Protection from Pirates: The Almost-Perfect Solution

[alan_za]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

Don't count on it. In many jurisdictions a can of pepper spray is just as illegal as a gun, and will get you into just as much trouble.

Brake cleaner or carb cleaner sounds like a good idea. Ordinary household ammonia works pretty well, too.

You're absolutely right, Mark, about locking things up and lighting things up. Make it uninviting to them in the first place and you'll never have to worry about what kind of spray to use!

Why is carrying a gun/bearspray illegal, doesn't it depend on where your boat is registered? As long as you declare it, customs can impound it and return it to you when you leave, but that's about it. Many cruisers carry shotguns onboard, don't they?

Also you can buy those motion sensor alarms that run on batteries. Stick one in you cabin and it will wake you up and scare the **** out of you if anyone sticks their head in.

[zeehag]

sabre kai--i want that cutlass....mounted over my bed would be a great plac for one...until i had to use it in lieu of my louisville slugger....yes i took fencing and loved it--one of the sports i could do well in...LOL

[webejammin]

I'll stick with a couple of very sharp fish fillet knifes and the deadly cold water of the north west US and if I get pissed I pull out my 4570 hunting rifel and sink there boat in the cold water. I guess that's why there's no real pirates in the Pacific North West there all dead already.

We do carry 2 cans of bear spray located by our stateroom bead, but that's just to torture intruders eyes after there tied up so they never do it again, I've never heard of a blind pirate even in the movies.

I may sound cruel but I grew up killing (cutting there throats ) my grandfathers pigs (I had fed all summer) since I was 9 years old, the ham and sausage was great, I think it is called 'Tuff Love'

[niel12]

A whole lot of good and workable ideas as long as the sofisticated weapons are not part of the equasion.... I have been wondering about taking the pirate out a mile away and i was wondering about a star wars lazer number! This could eliviate and ballance the odds somewhat and i would be one pirate boat less.

The lazer seem to be plauseable but it seem the energy pack is the problem maybe someone has come up with a concentrated batery pack that can drive a lazer ... boy that could be fun ... burning 100 cm holes just below the water line ... hopefully they are some 200nm offshore. Watching humans drown must be a horrible sight .. but then rats are a diffrent thing!

[Curmudgeon]

I have to laugh at all these threads on protection from pirates, thieves and the like. Slocum littered his deck with tacks because he knew that the Patagonian natives trying to sneak aboard the Spray went barefoot. But I've seen everything from 50 cal. machine guns to pepper spray advocated on these threads.

The reality is that the pirates and thieves will almost always outgun you. So as a practical matter your best defenses are a good insurance policy and negotiating skills.

[minaret]

I have very bright deck lights, a built in fog horn, good locks, etc. I also carry bear spray, since we cruise in the PNW. But here is my method of last resort. It is a Webley and Scott Mark III flare pistol. Think Lawrence of Arabia. Mine is a 1917 RN issue. It fires massive 40MM flares, milsurp only. Aside from flying really high and being much brighter than normal flares, there are many more options for ammo. These include paras, starbursts, different colors, etc. They also come in steel shell casings which are specifically designed to be reloaded. So they are marked as flares but have been reloaded with-I'll just stop right there. Anyone who is an avid reloader will see the possibilities....

[Curmudgeon]

Well, if you are going to carry a weapon, make it a .50 caliber sniper rifle with hollow point ammo (or armor piercing if they come after you in a steel boat). The idea is to put a couple of big holes in the pirates' vessel before they get close enough to use their automatic weapons. I'm not sure how effective a sniper scope would be on a pitching or rolling vessel, but you might get lucky.

Of course, carrying such a weapon is illegal almost everywhere. Maybe you could hide it in the bilge and pretend it was an anchor.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

Well, if you are going to carry a weapon, make it a .50 caliber sniper rifle with hollow point ammo (or armor piercing if they come after you in a steel boat). The idea is to put a couple of big holes in the pirates' vessel before they get close enough to use their automatic weapons. .

If you read tthe origiinal post you will fing this thread is about activities in the Caribbean.

