Is yacht theft common?

[Zven]

I'm just about to install AIS in my powerboat ... That is, the Vespermarine XB-8000 and the matching antenna splitter.
The plan is to hide the installation completely, and ensure it is powered most of the time.
Hence it should be possible in most cases to keep an eye on the boat's location through MarineTraffic. If something happens, finding it will likely be quick, and perhaps then any damage can be limited.
Of course, an educated thief would still be able to disconnect the thing... but again, most perpetrators are probably less skilled.
More sophisticated, hidden tracking systems are also available ... but as others have said, theft of boats is not common, so I doubt if it is worth installing separate kit for.
This kind of solution can also help in the cases when an unattended boat blows away from a mooring or even an anchorage. I remember a long thread about that, from the Bahamas earlier this year.

[Leo Ticheli]

This happened at my favorite anchorage; boat theft and murder. Jury finds man guilty of killing boater at Fort McRee

Fair winds,

Leo

[belizesailor]

As posted, yacht thefts are very rare and usually end up with the boat abandoned nearby. Search here, there are a few related threads.

Think about it, what the hell do you with a mid sized boat once you steal it? Very hard to hide, you cant cross borders legally, etc...its like riding around on a stolen white elephant...the bone heads realize that pretty soon after the theft and ditch the boat.

There was murder/yacht theft in the San Bals (Panama) a few years ago. Perpetrator caught.

[mr-canada]

Yes belizesailor,

The problem with thieves is that they are lazy. As we all know sailing is relaxing, but definitely not for the lazy. Sailing also takes a while to master, motoring a sailboat is far from a thrill seekers' ride, and most all qualified sailors but the strangest anomalies would never steal another sailors' boat.

The electronics inside, however, look like electronics and are usually very valauable, even if they have no clue what on earth they are or how they work. This doesn't give the thief any incentive to steal the whole boat other than to be able to take it to a private place to rip things out of it.

There are the stupid people with no clue, who think they can just "figure it out", who would probably beach the thing or tie it up somewhere after they scared the sh*t out of themselves because they had no clue how to reduce heel or that under even windy conditions, as the boat heels the sail spills more wind and the keel exerts more force trying to re-right the ship.

Take a powerboater sailing. Whatch their face go white once you nab a puff of wind.

But there are dumb people out there, or rotten apples who actually know how to sail, and "pre-order" thieves (who sell your boat for you then steal it to deliver and get the money).

If you are in the area, you should be fine. If you are in a decent marina, you should be fine (they tend to post liveaboards close to the gangplank and close to the exit who sort of keep an eye on things when the place is closed). Public use docks are hit and miss (I have tied up at one public dock where if the boat got stolen another sailor would have boarded and punched the guy in the nose, and another where my boat actually got stolen).

Tying up unauthorized to a private dock is a complex matter. If you are exercising your right of navigation (ie. badass storm) by stepping on the dock (provided they have a proper water lease, which is often not the case) then you have committed trespass.

To have them "seize" your vessel for your privilege of using their dock with no predetermined fee is actually theft because they cannot seize it without a court order first. The receiver of wrecks has a long list of steps to consider the boat abandoned, and if the owner is fighting to get it back then that case goes out the window. In most typical situations, it would be better to sue in small claims court for transient moorage fees comparable to the nearest marina or public wharf offering similar services to your dock (water, electrical, dock space and waterline length), and see what the judge decides.

Amazingly, even if you are tied up at their private dock, and they step aboard your vessel, they have committed trespass just like you have stepping on their dock to tie it up. To just cut your lines is either vandalism or negligence, you can sue them for damages should the boat be damaged or damage another boat as they are the ones to put your boat on that path and made it a hazard to navigation.

All this legalese is mind boggling, because there is shore enforced laws (police), open water laws (coast guard, Navy), water lease rights. Most police have no clue how to enforce laws regarding maritime vessels; and investigations are very difficult (you can't match a knife to a line and you can't get a fingerprint off a rope), and the Coast Guard has better things to do because they are primary there to protect your life and save lives, not go investigating stolen boats. If it's a potential hazard to navigation they will broadcast it on 16 every 15 minutes and hopefully a fellow mariner will report it back.

Moral of the story: Lots of lines with good knots and a chain if you are concerned. I use anchor chain because I already have it with a brass lock. Of someone is completely determined they could get bolt cutters or a welding torch, but thieves usually are either out for a joyride, out to prove a point or looking for the easiest target to sell.

[CatNewBee]

Larger vessel have AIS and you are notified on movement via various services (e.g. marine traffic), so you can track remotely what your boat does.

There are also mobile services / small tracking devices using geo-fancing and rising alarms / sending notifications to a mobile number. A yacht is a quite large object with lots of hidden spaces where you can put such a device.

A trailer / outboard is much harder to track remotely and easier to get stolen.

[MartinMV]

There is a webside, which claims to be the one with the most entries about stolen boats:

MCS Stolen Boats | Stolen vessels, engines and trailers

14 yachts in 2017 worldwide... 2 or 3 brand new
questioning the database for all motor boats seems impossible for too many results...

[mikedefieslife]

**** happens

http://rodriquezconsulting.com/stole...buyers-beware/

[boatman12]

As easy as it is to steal a typical boat it's surprising that boat theft is not more common.

As it is, in the USA, boat theft is relatively rare, especially with slow moving cruising style boats.

Trailer boats and go-fast boats (in Florida) are more commonly victims of theft.

[toddster8]

I once took a dubious craigslist-acquired dinghy to the state patrol office to be inspected. The marine officer showed me their impound lot with half a dozen boats in it. Mostly expensive-looking ski boats and such, stolen from other parts of the country and transported here for resale. And this is the middle of nowhere, not an urban area or anything.

[CaptTom]

Is someone going for the record of "oldest thread revived?"

2008. Wow. One more year and it would have been a decade old.

[Connemara]

Originally Posted by roverhi

... Wouldn't even have had to hotwire the engine as the ignition keys were usually hanging on a hook inside, as are mine.

I usually leave mine in the ignition all summer. If anyone is interested, I can post my slip number and the yacht's club's address. (Insurance at the moment would pay me about twice what I could get on the open market.)

Connemara

[wincrasher]

I would worry more about being stolen while you are anchoring out and away from the boat, than it sitting in a marina.

But wouldn't a hidden kill switch for the engine be adequate prevention? Maybe a lock on your anchor chain to keep it from being reeled in?

[mikedefieslife]

A lock on an anchor is a sure way to get into trouble in a drag though. Especially if you are away from the boat and some kind people in the anchorage are trying to save it for you.

Having my boat stolen is the last thing on my mined really. That's what insurance is for, let them worry about that.

[Jim Cate]

I think the reason yacht theft is so rare is that folks who know enough about sailing to seriously consider stealing one have enough sense to realize that using a "getaway car" that is visually conspicuous and only goes 5 mph is a bad idea!

At least in the areas we've cruised in, theft of a sailing yacht is extremely rare... like I can not remember an occurrence in our vicinity in over 30 years.

Theft of goods FROM yachts is a different matter, and is all too common in some areas.

Jim

[Cavalier]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

What???????? Do New Zealand cops work 10 hours every single day of the week?..

I'm crying..