Yacht Security on River Dart Trot Mooring

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picardy

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My yacht has a standard 2 part perspex hatch with a lock to the sliding lid.

Does anyone have any tips for improving security for the boat which will this year be kept on a trot mooring on the River Dart.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated eg. warning signs, fake CCTV, additional locks, different material to perspex etc.

Thanks
 
Yacht Security

In answer to the op.

Hatch Latch (we have one)
Yacht Sentinel, or similar (we have one)

A notice on the hatchboards "all valuables removed" (might not be very effective as I believe nowadays most of the scrotes over there cannot read)

I saw a battery powered set of pir activated audio alarms (very loud I hope) in a local supermarket, but should be able to find them anywhere.

Good luck.

Michael.
 
picardy said:
My yacht has a standard 2 part perspex hatch with a lock to the sliding lid.

Does anyone have any tips for improving security for the boat which will this year be kept on a trot mooring on the River Dart.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated eg. warning signs, fake CCTV, additional locks, different material to perspex etc.

Thanks
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Never say never, but the Dart has generally been a safe place for us and everyone we know. If you're at Totnes you might get a moorhen or two nesting on your bows, and the gulls are more than a nuisance. If you're going to be at Cornworthy or opposite Noss, you should be fine. Relax and enjoy.:)
 
I had a boat on a swinging mooring. After the first break in I did what I did at my Garage to stop people nicking my tools. I had a small hand held engraving machine and engraved "Everything" with my name. So my Echo Sounder etc., had XXXXXXX Garage engraved across the front. OK I know that it would devalue it. Anyway this did not stop things being nicked but it put 2 thieves in Jail. One after a breaking into my boat and another following a burglary at my home. On one of those occasions the thieves were caught following a Police Raid at the burglars house and at the other the Police were looking at a well known villans car and in the boot was a bag with my engraved Echo Sounder in it. The policeman looking at my Echo Sounder with the engraving establishes by radio that it is stolen property and arrests the driver. JOB DONE.
Since then security has moved on, you can get tiny chips, like what some Saddlers put in Saddles or dogs, the idea is that the Police are provided with scanners and scan recovered stuff.
The small flashing LED will be put on my next boat.
 
Hmmm,

my Fathers' Centaur had a perspex sliding hatch, which cost a lot to replace when lowlife broke in.

There was the huge plus point though that we found it covered in blood, nothing trivial I hope !

It became obvious this was the work of unskilled lowlife rather than pro's.

I'd be tempted to padlock something like sheet metal - thick alloy or well painted steel, unless sheet stainless is available at vaguely reasonable rates to you - over the hatchway, perspex is just too inviting to opportunist let alone 'pro' thieves.

A lot of people at my club have relatively sophisticated alarms with sirens & blue strobes on the spreaders - which I think would be very effective - and these things will call one up, 'help I'm being burgled !'

They can also monitor if the boat is being moved - handy if lying awake at home worrying about her in a gale too - and bilge pumps etc.

I know several turn on the fridges & / or heaters etc remotely before setting off from home.

These systems are a few hundred pounds, which seems good value to me.
 
emandvee44 said:
I saw a battery powered set of pir activated audio alarms (very loud I hope) in a local supermarket, but should be able to find them anywhere.

Good luck.

Michael.
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I always maintain with a car (and boat) alarm, you want the loudest set of air horns you can find INSIDE the car (boat) to the point that it's physically painful to remain inside with the alarm going off.
 
picardy said:
My yacht has a standard 2 part perspex hatch with a lock to the sliding lid.

Does anyone have any tips for improving security for the boat which will this year be kept on a trot mooring on the River Dart.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated eg. warning signs, fake CCTV, additional locks, different material to perspex etc.

Thanks
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This seems a good idea!!

Nice bit of Stainless Steel, or Bronze , or even Galvanised? or even a sheet of cardboard cut to the same size as your perspex so they can't see in?

used with solid boards.
 
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Never locked my boat here, maybe a bit behind the curve but never much heard of anything not attached to the shore being taken here. Is it a particularly desirable boat? Dinghy's often go missing (nearly always turn up) and outboards get stolen. Not much of value on most boats while is resalable.
 
wklein said:
Never locked my boat here, maybe a bit behind the curve but never much heard of anything not attached to the shore being taken here. Is it a particularly desirable boat? Dinghy's often go missing (nearly always turn up) and outboards get stolen. Not much of value on most boats while is resalable.
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This has always crossed my mind, if you have a yacht done with belt and braces security, are you actually saying " I have a lot on board worth nicking , if you dare to try" ?

There is always the professional that will get in no matter what, and does high security advertise the value of the boats contents.

The cost of the damage caused by entry into some very secure vessels can be quite considerable, and in some cases cost more than replacing the items taken. There is also the time involved, and lack of sailing time repairing the damage.

I imagine most crimes are opportunists, trying to make a quick buck, so do we need lots and lots of security? Or is the normal boat builder’s security and common sense enough?

I can appreciate that isolated moorings can be a different situation, but I personaly think, that if a boat is regularly visited, and stuff isn’t left on display, and open to the opportunist thief on deck, and you’re not advertising you have £2000 worth of electronics onboard? Should we get Paranoid about it?
 
I'm afraid the types who visit moorings in say Portsmouth harbour and a lot of other places in shall we say 'professional type' boats aren't opportunists, I get the impression they are supplementing their income when their advertised profession fails to pay enough.

This is why I stopped going to boat jumbles long ago...

Security is always a compromise, making the boat difficult to get into without making huge damage a consequence, but I've had expensive kit damaged by taking it to & fro, so some sort of security is an idea, on the basis that if one makes life harder for the thieving scum they'll desist and, sadly, go elsewhere...
 
Seajet said:
I'm afraid the types who visit moorings in say Portsmouth harbour and a lot of other places in shall we say 'professional type' boats aren't opportunists, I get the impression they are supplementing their income when their advertised profession fails to pay enough.



Sorry Seajet, I think you misunderstood my reference to " professional "


I merely meant that the " Professional Thief " will always get in, as opposed to the Motor By Opportunist who may see something, he/she ( not wanting to appear sexist) fancies as they pass by?
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