Boat Alarms & surveillance

[SummerBreeze]

Hi guys...recently there have been an increased number of vandalisms on our dock. Our dock does sit at the most remote part of the marina, and the marina refuses to spend a dime for increased security. Therefore, we are faced with protecting our own vessels.

Anyone have any experience with boat alarm or surveillance systems that they have had good experiences with?

Thanks,
Jeff

[biggerseagar]

I have had no experience with this, but I have heard of a camera set-up that you can activate with your cell phone. Atleast you can watch the thief steal your stuff.

Have you thought of getting the slip owners to pitch in for a privite security service maybe. A marina guard.

And last.........The old saying of "out of sight, out of mind", when leaving your boat alone.

Don't leave the keys on board and always lock up whatever you can lock up. All the valuables locked up in the cabin.

This marina has to be in somebodies jurisdiction, county, city, state,. Find out and call them.

Hope this helps..........Its a pisser that somebody wants to break into your stuff.....

Roger

[pascavone]

a simple old laptop or computer with a camera, you get get a $49 security camera program that is motion activated.

The camera will record video to the PC when it see something move.

Those home depot camera package do the same thing for $149 bucks.

The auto alarm that go off with ever rumble as basically a vibration senser that flashes the lights..... could work for a boat also.

[shrew]

Originally Posted by SummerBreeze

..........and the marina refuses to spend a dime for increased security. Therefore, we are faced with protecting our own vessels.

Moving the vessel to a storage facility that does care about the security of its customer's property is certainly a viable step as well. You wouldn't park you car in a lot that is known for car theft, would you?

[pascavone]

we had a town marina have to power go off from a storm for over a week, and the kids broke into about 80 boats.

That why dash mounted electrics are a bad idea.

My boat is in a neigbors back yard, but and kid could go down the cannal with a john boat and take what they want.

fences and locks just keep the honest people out.

[tjwieseler]

I had a friend that had $7000 in stereo equipment stolen. He looked into alarm systems, and there is a lot of options for Marine alarm system. There are electronic pressure sensors you can put under carpet, attached to snaps for your covers, and motion detectors inside cabins, and all of these can be hooked up to a loud alarm and cell phone to call you and authorities.

[ss3964spd]

I have to think that locking loose items up in the cabin will result in a broken cabin door/lock and those items still stolen.

A lot of marinas are in remote, or semi remote, areas. Rather like a remote parking lot for cars. Little or no traffic. For a boat that is slipped there really isn't a viable way of preventing theft short of having a live body walking the docks. A motion sensing alarm - with the sensor placed on deck, would probably help by scaring off the uncommitted, but if the boat is in a remote locatiion the thief will have sufficient time to disable the alarm and go on about their business of taking things that do not belong to them. Cameras won't prevent theft - unless someone is monitoring them from a location that is in close proximity to the dock/boat. But they can be an aid for recovering stolen items.

Definitiely no easy answer.