tender floating behind do that anyway, for boats on moorings?
The traditional kill switch earths the LT side of things.
Poignard
Well-Known Member
Not neccessarily. You could have your dinghy stowed away in a locker and be sitting on your boat (ready to give any unexpected visitor a warm welcome!)
Ubergeekian
Well-Known Member
Not neccessarily. You could have your dinghy stowed away in a locker and be sitting on your boat (ready to give any unexpected visitor a warm welcome!)
That's easily dealt with. Mr Badman just goes alongside, knocks politely and is ready to ask about, oh, lock opening times, or have you seen a boat called "My Poll" around, or can-you-lend-us-a-cup-of-sugar. That's in anchorages: I'd be surprised if one in a hundred boats at a mooring (non-visitor) without a tender showing was occupied.
SimbaDog
Well-Known Member
Ubergeekian
Well-Known Member
Is that how you do it then?
How dare you, sir?
Meanwhile, can I interest you in a range of economically-priced marine electronics? No manuals or aerials, I'm afraid.
Fire99
Well-Known Member
Just been down to see my tender. No-one in their right mind would steal that little scruffy fellow.
TQA
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There is someone chaining their dink up short just now It is a right pain as he does it on the corner next to the step and this forces you into the shallows. What amuses me is that it is a serious bit of SS chain and an effing great padlock. But it is attached to a eyebolt which could be undone in 30 seconds with an adjustable.
I have been tempted to do just that and to relocate his dink for him but have resisted so far. I must say the portapotti accident idea appeals.
At least he does not tilt his outboard.
I have been tempted to do just that and to relocate his dink for him but have resisted so far. I must say the portapotti accident idea appeals.
At least he does not tilt his outboard.
Robin
Well-Known Member
In our last season on the yacht I was struggling with knackered hips and whilst I managed the usual South Brittany run I really had problems getting ashore from the dinghy in places like Lymington unless there was somewhere to hang on to at standing height. One really irritating moron in Lymington (had a beautiful wooden boat, shame about being brain dead) regularly tied his inflatable on short lines fore and aft right across the pontoon safety ladder which was the only easy place I could use to get in and out, he then padlocked it with a cable through the outboard, it's bracket and the bow painter ring and tight. We did leave a significant amount of slimy weed in his dink when we dragged ours up and over it to the pontoon so I could get in without trying to cross umpteen wobbly floors. I took a couple of old padlocks over the next time we were there but he must have gone off to plague others somewhere else. The same selfish pillock would also tie his dinghy fore/aft alongside his boat on the visitor buoys to repel any newcomers.
I have to say though that in over 40 years of leaving a variety of tenders, with and without outboards on beaches, visitor pontoons and slipways in the UK and France we never had one stolen or anything from it. Not sure then if there really is a problem to be solved in home waters? Different I'm sure in other places like the Caribbean however and I think I would lock it up there.
Csail
N/A
Put a note on it saying 'hi chris , checked the outbd. but its knackered, speak to you later, cheers, john'