Attempted outboard theft - 'Motor Lok' ineffective

[rhhmunro]

Well that didn't take long! Got a new RIB and Mercury 20 HP on Friday and two tossers tried to steal the outboard from the front drive last night. I'd fitted one of these to the transom clamps. Didn't seem to present much of a challenge. It was only when they dropped it on the aluminium hull that it paid for itself as it woke my wife up. She looked out the window and the miscreants scarpered sharpish. On inspection the lock had been jemmied and the clamps unscrewed so they were very close to success. We live in a quiet residential street with good lighting and it was a fullish moon so the thieves were pretty blatant. Watch out everyone and don't think these locks will be a deterrent! (BTW, I hadn't read the reviews before buying it, just picked it off the shelf at the local chandlers.)

[Fenlander]

Sorry to hear that Rob. It's a gutting feeling when that happens.

Sadly pretty well every security device comes down to covering yourself for insurance purposes and/or the casual thief... but the "boys" will get round pretty well everything if they want your engine.

Having the outfit or engine out of sight/reach is probably the biggest deterrent.

[rhhmunro]

Thanks David! On reflection having a new shiny RIB and outboard on full display wasn't a great plan - time for a rethink on that! I was a bit surprised that they bothered to try and nick such a small engine. Hardly seems worth the risk given what they'd be able to flog it for but there you go...

[jeffstevens763@g]

barstewards yep out of sight if they want it it's gone no mistake

[Fenlander]

If you look at the stolen outboards database 60% or more that have been stolen this year so far are 20hp or less. Always an easy trade in small outboards.

[Chris Caton]

got that tee shirt luckily enough our insurance company were very fair and did all they could to getting a replacement engine sorted ASAP, but after talking to the claims assessor I bought another good outboard lock and took photos of it fitted, along with a copy of the reciept etc. also, its always worth letting your insurance company know if you're leaving your boat anywhere other than its normal storage, even if its going for service etc and staying with them for a few days, believe it or not its still your insurance that covers the boat etc, not the boat yards!!

I've used these for a number of years, seem to be as good as any of the others and no sign of corrosion as yet

Welcome to Outboard Motor Locks: BOLT LOCKS

[Jeff]

Sorry to hear - scum everywhere !
I think smaller outboards are sometimes more attractive to the loacl druggies as they are easier to remove /sell !!
Good news that they failed.,
Anyway ,,,, I happen to have an as new (fitted for only 3 months) motor lock -

Motor Loc Outboard Motor Lock Atlantic Outboard Slot Lock 195

The security reviews are pretty good but I am not sure if the 195 size would fit yours . If you are interested I am happy for £45 including postage

Cheers

Jeff

[spartacus]

Sorry to hear this. Hopefully any damage that's done can be sorted.

Like most boat and outboard thefts, thieves will normally do a recce first. Be aware of unsolicited mail or flyers being delivered by anyone other than Royal Mail. This gives potential thieves the opportunity to check security devices, access and escape routes, motion lighting, alarms, dogs or CCTV prior to any attempted theft. Smaller engines are attractive purely because of their size, and once off the transom can be thrown in the back of a car and sold on as there's demand for these sort of engines, either in the UK or abroad.

Any outboard lock whether it's a transom clamp or bolt lock is advisable, but determined thieves will make short work of it, so the most you can hope for is to delay them. Ideally you just want the boat out of sight, whether under cover, or fit motion activated lighting.

I'm paranoid about this sort of thing, so garage is alarmed, outboard locks fitted, wheel clamps on trailer and of course insurance. There's even a case for some some of tracker device on bigger engines given their value.

[rhhmunro]

Thanks all. I had a hitch lock, wheel clamp and outboard clamp lock fitted. Interestingly they'd unclamped the jockey wheel so Plan A might have been to take the whole outfit in which case the trailer security did the trick. Anyway I'm now installing CCTV, PIR lighting and taking other measures to keep these A holes away from my family and property. Wife is truly rattled. It's not the boat that really matters but the fact that someone's been watching us and planning it.

[Fenlander]

>>> fact that someone's been watching us and planning it.

Yes that's usually the biggest issue. We've had just one theft in our lives... a 3mth old Ifor Williams plant trailer. Wire fencing at the rear of our place was cut away and the young hedge trampled so it was moved across farmland by hand then away by vehicle.