The story we are talking about protecting ourselves from was at Tobago Keys where 2 guys stole a boat boys boat and robbed a cruiser for 'Carnival money'.

So can you give wise words of wisdom to that type of threat instead of the tangent you have cosined?




Mark

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

I like these threads

IMO one is only limited by imagination. A squillion options - just got to remember that there will always be scenarios where you are outgunned (in weapons / people) and having a fallback Plan B, and C is no bad thing.

The only requirement is to pre-plan / organise (no point having a really cunning idea - if you can't lay hands on the equipment when needed). and being prepared to use - to the conclusion (whatever that may be)......as me (late) Missus once advised "Stab one time no good - they angry you". But she was practical like that

I would favour a bayonet (or a Kitchen Knife) on the end of an (extendable) boat hook - run the f#ckers through and a Machete. and an axe. and maybe a big can of WD40 - I recall from my childhood that makes a damned good flamethrower , ain't nobody likes being set on fire so cuts accross a few cross-cultural barriers / avoids any lost in translation moments - remember that you have the fire extinguisher no need to waste it on univited guests just dampen the flames using the axe.......

....If I ever leave the dock on an extended voyage one of my first new Threads will be "Where is the BEST place to attract Pirates / theives onboard?"

Gotta love it ..sounds good to me..DVC

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

How is that relaited to crime in the Caribbean?

It will soon be endemic( pirates in the caribbean)(no pun intended)..." If the rich dont soon start sharing the wealth ...they will soon start sharing the poverty! and it doesnt have to be money it could be second hand clothes,left over food that would otherwise be thrown overboard,books for school kids,Iv seen more folks in developing countrys act more grateful for concern for education and school supplies than tours of fancy yachts and stories about how thats not the way we do it in America or Canada or what ever place your from, treat the local populis with respect and you just might get the same..dont wear gold,silver, fancy clothes and other expensive items around people who have nothing and people who have nothing have nothing I want... think about it ..and dont be like my brother,DVC

[Seafarer24]

There was an article in GOB a while ago that talked about hooking up an electric fence to bare-wire life-lines. As long as the stanchions and wires were isolated from everything else, a cattle zapper could be attached to a mounting bolt.

This would be even better with a remote control so you could arm it when you leave your boat and dis-arm it when you return. You'll probably only forget to disarm it once

[hummingway]

If this thread is going to go down the electric fence, high caliber, nuke all pirates, rat hole there won't be any reason to leave it open. It has been discussed ad nauseum on many threads.

The topic of this thread is really crime in the Caribbean despite the unfortunate title. Please stay on topic and away from the gratuitous weapons chatter.

[Sand crab]

Originally Posted by capngeo

This stuff will squirt 20', burns skin and eyes, and will gas you out of a closed space.... Degreases pretty good too!

Back to the Brakleen and a bit off topic. This stuff is excellent as a degreaser/prep spray for bare metal before painting. My old Porsche mechanic and friend swears by the stuff for repainting engine parts or anything. BOB

[zeehag]

i am still convinced that the more ye show off what ye have, and have spit shined boat, the more bad guys will be attracted to the shiny boat--especially with easy to board transoms. folks dont get it that in places where your assets surpass the income of an entire family over a period of a life time, that you are attractive to them. shiny attracts rats. never fails.
i would rather look shabby than have a nest of rats watching my stuff and me for potential beatings and thefts.

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by alan_za

Why is carrying a gun/bearspray illegal, doesn't it depend on where your boat is registered? As long as you declare it, customs can impound it and return it to you when you leave, but that's about it. Many cruisers carry shotguns onboard, don't they?

No, it doesn't depend on where your boat is registered. It depends on the laws in the country you are visiting.

I don't know about many, but yes, some cruisers carry shotguns. They have to be careful about what countries they visit. Some will arrest you for tying up to the customs dock when you have a weapon on board. Others will confiscate the weapon. Some will do as you suggest and simply impound it until you leave.

The real point, though, is that each country is different. You need to know the laws where you are going. And, as I pointed out, some do not differentiate between pepper spray and fully-automatic machine guns--they are both "weapons" and they will both get you into the same amount of trouble.