Keeping it safe

[rjbathgate]

Hey,

I was wondering what everyone's best suggestion/method for preventing trailer & boat theft is...

At the moment I have a coupler which has a padlock through it so you can't lift the coupler to drop it onto a towbar. But that's it.

Wheel clamp? Post concreted into ground and locked to trailer? Large noisy scary dog?!

Ultimately if someone wants it, they'll get it (heard a mate's story that his neighbour lost his boat thanks to liquid nitrogen on a grade 9 padlock....!)

Cheers

[Hightower]

Just make sure it's properly insured

[CJL]

Remove a wheel?

[AndrewH]

Originally Posted by Hightower

Just make sure it's properly insured

Sadly though Andy, many insurances aren't valid without the hitchlock, wheelclamp, ground anchor, photograph of Gordon Brown smiling + any other deterrent you can think of.

Also, if your insurance company requires any/all of the above, they normally require the devices to be of a specific standard (e.g. Sold Secure etc)

However as the OP said, if the b@stards are determined enough they'll nick it anyway. One comment raised on this forum a while ago (can't remember by whom - but struck me as a good idea) was to make your rig look less desirable. Simple option is to deflate the tubes, and don't keep it all nicely polished. If it looks like a piece of poo then its going to have less resale value. Just a thought!

[Hightower]

Originally Posted by AndrewH

Sadly though Andy, many insurances aren't valid without the hitchlock, wheelclamp, ground anchor, photograph of Gordon Brown smiling + any other deterrent you can think of.

Also, if your insurance company requires any/all of the above, they normally require the devices to be of a specific standard (e.g. Sold Secure etc)

However as the OP said, if the b@stards are determined enough they'll nick it anyway. One comment raised on this forum a while ago (can't remember by whom - but struck me as a good idea) was to make your rig look less desirable. Simple option is to deflate the tubes, and don't keep it all nicely polished. If it looks like a piece of poo then its going to have less resale value. Just a thought!

Well yes, it goes without saying that you have to follow the insurance policy with regard what security devices you use. But I took it that from your first post you wanted to get ideas on what other devices prevented theft. Well all of them are a good deterrent, but none of them will prevent theft or damage by a professional or determined thief.

What someone did on my previous boat was to paint the SS prop in red oxide to make it look like an alloy one.

[rjbathgate]

ha love the make it look like poo idea!!

it's down a narrow driveway, so plan for when I'm away for a long time is put it in nosefirst, so mission to get out, plus remove a wheel....

i was more wondering if wheelclamps are actually any good -- heard back in the day they were pretty easy to remove if you know how...

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by rjbathgate

ha love the make it look like poo idea!!

it's down a narrow driveway, so plan for when I'm away for a long time is put it in nosefirst, so

it's easier to steal the outboard?