Next day the guys who I had a 6th sense stole it turned up to no doubt clear us out of all the other gear (chainsaws etc) in the sheds but finding me in when they were half way down the drive pretended they wanted to buy my tractor. I stayed polite in conversation as if I hadn't a clue while trying to remember their faces and reg no etc.

Police showed me mugshots and I I'D the guys but as there was not a single bit of evidence they'd been the previous night and taken the trailer... despite it being their known speciality... nothing was pursued.

But for the immediate weeks and months I couldn't sleep and spent half the night waking and looking out over the yard.

[rhhmunro]

Mmm.. after a rather sleepless night spent looking out the window at the slightest noise, I think I've got no option but to get rid of the boat. Reading other posts on here, it seems that once you've been identified as a target, they will always come back and nothing will deter them. These things kept on your property really are a liability, I had no idea! Anyone want to buy a rib?

[Chris Caton]

that's a bit drastic, have you thought about exploring other possibilities, such as storage either locally or closer to where you are likely to use the rib? I only bring a boat home if I'm taking it somewhere for a holiday etc

[Fenlander]

Rob I'm not sure what you ended up with boat wise. Is it a small RIB on a trailer? Engine on tiller or set up on remotes?

I guess if you have it in front of the house it's because there is no access to store it away at the rear?

Just a thought... if you 100% decide you can't have the stress of it being stored on show you did initially mention buying a SIB so why not keep the engine and change the RIB & trailer for a SIB you keep packed up in the garden shed or under the bed??

[Jeff]

I don't know your circumstances but selling does seem a bit extreme. Once gone you will probably never get another and you may well regret it. As others say, perhaps you could find somewhere else to store it at a reasonable cost. Good luck whatever you decide.

[Bern Hanreck]

I don't think you should let the scum bags change your lifestyle quite so easily ! A few years ago some t*****s stole the entire front of my wife's ford fiesta I really could not believe it when I went out to walk the dogs . Assuming your boat is insured ( and you have fully met all your obligations on the policy for it's security ) I would invest in one or two good quality PIRs lamps ( I'm talking 500W each ) , bury a decent "earth anchor " into your drive and secure the trailer framework with a high quality padlock and chain . I use a wheel clamp and hitch lock as well . Cameras are another option again . It probably helps that my two hounds are extremely alert to any movement front or back.........

[Poly]

Your paranoia that they will come back will reduce with time - they might or they may move on to an easier target. There is good advice above on adding to the security. One option not mentioned is putting gates across the drive. Its a pretty simple thing - but a locked gate is one more hurdle before they even get in. Another chance to make a noise. A cover also helps hide what's under there so means you need to be more than just passing to know if its worth nicking. A scruffy cover may be better than a fancy one in this regard! You could add a tracker too - which won't stop them but might help catch them.

Personally though, I would be looking at storing it offsite, at least for a while. The cost of storage for a year is probably less than fortifying the house. At least if it gets nicked from a compound you don't have the concern about your wife being the one who confronts them (or you doing time if its you!).

[rhhmunro]

Thanks for all the encouragement and suggestions - much appreciated. Felt a bit negative this morning but might be over-reacting. Offsite sounds a plan but that would be a shame as the whole idea of getting a boat was to wheel it down the round and stick in the water whenever we fancied it. We're only 300 yards from the nearest slip - albeit not a perfect one but usable. I've removed the engine and put it inside and will get a ground anchor to back up the clamp and hitch lock. Hopefully that will make things a little less attractive to the criminal fraternity.

[Andy_Rs600]

People who try to steal small engines/RIBS are generally seeing easy targets. They will move on if you now look like the difficult option. Engine stored inside, with the trailer and boat locked down to ground anchor plus wheel and hitch lock should be more than enough to show a potential thief that it won't be worth their effort trying to nick anything. If you add a really bright PIR light that points right at the boat that should put most people off!

Remember you aren't going to make the boat impossible to steal, just make it so difficult that nobody will bother!

[willk]

Making the protection look like a challenge can have the effect of making thieves just damage and move on - giving you the "bird" as it were. A vengeful knife would be my worry....

I think moving the engine away is a good plan. I'd also discretely chain the boat/trailer down, but anyone who wants it badly enough will be able to take it. Make sure the boat is covered with a tarp. The PIR idea is good - I'd just stick a solar powered unit on the wall alongside a small fake CCTV camera pointed at the boat.

[jeffstevens763@g]

Take the wheels off the trailer too