Theft Of Outboard Motors.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Vasco

Actually I have yet to meet a cruiser who has had his dink stolen in the Bahamas.

I don't think we've ever met

About three weeks ago in Ocean Reef Yacht Club in Lucaya, Sharon and I were sitting in the saloon at about 10:30pm (very dark). We are in a slip about 300ft from the very active pool area. Our cockpit door was open, our lights were on and there were people walking the docks.

Something banged against our stern and I went into the cockpit to see what it was. There was one fella paddling a dinghy towing our dinghy away with another fella in it. I started screaming bloody murder "BOAT THIEF" to attract attention ... they paddled faster. I dove over the stern rail (see photo. Right through where the flag is, not easy) and landed in our dinghy knocking the fella into the water. The other fella cast off our dink to make his escape. I started our motor and rammed him, knocking him into the water. I then tied his dinghy to ours and by that time they had both gotten out of the water on the other side of the canal and made their escape.
I then towed the thieves dink back to our slip where an audience had formed. As I passed our stern I whispered to Sharon ... "throw me some shorts". All I was wearing was a T'shirt.

Some other cruisers helped me get the thieves dink out of the water and inside was a large steel pipe, notched to undo the lugs on motor mounts, a very large pair of bolt cutters, a machete and a crack pipe.

The cops didn't want the thieves dinghy (soft bottom inflatable with plywood transom) so we gave it to another cruiser whose transom had failed a few days before.

When we got up the following morning we discovered that a catamaran with it's dink in the davits had lost it's motor. The configuration was such that the thieves had walked up the transom steps cut the ss cable and lifted the motor into their (mine now) dink and paddled it across the canal to their pickup truck (cops supposition). Our dink had also been secured to the boat with ss cable which had also been cut.

We now keep a machete and flare gun at the cockpit door and will shoot without hesitation (as advised by cops & locals). The local workers now refer to me as the crazy white man altho' if I'd seen they had a machete I may not have acted as I did.

[buzzstar]

While there is no perfect way to defeat dink/outboard thieves, for me, noise and inconvenience seemed to work best. Causing the removal process to be as noisy as possible (e.g., rattling chain or even cans) works fairly well if you are aboard, and able to safely wake up and frighten them away. Adding some difficulty to the mix can help by slowing them down or helping redirect their effort to a more vulnerable neighbor, whether it is in a slip, at a mooring, on the hook, or even at the dinghy dock. All locks can be defeated, but short heavy chain and titanium bicycle locks can assist keeping the motor with the dink and not so easily operated, and sometimes keeping the dink where you want it, although this is the most difficult of all.

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

I don't think we've ever met

About three weeks ago in Ocean Reef Yacht Club in Lucaya, Sharon and I were sitting in the saloon at about 10:30pm (very dark). We are in a slip about 300ft from the very active pool area. Our cockpit door was open, our lights were on and there were people walking the docks.

Something banged against our stern and I went into the cockpit to see what it was. There was one fella paddling a dinghy towing our dinghy away with another fella in it. I started screaming bloody murder "BOAT THIEF" to attract attention ... they paddled faster. I dove over the stern rail (see photo. Right through where the flag is, not easy) and landed in our dinghy knocking the fella into the water. The other fella cast off our dink to make his escape. I started our motor and rammed him, knocking him into the water. I then tied his dinghy to ours and by that time they had both gotten out of the water on the other side of the canal and made their escape.
I then towed the thieves dink back to our slip where an audience had formed. As I passed our stern I whispered to Sharon ... "throw me some shorts". All I was wearing was a T'shirt.

Some other cruisers helped me get the thieves dink out of the water and inside was a large steel pipe, notched to undo the lugs on motor mounts, a very large pair of bolt cutters, a machete and a crack pipe.

The cops didn't want the thieves dinghy (soft bottom inflatable with plywood transom) so we gave it to another cruiser whose transom had failed a few days before.

When we got up the following morning we discovered that a catamaran with it's dink in the davits had lost it's motor. The configuration was such that the thieves had walked up the transom steps cut the ss cable and lifted the motor into their (mine now) dink and paddled it across the canal to their pickup truck (cops supposition). Our dink had also been secured to the boat with ss cable which had also been cut.

We now keep a machete and flare gun at the cockpit door and will shoot without hesitation (as advised by cops & locals). The local workers now refer to me as the crazy white man altho' if I'd seen they had a machete I may not have acted as I did.

Maybe I should have said except in Lucaya or maybe Nassau. I always have my dink on the davits in Nassau. Unfortunate but anywhere else you'd be safe from dink theft. Usually they just want easily converted valuables and cash in the major centers.

[a64pilot]

I have a cheap 12V LED floodlight with a motion sensor I bought on Amazon, I plug it into the cigarette lighter plug in the cockpit.
Someone sticks their head above the transom, it turns on the flood light.
So far it’s never been triggered by a thief, but I have to hope that most if a bright light gets shined in their eyes, will leave.

