7:18 AM Wed 22 Jul 2009 GMT
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'Boat on driveway, could disappear at night in heavy wind or rain, when towing operation might not be heard.'
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As we pointed out in Part 1 of this story, theft of boats and theft of equipment from boats tends to rise during times of financial woes; when people are doing it tough they look for what they perceive as an 'easy dollar', such as petrol station drive-offs, for example.
Deterring thieves is no easy task.
They fall into two categories, the opportunistic amateur and the hard-core pro who views stealing as his 'business.'
Their prime targets are usually trailer boats left outside homes on nature strips or footpaths and, for valuable equipment, vessels moored in relatively isolated locations.
Recently, expensive water ski boats such as Malibu and Lewis have become highly desirable targets, with several disappearing from outside homes over the past few months.
Trailer boats do in a way present an easy target for on-selling; take a trailer boat, mounted on a Dunbier trailer and powered by a Yamaha outboard.
Switch the boat to a Boeing trailer, swap the Yamaha for a Mercury and, hey presto you have a boat that looks nothing like the vessel reported stolen.
Police tell me that often these three components, boat, engine and trailer, will end up in three states; the hull goes to a Victorian source, the engine to Queensland, the trailer to NSW.
That's the start of the re-birthing process for thieves and how they go about selling their ill-gotten gains.
As I pointed out last week, insurance companies bear the brunt of this evil trade.
Club Marine Insurance's Phil Johnson told me his company pays out in excess of $4 million annually on insurance claims.
He said there was 'no doubt' that theft was more prevalent during any economic crisis.
Obviously, such payouts by insurers can only lead to increased insurance premiums for the honest among us.
One comment from Phil really surprised me; he believes up to 60 percent of the vessels on our waterways are uninsured!
Lyndon Turner, from Nautilus Marine Insurance, agreed with many of Phil Johnson's comments.
Both men agree that stealing from moored vessels has increased recently due to the profusion of expensive items left on board, such as GPS plotters, depth sounders, fish finders, even entertainment systems all seen as 'prime targets.'
Most insurance companies reward policy holders for increased security by way of lower premiums.
For example, an owner with his vessel berthed at a commercial marina will pay a lower premium that one who has his boat on a swing mooring well out from shore or in a somewhat isolated area.
All insurers we spoke with agreed that today's modern marina usually has efficient security in place by way of regular patrols and 24/7 video cameras operating.
'Nevertheless, it remains difficult to stop thieves coming in by boat,' Lyndon Turner added.
'That remains a problem even at reasonably busy marinas.
'A fellow wandering along marina arms looking like he belongs there may well be on the hunt for something to steal; it can be hard to pick a regular from a 'shady' visitor,' he added.
Lyndon Turner felt that on occasions weather played a role in boat theft.
'In the event of a fairly severe storm, for instance, with perhaps thunder and heavy rain, a thief tends to find it easier to steal a trailer boat from outside a home as the noise generated by the weather prevents the boat's owner from hearing the thief at work,' he explained.
Club Marine's Phil Johnson admitted that might help thieves, but had no evidence supporting that.
He does believe the problem was worse in years past, pointing out that security by way of modern technology was far better on commercial marinas than it had ever been.
'That's why we reward owners who keep their boats at first class marinas with lower premiums,' he explained.
Some insurers, such as Brisbane-based Oceanic Insurance, concentrate on commercial vessels rather than recreational craft.
Oceanic's Maria Dwyer said the company simply did not work in the recreational boat insurance area.
'But we have noticed an increase in the number of claims due we believe to the financial downturn,' she said.
'I think it comes about because companies are less busy; when they are hard at work and under pressure they tend to not bother filing what they perceive as minor claims, but if business is slow and they have time on their hands, that's when we see an increase in claims,' she explained.
Unfortunately for boat owners, all insurers we spoke with agreed on one vital point; if a thief is a professional, determined and perhaps has a buyer in waiting, it's extremely difficult to protect your boat and/or equipment.
Obviously, for trailer boats, an enclosed garage is an obvious answer, but not everyone has that luxury.
For the berthed vessel, if kept at a commercial marina it is reasonably safe and secure, but remember the US incident recalled in part 1 - never tell a stranger any details regarding your vessel or your marina visits.
And ensure the marina management is aware that whenever you authorise work to be carried out you will notify the marina in advance and provide the name of the work party.
Finally, my personal advice would be to employ DataDot immediately.
by Bob Wonders
Click on thumbnails to enlarge and find more photos:
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Cape Leeuwin, WA
