Best Boat Security Systems

If there’s been one fast-growing trend in boating, it’s the advent or wireless boat security systems that allow owners to remotely monitor their boat.

It’s not surprising, since once upon a time it took nothing more than a couple of sturdy ropes to ensure your boat would remain safely at the dock until you returned. But we now live in a less innocent world where boats, like anything else of value, can attract unwanted attention from thieves.

Thankfully, modern technology has brought a range of comparatively inexpensive boat security systems that allow owners to keep a closer eye on their pride and joy.

The trick is to install one. You don’t need the best boat alarm system in the world, just one that works, since the vast majority of boats don’t have any kind of protection at all.

Thieves may not steal the boat itself, but focus on expensive electronics like MFDs, fish finders, radar and more.

With the proliferation of digital technology, today anyone can pull out a smartphone and instantly see what’s going on aboard their boat, at any time, and from anywhere in the world. Even if you keep your boat in a highly secure marina where theft is unlikely, today’s surveillance systems let you monitor everything from water levels in the bilge to shore power connections and more. And not just monitor, but control. Forget to turn off a light? No problem – there’s an app for that.

Local Boat Alarms

If your primary interest is in guarding against theft, a local alarm may be all you need. Local alarms use a variety of sensors to determine when someone (or something, like a raccoon looking for a place to live) steps aboard the boat. Failure to enter the cancel code within a specified period of time activates the alarm.

Much like a car alarm, these systems alert other people nearby that an intrusion is in progress. Accordingly, local alarms work best in areas where there will always be someone there to respond, such as a marina with a full-time security guard.

Old-school car alarms have given way to modern systems like the C-Pod, with remote connectivity.

The challenge with local alarms is that they rely on someone else to respond on your behalf whenever you’re not around. What if no one’s around, such as when your boat is stored for the winter?

Acoustics barrier alarms like those offered by GOST don’t just make a loud noise, they emit an unbearable racket that immobilizes would-be thieves by targeting the inner ear, disorienting the sensitive Otolith organs and the Semicircular Canal. The result is near-instant dizziness, nausea and vertigo, compounded by an inability to determine the source of the sound. Acoustic barriers literally stop thieves in their tracks and can effectively protect areas of up to 750 square feet.

Cloaking (also offered by GOST) is another form of theft deterrence that makes it impossible for thieves to continue their work. Like something out of a James Bond film, the cloaking device immediately floods the boat in a super-thick, pea soup fog that’s created by vaporizing a specially formulated glycol solution. In seconds, visibility drops to mere inches, making it impossible for would-be thieves to see anything at all – much less steal it. The fog is completely harmless to your gear on board, including sensitive electronics. Used alone or in conjunction with an acoustic barrier, it too stops thieves in their tracks.

Remote Communication Boat Alarms

While local boat alarms are effective at deterring theft and warding off intruders, boat security systems that offer a remote communication capability are even better. Once activated, these devices alert the boat owner to any alarms with a text, voice or email notification that’s sent over either a cellular or satellite-based network.

Siren Marine offers a line of compact, discreet monitoring devices that send alerts of unexpected activity directly your cell phone.

Siren Marine offers cellular-based intrusion boat alarm systems starting at about $500 that allow remote monitoring via a companion smartphone app. The system can also control the sensors on your boat, and allows optional upgrades to add features like high water and low-battery alarms, along with GPS tracking and eco-fence capabilities.

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The Spot Trace is a popular and compact remote communication alarm system. This $100 GPS device mounts in the boat and sends you email alerts if it detects unauthorized movement. You can even track the boat’s progress on Google Maps. The basic communication service costs $99 a year. Spot also offers an enhanced system called Spot Hug, which tracks your boat’s position and reports the activity to a monitoring center. Spot Hug can work with additional sensors such as high-water bilge alarms and smoke detectors for additional protection.

Super-compact black box alarms like the Spot Trace let you find your boat if someone takes it without your knowledge.

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C-Pod offers a similar boat security system that can track the boat’s location by GPS and send text alarms to your smartphone if your ride starts heading off without you. The system can be configured to work with sensors to detect intrusion, high bilge water and smoke, and is two-way compatible so you can use it to activate the bilge pumps or fire up appliances like heaters, air conditioners or refrigerators before you even leave for the marina.

In the good old days all it took to secure your boat was a rope and good knots. But in these good new days, boat security systems add so much value that it’s hard to imagine why a boater wouldn’t want one.

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