[ranchero76]

I searched internet a bit, and was shocked to find that most security bolts on the market are total trash. However, there are good designs out there, you just have to find them or have machine shop make them for you from highest grade steel available.
1. Make left hand thread (and have few spare ones with you). That is definitely not expected.
2. Head of the bolt must be such that is impossible to grab it with anything (vise-grips and bolt cutters included) and impossible to stick most common bolt/nut removers in/on them. That means that head must be conical, free-spinning. Free-spinning ring must be thick enough that it can't be easily destroyed.
Better if (in addition) boat head is recessed.

Included picture doesn't have conical free spinning head, but otherwise it gives an idea of possible design that makes using most common bolt/nut removers impossible.
Plus of course all safety measures stated above in other replies.




Here's picture of the bolt with free-spinning head, but head is not conical and non-spinning ring on top is present, so it's no good! If you can grab it - you can break it!



You've got an idea. I can draw better design bolt if anyone interested.

[Cadence]

Locks only keep honest people out. Possibly devising some sort of loud alarm would work. Scare the sh$t out of them. They make battery operated kids toys that make noise if moved. Adopt the guts from one and put it under the cowling.

[Bean Counter]

Originally Posted by Nani Kai

That would keep me from stealing it!

Paint it white and brown and put a Chrysler sticker on it.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Bean Counter

Paint it white and brown and put a Chrysler sticker on it.

That would do it for me, or Green

[Aswayze]

I just have a Cruise N Carry. NOBODY is going to steal a Cruise N Carry. If they did, most likely they will get frustrated by it and bring it back.

Works like a charm for me. 100%, no fail, every time, without a hitch. Anyone who borrows my dingy, they always end up rowing back. I swear that thing was built by cats...

[oldjags]

I say, mount the outboard so it is electrically isolated from the transom. Then rig a cattle prod or a taser inside the cowling so that the circuit is completed when someone touches the engine and the transom at the same time.

[donradcliffe]

Originally Posted by Dave_S

Simple answer is turn the clamp screws up until the eyes on the levers line up and put a padlock through both holes. Not prevention but a deterrent for opportunistic thief's and probably enough to satisfy your insurance.

Bad idea for any outboard worth stealing (more than 4 hp). Outboard thieves learn very young how to put a flat screwdriver blade in the slot between the lever and the screw and bend the lever apart so it slips off the screw.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

That would do it for me, or Green

Scott Atwater green? You can't find parts for them.

[sailorboy53]

Originally Posted by YPSILANTI

Greetings all. My tender outboard is old so I have ordered a new Yamaha 25 HP for my tender. Does anyone have a simple, yet effective means of locking the outboard onto the tender? Also, does anyone have any tricks or deterrents to discourage or hopefully prevent the theft of the outboard and / or tender. Reversing fuel flow, tracking devices, mechanical locks etc. etc. What ideas and systems do you have please? (In December, I had the immense displeasure of having two 50HP Yamaha outboard motors stolen off my surf launch fishing boat and I don't want that happening again.)

I took off the L shaped locking bolts and installed 2 regular SS bolts that require a socket and ratchet then 3/8 chain and heavy lock for the tender

[deblen]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

I don't think we've ever met

About three weeks ago in Ocean Reef Yacht Club in Lucaya, Sharon and I were sitting in the saloon at about 10:30pm (very dark). We are in a slip about 300ft from the very active pool area. Our cockpit door was open, our lights were on and there were people walking the docks.

Something banged against our stern and I went into the cockpit to see what it was. There was one fella paddling a dinghy towing our dinghy away with another fella in it. I started screaming bloody murder "BOAT THIEF" to attract attention ... they paddled faster. I dove over the stern rail (see photo. Right through where the flag is, not easy) and landed in our dinghy knocking the fella into the water. The other fella cast off our dink to make his escape. I started our motor and rammed him, knocking him into the water. I then tied his dinghy to ours and by that time they had both gotten out of the water on the other side of the canal and made their escape.
I then towed the thieves dink back to our slip where an audience had formed. As I passed our stern I whispered to Sharon ... "throw me some shorts". All I was wearing was a T'shirt.

Some other cruisers helped me get the thieves dink out of the water and inside was a large steel pipe, notched to undo the lugs on motor mounts, a very large pair of bolt cutters, a machete and a crack pipe.

The cops didn't want the thieves dinghy (soft bottom inflatable with plywood transom) so we gave it to another cruiser whose transom had failed a few days before.

When we got up the following morning we discovered that a catamaran with it's dink in the davits had lost it's motor. The configuration was such that the thieves had walked up the transom steps cut the ss cable and lifted the motor into their (mine now) dink and paddled it across the canal to their pickup truck (cops supposition). Our dink had also been secured to the boat with ss cable which had also been cut.

We now keep a machete and flare gun at the cockpit door and will shoot without hesitation (as advised by cops & locals). The local workers now refer to me as the crazy white man altho' if I'd seen they had a machete I may not have acted as I did.

An angry Canadian!!!

[Vasco]

Actually he's still got his dink so it wasn't stolen.