Security - some say net curtains are the best

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Sailingsaves

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Net curtains are a start.

But my boat was broken into once. They left when the alarms went off.

My task was then to make them not want to break in - we all know they can if they really want to.

You simply make them think twice and choose an easy target.

You can buy a tv simulator from Maplin etc for £11 that runs from AA batteries of 12V via a converter.

I saw one working, went home and made a better one within the hour.

Video here:
http://youtu.be/E4lFjirTi3w

I no longer have boat - redundancy kind of does that. But I left it running all the time and from the shore it really did look like a tv was on.

I also made this just two days ago - just for fun although I have now applied for a patent, so I can show it with patent pending.

Simply plugs into car or boat cigar socket - an extension lead can be used and it flashes a beam of light across furniture etc.

Just some dis-information to make the crooks think twice "er, I have no idea what is on that boat and I'm gonna give it a miss and paddle over to that nice quiet dark one".

http://youtu.be/HrxhcczU6tAView attachment 30902

Here is a photo too, home made by my fair hands, in GB. I have had it running from an old car battery in the garden non stop for 2 days and the battery voltage has not dropped at all and the whole garden and furniture has this weird flashing line across it.
 
Lazy Kipper said:
Looks really neat, I think I'll order one.
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Please do. I haven't put the darn thing on my website yet. Will do it today and by the evening you will be able to add it to your basket. Or just drop me an email via the website and I'll send you an invoice and once paid you should have it the next day.

I hope there isn't a run on them or I will have my hands full; as I say - hand made by me; to old fashioned British standards; that means it will work and keep on working and that I haven't put a large profit margin on it - I hope I succeed with this business plan = would be nice to use old fashioned standards rather than smash and grab techniques that seem to be the norm these days by the likes of Tesco and all those big boys - it is internally fused by the way.
 
Excuse my ignorance but WTF is it meant to simulate ?

I wish you well with your sales though.
 
clyst said:
What all night ? Maybe the would be thief would return during daylight to steal the non existant TV.
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Yes, or, if the light is flickering away all night every night, even the thickest of thieves may work out that there is nobody on board. If that flickering is to a steady rythmn rather than randomised then it will be even more obvious.

I suspect that it would be better to have a small flashing red LED to make the toe rags think that there is an alarm system on board. But different people will try different things, the pretend TV may work.
 
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Such rampant cynicism! It looks like a cheap little device that may make a thief choose another target. Sure if we all had something like that we'd all have to ramp up to the next level but the idea of thieves routinely staking out individual yachts to decide if it's a real TV or a fake TV is a bit far fetched! The OP has produced a handy little bit of deception for no more than a tenner and if nothing else my children will love the funky light pattern :)
 
Rigger Mortice said:
A good patent costs a fair bit and unless you have something that is genuinely novel it won't be granted. But I wish you well with it.
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Thanks. I trained as a patent attorney, so know a little bit about it. You also need an "inventive step" as well as novelty.

It is a lot of work.
 
Rigger Mortice said:
Yes, or, if the light is flickering away all night every night, even the thickest of thieves may work out that there is nobody on board. If that flickering is to a steady rythmn rather than randomised then it will be even more obvious.

I suspect that it would be better to have a small flashing red LED to make the toe rags think that there is an alarm system on board. But different people will try different things, the pretend TV may work.
Click to expand...

Take your choice; I supply the TV thing and the red line thing.

Few thieves 'case out' a boat. That is saved for mansions.

These devices are intended to make the two scrotes in their dinghy at 11pm move on to the ext boat.

To nick stuff and get away with it, you do the deed a long way away from your patch and move on to another patch; just as a sniper shoots, moves position and snipes again.
 
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Lazy Kipper said:
Such rampant cynicism! It looks like a cheap little device that may make a thief choose another target. Sure if we all had something like that we'd all have to ramp up to the next level but the idea of thieves routinely staking out individual yachts to decide if it's a real TV or a fake TV is a bit far fetched! The OP has produced a handy little bit of deception for no more than a tenner and if nothing else my children will love the funky light pattern :)
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Thanks for that. I agree with the stake out or lack of.

I was soldering one away for two hours last night in case you place an order - all inside is covered with liquid insulation tape to prevent that nasty salty atmosphere doing its worst. No obligation to buy. I stick 'em in my car's cigar socket otherwise.
 
Lazy Kipper said:
but the idea of thieves routinely staking out individual yachts to decide if it's a real TV or a fake TV is a bit far fetched!
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Of course they won't stake out boats on swinging moorings: that will be reserved for the mega yachts. However, the locals who go thieving (and it's not all done by organised hit squads from miles away) will know the local waters and will see what goes on. They're not daft....well that's not always true; some are as daft as a brush!

If people want to try the device, that's fine but, as this is a forum, it would be a bit pointless if we all agreed on every idea all the time.
 
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