Scrap crooks become the new pirates

Commodity crooks are turning their attention to the sea, with boat owners suffering a spate of thefts aimed at stripping their vessels of valuable metals.

Bronze propellers, lead keels and copper cladding on hulls have all been stolen as higher scrap metal prices bring increased rewards for crooks.
The problem mirrors a surge in metal theft on dry land, as Financial Mail reported last month. Lead from church roofs, copper phone wires and even garden furniture are being stolen for their scrap value.

Crooks are also targeting valuable platinum in the catalytic converters in car exhausts, hacking them from parked vehicles.

Simon Tonks, development manager for specialist marine insurer Navigators & General, says: 'We've seen a huge rise in the number of claims for metal theft in the past year.

'Propellers, plaques, copper sheathing and even ship's bells have been stolen.

'In the past fortnight we've heard about two classic racing yachts that had their lead keels unbolted and taken.'

Natasha and Neil Grant suffered at the hands of metal thieves last month when the propeller was stolen from their Glastron speedboat. The boat was parked on its trailer in the couple's front garden in Brixham, Devon.

Natasha, 36, says: 'It was fine on the Saturday night, but when we hooked it up to the car on the Sunday morning to take it out I noticed that something wasn't right and realised that the propeller had disappeared.'

She and Neil, 46, a long-distance lorry driver, use the boat for fishing and water-skiing. Natasha, who prepares fish at Brixham's fish market, says: 'We try to get out in the boat most weekends, but since the theft we've been stuck ashore.

'Some of the fishermen at the harbour have also had problems, with people in diving gear going underneath the boats to take the propeller.'

Sometimes these thefts are not covered by insurance, with policies limiting cover only to forced theft from the interior of a boat. The advice is always to check before you buy insurance.

Richard Langford, managing director of specialist insurance broker Noble Marine, says: 'People are still very price-focused and looking for cheap cover. They don't read the policy wording and expect everything to be covered and it is not.'

The Grants' insurance with Navigators & General does cover the £430 cost of a replacement propeller. Meanwhile, the couple have moved the boat into their garage.

Dearer fuel has also seen crooks stealing marine diesel from boats. Narrowboats moored on isolated canal banks are particularly vulnerable. There are fears that fuel theft will rocket when a tax rise doubles the price of marine diesel in October (see below).

But unlike the theft of home heating oil, which is covered under home insurance, the loss of marine fuel may not be insured.

Tonks says: 'Fuel is deemed a "consumable store" so it is not always covered under pleasure-craft insurance policies.' Boat owners face other risks too.

Langford says: 'Theft of accessories and equipment continues to be a problem. Outboard engines are being stolen in big numbers, with dozens of thefts reported each month.' A new 60 horsepower engine from a reputable manufacturer such as Yamaha costs more than £5,500, making outboards a tempting target.

Langford recommends that owners post details of thefts on sites such as stolenboats.org.uk. This means there is a public record of the theft and gives anyone offered an engine second-hand the chance to check they are not buying stolen property.

Boating on a budget

For Dean Rubin, there's nothing better than taking off on a pleasure cruise from Beverly Harbor on a boat he doesn't own.

"You go down, and the boat is waiting for you," Rubin said. "You enjoy the harbor, come back, get your stuff, and walk away. There are no hassles at the dock. You just get out of the boat and go home."

He and his wife, Tracy, of Beverly, are part of a new trend: Membership clubs that let people get out on the water without the expense and responsibilities of boat ownership.

Mike Saunders brought the trend to Massachusetts in 2005 when he opened a Freedom Boat Club franchise at Marina Bay in Quincy. He now owns similar franchises in Plymouth and Beverly, and there also are locations in Newburyport, West Dennis, Falmouth, and Rhode Island. The Navigator Club in Charlestown, owned by Edward Mancini, offers similar memberships.

Saunders compares it with a country club membership. Just as golf club members call to reserve tee times, boat club members call to request any of the seven boats the club keeps on the Beverly dock. The boats include bow riders, cruisers, fish ing boats, and a sailboat.

The Navigator Club at Constitution Marina in Charlestown is the newest among the on-demand boating clubs, opening this year.

"I was in boat sales and yacht brokering, and saw that a lot of people just didn't have the time to maintain a boat or to deal with some of the traditional boat ownership tasks," said Mancini, who considered opening in Newburyport, where he once docked his boat, before deciding on his current location. "I didn't want to be a franchise guy, and felt I could do a better job. I also have a passion for water, so if I can show prospective members that, it brings new people into boating."

Membership in the clubs provides the same privileges that come with docking a boat at the marina - which can include use of clubhouses, pools, restaurants, or whatever other facilities are available at the marina.

There are different fee structures, including a onetime joining fee of $4,500 for a weekday membership and $5,900 for a seven-day membership, plus fees that come to $2,500/$3,500 annually for the Freedom Boat Clubs in Beverly, Quincy, and Plymouth. Navigator Club fees run from $5,595 for a weekday membership to $7,495 for a seven-day membership.

That's less than the cost of boat ownership, which beyond the purchase price can include insurance, slip rental, harbor fees, maintenance, and winter storage.

"It costs substantially less" than boat ownership on average, "less than half," Saunders said. "Many of our members are previous boat owners who choose this because it's a no-hassle alternative. They don't have to worry about maintaining the boat."

Both clubs offer training programs, but the majority of members are people with some experience on the water.

"I just make a reservation, come here, and jump in the boat," said Joe Sharron of Windham, N.H., a Navigator Club member who used to dock his boat in Newburyport. "It's clean, the facilities are clean, I don't have to worry about maintenance. Somebody else does all that. I just go out, come back, park the boat, and I'm done. It's a great concept."

Donna Wadden of Andover decided to take up boating to celebrate her fifth cancer-free year, but found that the $10,000 she'd set aside "doesn't buy much boat . . . maybe a rowboat." Through word of mouth, she found the Freedom club's Beverly location, and has been a member for nearly three years.

"It's like my dream is back in my hands again," she said. "And in the fall, when my friends complain to me about taking their boats out of the water and putting them into storage, I can say, 'Not me. My crew is putting my boat away.' "

For the Rubins, who formerly owned Yamaha Waverunner jet skis and a Hobie Cat sailboat, the club has allowed them to get back onto the water, which the first-time power boaters hadn't done since moving to Beverly 13 years ago.

"To be near the water and not on it is a crying shame," Rubin said. "We finally said, 'Enough is enough; let's get into it.' "

Hot Bay Area Olympians: Scott Gault

Surely you're familiar with the Oakland Strokes. No? You might want to be. It's a great name, for one. For two, rowers will give you some of the most provocative crotch shot pictures of any sport. Oakland Strokes alum and Piedmont High grad Scott Gault competes in a form of rowing known as the Men's Quad Sculls, where four guys pile on a boat and go at it in unison.

The U.S. Men's Quad Sculls rowing team advanced to the finals this morning, rowing 2,000 meters in just under 5 minutes 53 seconds. They'll row at a chance for the gold medal tomorrow. At that point, Scott's 2008 olympics is finished and he'll come back to Piedmont, where he'll resume his life as a dashing pilot and aviation insurance salesman. Something tells us that this guy gets more action than, say, bloggers.