Tender thief

billyfish

billyfish

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How do you stop your tender getting nicked . I was standing on a tender pontoon a couple of of years ago when a couple came down and their dingy and outboard were gone. I worry about it all the time because I walk me dog all over the place and have to leave the dingy. Its a very elderly avon and equally elderly yam 2 although not hugely valuable a pain if they go . My wife wanted to buy a electric outboard but they are highly valued so I've said no because even if you secure the outboard the battery can be removed, £800. I'm thinking of 4 or 5 mts of wire rope with padlocks to go from the outboard through the bow and round a cleat to secure. What do you do ?
 
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC said:
Thieves dont like shabby looking things because can not be sold off.
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That didn't protect my OB from getting nicked - nor did the fact that the cover was postcoded. That being said, I was stupid enough to leave it on the tender overnight on a scrubbing grid. I now use a lock to attach the OB to the tender and a length of wire with crimped eyes and a padlock to attach the dinghy to the boat or whatever. You won't stop a determined thief, but fairly basic precautions will make the one over there an easier target.
 
Stemar said:
That didn't protect my OB from getting nicked - nor did the fact that the cover was postcoded. That being said, I was stupid enough to leave it on the tender overnight on a scrubbing grid. I now use a lock to attach the OB to the tender and a length of wire with crimped eyes and a padlock to attach the dinghy to the boat or whatever. You won't stop a determined thief, but fairly basic precautions will make the one over there an easier target.
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An example of 'opportunity creates the thief'.
I prefer to 'not lead them into temptation' - scruffy tender, dodgy looking outboard, ... And never leave it unattended overnight.
 
As they say lock it or lose it" I use a length of stainless steel chain and a good padlock. Don't know if chain or wire is better. As others said it would not stop a really determined thief.
 
Having found my dinghy washed up on the beach with somebody else's oars in it I now padlock and chain it. It's not just the thieves - it's the joy riders too.
 
I bought a long plastic covered security cable about 10mm diameter and 3 meters long with loops at either end. Outboard is locked onto dinghy and loops used to attach the lot to something solid like a post via padlock. Also useful on pontoons as long enough to allow dinghy to move when crowded. Not going to stop a determined thief but would stop the opportunist. Used it at Studland and around the West Country.
 
How do you stop your tender getting nicked

1. Do not leave it unattended for longer than 3 hours. ( a useless timeframe , I know)
2 Do not leave it unattended in a place where it (or the motor) can easily be removed unseen.
3 Leave it in a place that is gated, guarded and locked, like a boatyard or a marina.
4. Leave it in a place where there are people around.
5. When ashore, lock the tender to something solid, like a police car bumper.
6. Be aware that the new generation battery driven angle grinders are the devils gift to tender thieves.
7. Be aware that just because it is tied off to your stern and you are fast asleep, this will not deter a thief,
8. Bring it aboard everywhere , ever night.
9. Do not take a tender or outboard to Australia, ( I am Australian and I KNOW!!!)
10. Hope for the best and expect the worst (of people).
 
billyfish said:
How do you stop your tender getting nicked . I was standing on a tender pontoon a couple of of years ago when a couple came down and their dingy and outboard were gone. I worry about it all the time because I walk me dog all over the place and have to leave the dingy. Its a very elderly avon and equally elderly yam 2 although not hugely valuable a pain if they go . My wife wanted to buy a electric outboard but they are highly valued so I've said no because even if you secure the outboard the battery can be removed, £800. I'm thinking of 4 or 5 mts of wire rope with padlocks to go from the outboard through the bow and round a cleat to secure. What do you do ?
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I also padlock my electric outboard and battery to a fixed point on my aluminum hulled tender. It’s only a thin wire but it’s to keep an honest man honest and not keep a thief out. But I only use to it in very touristy beaches and ports, never up a lonely creek near a council housing estate. But there’s no such thing as boat security, only insurance. I’ve had two thousand pounds worth of damage done to the boat just to steal a fifty pence bottle of water. The cost to me was several hundred plus increased premiums. And I had a brand new Honda 150 hp taken off the back of my boat. No damage, so am I supposed to be grateful to the thieves professionalism ?
Great avatar, by the way??
 
My boat came with a 2.7m rib and 10hp outboard. The previous owner was very security conscious and had fitted a 3m long heavy duty plastic covered wire permanently attached to the towing bracket on the bow and a heavy duty padlock on the other end. We used it for the first season and it was a bloody nuisance always in the way and under our feet. I cut it off that winter and decided I didn't Want to live in fear so now I just tie it up with a light line whenever I go ashore. I don't however leave it in the water overnight (as much to stop it slapping the hull as security) as I can hoist it up on the davit in a couple of minutes.
 
Bouba said:
I also padlock my electric outboard and battery to a fixed point on my aluminum hulled tender. It’s only a thin wire but it’s to keep an honest man honest and not keep a thief out. But I only use to it in very touristy beaches and ports, never up a lonely creek near a council housing estate. But there’s no such thing as boat security, only insurance. I’ve had two thousand pounds worth of damage done to the boat just to steal a fifty pence bottle of water. The cost to me was several hundred plus increased premiums. And I had a brand new Honda 150 hp taken off the back of my boat. No damage, so am I supposed to be grateful to the thieves professionalism ?
Great avatar, by the way??
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Sory to hear that - how on earth could thieves lift off an outboard weighing over 200KG?
 
C08 said:
Sory to hear that - how on earth could thieves lift off an outboard weighing over 200KG?
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It was on a dry stack, they took about a dozen new outboards, some were 300 hp. Professionals, probably had buyers in foreign countries lined up
 
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