The global financial crisis has certainly hit the boating industry hard, but sadly there’s another side to the GFC and in this case I’m referring to theft, theft of boats and theft of equipment from boats.
A serving police officer once described to me what he felt was the difference between honest and dishonest people – 'Respect,' he said, 'dishonest people have no respect for your rights or your property.'
Sadly, that seems to be the case at present with a reported ‘spike’ in nautical thievery.
Trailer boat theft and the stealing of valuable equipment from moored vessels has always been a problem, but it seems that tough times lead to an increase in this insidious past time.
And, would you believe, stealing from moored vessels increases during school holidays?
Nice!
Do you know what your ‘little Johnny’ was up to during his school holidays?
Of course, stealing boats and stealing from boats is something all honest people pay for by way of increased insurance premiums.
In Part II of ‘Boat Theft – another side to the GFC’ I speak to a number of key insurance people and learn just how much these ‘low lifes’ cost us by way of increased premiums.
Needless to say, payouts by insurance companies are highest when it comes to complete trailer boats stolen, but equipment stolen from moored or berthed vessels is becoming more expensive, with GPS plotters, fish founders, ‘sounders, small outboard engines, even tenders increasingly becoming targets.
The popular Data Dot technology, I’m told, does tend to deter professional thieves looking to on-sell a boat or equipment for a quick profit.
However, opportunistic or amateur thieves usually would not even know what Data Dot is.
For the uninitiated, Data Dot is a clever system whereby thousands of tiny dots laser etched with a VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) or PIN (Personal Identification Number) that can be read by police via a unique magnifier to prove ownership.
Several motor vehicle manufacturers ‘spray’ Data Dot on their vehicles and a number of outboard engine and motorcycle producers follow suit.
Nevertheless, as much as it helps there’s really no absolute way to deter thieves if you vessel is in any way left unattended.
If you trailer boat is left outside your home, adorn it with all the chains and padlocks you desire, it won’t stop a determined thief.
Likewise, thieves can quickly learn which boats on swing moorings are berthed at marinas are left unattended for lengthy periods.
I was reminded of a tale I picked up in the US some years ago, that of a thief serving time in gaol for carrying out his ‘trade.’
He explained that he always targeted a well-known and common brand (rare or unusual boats stand out, he said).
His method of operation was to stroll casually around marinas, select a ‘likely vessel’ and look for one with an owner on board.
Owner on board?
Yep, here’s how he worked.
'I’d pretend to the owner that I was very impressed with his vessel and knew that boat owners loved to talk about their pride and joy', he said.
'After a few minutes conversation I knew what engines he had, what electronics were on board, knew his name and that he lives three states away and came to his boat every second weekend.
'That was it, I had my next target.'
One week later, that ‘gentleman’ (and I use the word loosely!) arrived at the marina on the very weekend he had already determined the owner would be absent, checked in at the marina office, told them that Mr ……… (he already had his name, remember?) had requested some work on his boat.
Marine staff escorted him to the boat, helped him untie the lines and bid farewell as he motored off into the distance.
How easy was that?
Despite that example of one very smart thief in action, security is pretty good at most commercial marinas.
I’m aware of a couple of incidents in Australia similar to the US example, but by far the vast majority of insurance claims relate to stolen trailer boats and stolen marine equipment rather than big vessels.
Most insurance companies give bonuses on premiums where the insured vessels are berthed at a recognised marina.
Those on semi-deserted swing moorings are likely to be paying higher premiums.
Apart from keeping your trailer boat out of sight, or even better, in a locked garage, there’s not a lot that can be done to deter thieves.
Be particularly aware if you’re advertising your boat for sale; thieves often scour the classified looking for suitable craft to ‘pinch.’
A standard method is to contact the owner of an advertised boat, obtain all its details, and determine if it is good value to steal.
The thief, of course, makes an appointment to inspect the boat, but is a ‘no show’.
That’s the least pf his worries, he now knows the location of a trailer boat worthy of his ‘talents’ and within a few days of the advertisement being placed that boat has been ‘nicked.’
Next week, we’ll endeavour to look into various ways and means to help you protect your investment and we’ll talk to the people in the ‘front line’ battling thievery every day, the insurers who have to ‘cop it’ whenever thieves strike.
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