How To Protect Yourself From Boat Theft

Boat theft is something every boat owner needs to consider. Fortunately, there are many ways to protect your boat from theft, from compact alarm systems to simply making your boat too difficult to steal.

Years ago it took nothing more than a couple of sturdy ropes and a few good knots to avoid boat theft. Today … not so much.

The sad reality is that we now live in a less innocent world where boats, like anything else of value, can attract unwanted attention from thieves. Some aim to steal the boat, others, to steal its contents. In either case, a boat left unattended is an easy grab for a thief. Or at least, so it seems. Taking steps to protect your boat can spare you from a lot of expense and grief, so why not invest in protecting your pride and joy?

If you keep your boat moored in the water at the marina, the best approach to avoid boat theft is to get a security system. The reality is that the vast majority of boats don’t have any kind of alarm system at all, and thieves know this. The fact of having one at all can be enough to send thieves elsewhere, looking for easier pickings. Basic alarms use a variety of sensors to determine when someone (or something) steps aboard. Failure to enter the cancel code within a specified period of time activates the alarm. They not only deter would-be thieves, but can also scare off raccoons and other animals hunting for new homes.

More advanced alarms communicate with you via a smartphone app. Siren Marine offers cellular-based intrusion alarm systems starting at about $500 that allow remote smartphone monitoring. The system can also accept optional upgrades like high water and low-battery alarms, along with GPS tracking and eco-fence capabilities.

Siren Marine

The Spot Trace is another popular and compact remote communication alarm system you can use to avoid boat theft. This 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 Trace

C-Pod offers a similar system that can track the boat’s location by GPS and send text alarms to your smartphone if it 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 even use it to activate the bilge pumps or fire up appliances like heaters, air conditioners or refrigerators before you even leave the house.

C-Pod

The compact, $80 IZon View remote camera sends motion and noise alerts to your smartphone along with live-streamed video, with full color images in daylight and infrared images at night. Similar to a baby monitor, the boat theft avoidance system includes free video storage for up to 100 events, and will send up to 25 advisories per day. Best of all, once you buy the camera the ongoing service is free.

IZon View

If you keep your boat on the trailer, you can use physical barriers to make it more difficult for thieves to steal your boat. Boats on trailers can be protected with a chain and padlock run through the vents of the wheel and around the trailer frame. But use substantial chain, with links made from at least ½-diameter wire to be effective.

Removing a wheel from the trailer is another simple way to make your boat more trouble to steal than it’s worth. Just make sure you also remove the trailer’s spare tire and wheel, so a thief can’t just use that to make a getaway.

Your boat is important, so it makes sense to protect it with some kind of security system. You could even get a discount on your insurance, since you’re making it all that much harder to steal. Ask your broker for details.