Watch out Fuel nicked from Boat on drive way.

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markcw

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Bridgwater, Somerset
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Have been saving up and putting in fuel since last year ready for april first outing.

Well i had got to 1/2 tank of petrol( 60 ltrs) last week after lots of top ups, yesterday morning i came out and noticed my fuel cap was unscrewed, "Im sure i did not leave it off" i thought to my self, so i jumped in the boat turned ignition on to checked fuel gauge and :eek::eek::eek: No fuel not a drop, so some low life-w..k.- piece of scum-dirt bag-f!"£$r-asso-****** and any thing else they can be called has syphoned out all my fuel.

So to all those trailer boaters out there who have there boats at home, please be warned, i never would of thought it would happen to me but it has.

So i need some help on the best way to prevent this in the future, i dont have a locking fuel cap as i cant afford the £45 needed for a new lockable one, are there any alternatives out there, or does any one know if i can use an auto/car type, the one i currently have is a screw on and off type.


Mark w
 
markcw said:
Have been saving up and putting in fuel since last year ready for april first outing.

Well i had got to 1/2 tank of petrol( 60 ltrs) last week after lots of top ups, yesterday morning i came out and noticed my fuel cap was unscrewed, "Im sure i did not leave it off" i thought to my self, so i jumped in the boat turned ignition on to checked fuel gauge and :eek::eek::eek: No fuel not a drop, so some low life-w..k.- piece of scum-dirt bag-f!"£$r-asso-****** and any thing else they can be called has syphoned out all my fuel.

So to all those trailer boaters out there who have there boats at home, please be warned, i never would of thought it would happen to me but it has.

So i need some help on the best way to prevent this in the future, i dont have a locking fuel cap as i cant afford the £45 needed for a new lockable one, are there any alternatives out there, or does any one know if i can use an auto/car type, the one i currently have is a screw on and off type.


Mark w
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very sorry to hear that. can you fit some devise into the filler pipe between the filler & the tank
 
Not sure on your boat layout but if you have a pipe that goes from the filler nozzle to the tank, inside the boat, then install a gate or ball valve in it. Shouldn't cost much more than a tenner at most.
 
Thanks for your comments, the fuel cap sits on the bathing platform side, i also thought of a ball valve but the the filler tube to tank is quite large 2inch dia, a ball valve would be expensive.

i was going to pull the filler tube of tank side and place a blank cap on the tank funnel. but this will stop me from toping up as it not easy to get down and reconnect it. i think my only option is to save up and buy a new lockable filler neck.

I just wanted to warn boater especialy trailer boater that this is now a common thing, in all my years of owning a boat 6 years and storeing it at home this has never happend, but then fuel prices were never like they are now.

mark
 
leave an old tank on the boat with petrol,sugar and paint stripper in it,that'll learn 'em
 
Hi Mark,

Sorry to hear your news and understand your sentiments entirely. Nipped home from work one day a few years back and in the 20 minutes the car was outside the house some cretin nicked my battery - came as a shock how swift they must have been. There were also half-a-dozen or so incidents in the local rag a couple a years back where cars were targetted for fuel - the low-life's drilled a hole in the bottom of tanks and once their containers were full, left the residue to run down the road! :eek:

Our 14's fuel is mixed with 2-stroke oil, but is also covered by night-vision CCTV recording 24x7. It's also close to the house on a gravel drive and both ours and neighbours dogs hear EVERYTHING that moves out there - including cats etc which can be a bit annoying when you're woken by barking at 3am and have to investigate...

Sadly it's quite possibly someone nearby who has seen you filling it up! I'd look at anti-syphon devices as well as locking caps as many are not easily removed once fitted. Whilst you will never stop a determined thief, you can make it as hard/risky as possible so they go elsewhere. Unfortunately, the escalating price of fuel is likely to result in many such incidents in the current climate and the £45 might be the best cash you spend on the boat in a while!
 
That's extremely annoying. Not that it helps, but to prevent just such a thing happening to my 85 litre diesel tank, I fitted a shut-off valve at the tank end of the filler pipe, which is not easy to find by a casual inspection even if you break into the boat. Now if a passing tealeaf decided to empty my tank, he (or she - crime complies with all equal opportunity legislation) they would get half a litre from the filler pipe only and a big brass valve cannot be forced.
 
hi rbcoombe.
Have just learnt 10 mins ago that pikys have been seen in our road, as various bits have gone missing including lots of metal from a garden and a old washing machine on a trailer ready for the skip, also 4 days ago a house directly opposite had its coper pipeing from front of there house was cut away, so i now have a good idea who took it., curently browsing the neet to try and find a locking fuel cap, im thinking of making a new filler area into the boat and the the leave the old base and screw cap were it is but blocked off that will confuse them, think this is my cheapestt option currently.
 
Why make it so complex Mark??

Fit the anti-syphon device and be done with it - fitting new fillers etc - all going to make the boat harder to sell, and seems an awful lot of work to prevent something that will hopefully be a one-off...
 
markcw said:
hi rbcoombe.
Have just learnt 10 mins ago that pikys have been seen in our road, as various bits have gone missing including lots of metal from a garden and a old washing machine on a trailer ready for the skip, also 4 days ago a house directly opposite had its coper pipeing from front of there house was cut away, so i now have a good idea who took it., curently browsing the neet to try and find a locking fuel cap, im thinking of making a new filler area into the boat and the the leave the old base and screw cap were it is but blocked off that will confuse them, think this is my cheapestt option currently.
Click to expand...

Pikies do have battery tools ;)
 
How about storing the fuel in your garage in jerry cans? Not strictly legal, I know, but better than having it knicked. Or (I don't know how you are coming by fuel in dribs and drabs) how about just saving money instead and tanking up on your way to launch.
 
Sorry to hear this the blighters will take anything not bolted down and even then will still try probably causing damage as well as loss

What about not leaving any fuel on the boat but have an account just for fuel. Put money in there when spare cash is available and fill up the boat enroute to the water. Cost to you nill however you might need some will power not to use the money for other stuff.

Just a thought

Martin
 
What about not leaving any fuel on the boat but have an account just for fuel. Put money in there when spare cash is available and fill up the boat enroute to the water.


Hi martin
Thats what we have decided to do for the moment, save the money in a pot, will be trying the anti-syphon device later in the year.

More worried now that the boat does not go walkies and taken various measures to make it very difficuly for them to not Just drive of with the boat, even had to empty it out, dph sounder-radio-life jackets-fenders are £20 each and i have 6 of them. boat now empty, would love to hear them trying to walk of with the achor and chain and not make a noise.
 
Benefit of a locked filler over the anti-syphon device is that it prevents them from putting things into your tank, in anger over not getting any fuel out.
 
Hmm, this is not good, i to have been using this time to put 20L in every now and then to have a brimmed tank ready before it goes back to its mooring. I do have a 'locking' cap but its just two holes a little plastic device fits into.
 
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