For dealers looking to
diversify their product
lines and hopefully boost
off-season sales,
onboard security systems may be a good bet.
Vessel security is a virtual smorgasbord of
opportunities, ranging
from selling anti-intrusion
components, kits and
advice for a few hundred
dollars to prepackaged
systems that retail for
thousands.
Vessel
security
Onboard anti-theft systems come
in many flavors
oat and equipment theft has always been a problem to one extent
or another, but beginning about the time of the economic downturn in 2007 these incidents have increased sharply. One result is
the formation of Internet forums that alert cruisers in the Caribbean
about areas to avoid. However, it’s not just boaters in the Caribbean
who are at risk. The top five states for thefts, in order, are Florida,
California, Texas, Michigan and North Carolina, and the national
recovery rate is only on the order of 10%, according to the International Association of Marine Investigators.
What’s more, it’s not just the boats that are stolen. It’s the equipment they have on, in
and around them, such as outboard motors, outdrives and even propellers—the props on
the Royal Yacht Britannia were pilfered. At least some of the thieves know what they’re
doing—they favor the right-side props on dual-shaft vessels, which can be used on single-engine boats. According to one report, propellers have become a major profit center for
thieves. As many as 20 a night are stolen and sold for up to $300 each.
Theft of equipment on board such as binoculars, cameras, cellphones— anything that’s
loose and portable—is far more common than theft of the boats themselves. Electronics are
an increasingly popular profit center for marine thieves. A couple of years ago on Boston’s
North Shore, a Pennsylvania couple purchased $10,000 worth of Furuno radar equipment
on an eBay auction for $1,000. The equipment didn’t work. They were
unable to get a refund from eBay and called Furuno tech support
only to learn that the equipment was listed as stolen from a Massachusetts marina. The sellers of the stolen equipment lived in
Salem, MA, so the local police became involved, and since the
transaction involved high-valued property and had crossed state
lines using the Internet, so did the FBI. A local boat mechanic and
his accomplice confessed to stealing some $200,000 worth of boat
parts and equipment from Massachusetts marinas.
So where can boat owners get protection against vessel theft? Some marinas maintain aggressive antitheft measures, but in the final analysis they protect themselves from liability through agreements the owners are required to
sign. Harbormasters typically oversee the placement and permitting of moorings or berths, and aside from forwarding reports of theft, vandalism, etc., to
the local police do not accept any responsibility for the boat or its property.
Local police don’t usually get involved until and unless a theft has already
occurred. This is true also of the Coast Guard, and then only if the theft
B
BY EV COLLIER
When activated, Nav-Tracker transmits alerts by email or texts that the vessel
has breached the “geo-fence” established around its location. The system is credited with
the recovery of a 35 foot Fountain within 54 minutes of it being stolen.
