Early in the ownership of one my boats, I meandered down to the marina and found a most-unpleasant sight. A crook had been aboard. This crook took, of all things, a satchel with owner’s manuals for the onboard equipment.
Truth be told, he didn’t have much to target, as I’d only had the boat for a few weeks and had not provisioned it with any personal equipment. I was smart enough (or lucky enough) to have removed the various electronics arrays.
Still, it was reminder that even in marinas with security personnel and gated access to the slips, crooks can and do find a way on board.
The following three rules are some easy ways to deter the bad guys, and can go a long way toward protecting our boats.
Remove Valuable Items
If it isn’t on the boat, a crook can’t take it. What falls within the definition of “valuable” is left to your discretion. My basic rule is that if I would miss the item, and be unsettled about the cost of replacing it, then it is valuable.
Another way of thinking about it is to adopt a thief’s mindset: If the item has value to a thief, then maybe it shouldn’t live permanently on the boat. I’d suggest removing electronics, when practical, as well as handheld devices such the VHF radio, GPS, personal locator beacon and binoculars. Outboard engines should be locked down to deter theft, and the usual array of lines, fenders and oars should be stowed in lockable compartments.
It’s also prudent to remove ownership-related documents such the boat’s title and registration, and fishing and crabbing licenses, as they often have personally identifying information, can be difficult to replace, and are required for legal operation of the boat. I have taken to making copies of these documents; the originals live at home, and the copies come and go with me as I use my boat.
I basically maintain a go-to-boat satchel, which also holds my wallet, mobile phone and keys.
Deterrence
Thieves do not like to spend time in the slammer, and we know they look for easy targets. This brings me to a saying about hiking and bears. It goes something like this: “If you’re being chased by a bear, you only need to be faster than the person you’re with.”
In a sense, the same idea applies to boat security. Your boat doesn’t need to be as secure as Fort Knox. It just needs to be the least-attractive target in the marina, or on your particular stretch of the docks.
There are numerous ways to make your vessel one that thieves will skip. Add a security system with remote monitoring and geofences. Replace factory locks with something more substantial. Keep the dock well-lit, if it is private dock.
In addition, to a wily thief, nothing broadcasts “absentee owner” louder than a deck caked with dust and a veritable salad of seaweed growing on the hull. Keeping your boat clean is a big plus.
Maintain a Presence
Years ago, while I was a liveaboard, my grandparents kept their trawler two docks away from where I was moored. Their dock happened to be better positioned for late-afternoon sun, and there were times when I’d go over and hang out. Sometimes, a passerby would inquire about my presence, and I’d explain. If the person appeared a bit shady, I might even suggest that I was around often. I can’t say with any degree of certainty whether my periodic, and completely random, presence deterred a thief, but we do know that thieves will often scout a target beforehand.
Go down to your boat with some degree of frequency, even if it’s only for a short period of time—and do so at different times of the day. If you have trusted friends with boats in the same marina, encourage them to swing by your boat. Maybe offer up the location of a cooler that has a beverage or two available as an incentive. The same works for your non-boating friends, who might enjoy a periodic visit for the scenery. If your marina has security personnel, connect with them. Maybe suggest that they walk the docks from time to time, if that doesn’t regularly occur.
To stop our beloved boats from being pilfered, we must think like the thieves. Dishonest people, the type who steal things, have a basic profile. They want an easy target. They want things they can flip for easy cash. And they do not want to get caught.
As for the clown who walked off with my owner’s manuals, well, I hope he enjoyed reading about maintenance on the VacuFlush toilet.
This article was originally published in the October 2023 issue.
