Security at anchor - camera in top of mast

[Symphony]

i have often wondered about having a camera at the mast head for seeing far ahead, coral heads, etc. it wouldn't need ability to read a name on a license, but enough to make out a boat, a bommie, boats in an anchorage, panga moving. maybe 2 with 180 degree fish-eye lens?

[trifan]

Originally Posted by Dane

Hi All,

I am thinking that while you sleep at anchor, it would be great to have a camera keeping a lookout. Could one or more camera(s) be placed - possibly in mast - to detect approaching people, who could be swimming or in a small dinghy?

It would probably (?) be detection by infrared technology, as motion detection would not work at distance and with the unsettled sea as background.

Has anyone done this? Is there a company providing a product?

Cheers,
Dane

Dane - Video surveillance is my business. PM me, I'll try to answer your questions with real world, affordable solutions.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by trifan

Dane - Video surveillance is my business. PM me, I'll try to answer your questions with real world, affordable solutions.

For the rest of us, maybe you could outline a system that meets the OP stated requirements. Automated detection in a 15-30m surrounding area presumably while anchored.

[Deltasailor]

Originally Posted by Lepke

There any number of IR detectors that are adjustable by angle or distance and could be adapted for boat placement.
I spend most of my time on the boat alone. I don't hear well. At anchor or on the home dock. I don't stay at marinas, rarely at a commercial dock. Anchoring in mostly remote places. I use some China IR detectors found on Ebay. They are wired to a relay that turns on deck lights pointing outboard so they don't light the cabin insides. Also a quiet buzzer. Homemade system. Plastic and cheap, but the IR internals will corrode in time on the ocean so I keep extras. When sleeping I also use (my favorite) a couple trip wires on deck that fires a blank shotgun shell. It wakes me and my dog and has been used by both people, raccoons, and a bear. All quickly left on their own. People and boat duly reported.

That reminds me of Slocom and his tin tacks. Simple but effective. Don't become paranoid, very few boats are boarded by baddies. Do a straw pole!

[gekko15]

I'm afraid that I can't really speak from a boat owner’s point of view but I did work in electronic security until recently. I hope to own my own boat at some stage and have given the idea of security some thought. Here is what I would suggest at this stage, please feel free to ask me any further questions.

Firstly, the equipment I would use is not cheap but it is quite rugged and has been used in various extreme scenarios like marinas. Secondly getting a 360° view will be expensive and will require multiple cameras.

I would install a German camera system (PM me for brand name) with an optical and thermal module. The optical module can work down to 0.02 lux. This gives you the flexibility of having both an optical, or traditional camera view in addition to the thermal heat sensitive view. The optical module can be purchased in various viewing angles from 8° to 180° and the thermal modules range from 17° to 45°.

With the German cameras you can set up various detection zones and actions which allows for the amount of false alarms to be reduced.

Assuming that that money were no object I would install 4 of these cameras to cover the boat perimeter, then I would set them up to have different detection levels in terms of distance from the mast. If an object moved into the first perimeter you could turn on some lights (the cameras have outputs for that). If the object moved through to the second perimeter you could trigger the speaker on the camera to play a recording and then lastly if the object came into the 3rd perimeter zone you could trigger an alarm in the cabin that would wake you.

There aren't many systems that I know of that allow you to use sequential logic on events for camera operations. Further this system is IP based, meaning it uses standard computer networks and network cable. You could easily view the footage on a laptop, tablet or smartphone.

I'm unsure about the Community Rules and don't want to advertise for the company, I have no relation to them other than having used their products and having done training on the product. If you would like to know the name of the company please PM me.

In terms of cost I assume a full system to be in the order of $10,000+ just for materials, installation and programming would be extra. It isn't cheap but I think it will get you the closest to having a camera monitored perimeter with a reduced chance of false alarms.

[Scotty Kiwi]

The part purpose of Cruising, and my aspirations is to again explore unknown places. By definition, security might be an issue. I've been up rivers and in anchorages in Malaysia and Indonesia, PNG, Oz the PI's and NZ, rafted alongside fishing smacks and the like anchored in the stream, tied to fishing wharves and in marinas. In almost any circumstance any country I can't tell whether the locals were trustworthy or not, but, in the absence of any security at all, we'd 1. keep the boat simple and looking a bit poor, and 2. if possible hire one or two locals to just keep an eye on things. A couple of bucks makes a big difference to an Indonesian fisherman, and in Oz you'd offer a dozen tinnies, which would be turned down or cracked on the spot.

Nevertheless tt would have felt much safer supplementing this with mast cameras.

To me, "don't go places where security might be an issue" defeats the essence of cruising.

"Don't stay long in places where security is an issue" is more realistic. After you get to know a place, find out if security is an issue, and can take rectifying steps.

Meeting locals was essential. Overseas, they are rarely reluctant, but in these cases respectful perseverance would often reveal they'd been ripped of in some way by previous visitors. The cruisers had been the "criminals" (not paying for services etc!) I'm reluctant to say, but it is true that explaining "we are not with the American" went a long way. (As did an All Black rugby flag).

The point is, with the right approach, once you are talking to locals, security issues diminish. Unless you're the person who is immediately hated .. in which case stay home).

So, the technical system only need to be effective during exceptional times. You can put up with a few false alarms for the odd night when you are unsure and need it. This when you're on the boat, and when you're on the piss ashore, or getting supplies.

So what to use for a technical system? Dog? Customs and quarantine issues. I'd use Slocum's tacks, which I think he learnt in the Magellan, security warning signs /electrification signs hanging on the rails when needed.

I possible supplement these with IR sensors on deck, two mast head cameras and and a light.

The gold standard: amplified wifi or cell coms to alert cellphone and manual triggering of alarms, just activated at times. When I get going again I'll be contacting the good chap who asked in this thread to be PM'd about this type of security stuff.

Can an SSB channel be activated to an SSB handset for areas out of cell coverage?

[donradcliffe]

I used a cheap battery operated IR detector with a chime like a doorbell. It sat alongside the main hatch and was pointed to the swim ladder, which is the easiest, most obvious point of entry to my boat.

It had less false alarms than the more sensitive sensors, but would occasionally go off at dawn when the sun hit it. I used it when I had some concerns about the security of an anchorage.

The chime went off twice in 10 years. First time was at 2am on Saturday night in Gizo harbor, Solomons. The chime was followed by a splash as the intruder vacated. The second real alarm was another Saturday night anchored off the Pitons in St Lucia. It definitely was worth $15 cost and the false alarms.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

I used a cheap battery operated IR detector with a chime like a doorbell. It sat alongside the main hatch and was pointed to the swim ladder, which is the easiest, most obvious point of entry to my boat.

It had less false alarms than the more sensitive sensors, but would occasionally go off at dawn when the sun hit it. I used it when I had some concerns about the security of an anchorage.

The chime went off twice in 10 years. First time was at 2am on Saturday night in Gizo harbor, Solomons. The chime was followed by a splash as the intruder vacated. The second real alarm was another Saturday night anchored off the Pitons in St Lucia. It definitely was worth $15 cost and the false alarms.

Now that you remind me, Don, we had a similar alarm for a while. Had enough false alarms that it was a nuisance, never had a real event, so don't know if it would have been useful to deter serious baddies. Moving canvas, flapping ensigns and passing birds would set the damn thing off... sometimes.

So, in the end we stopped using it. When it went off in the middle of the night the adrenaline rush meant sleep was unlikely for quite a while, and this hazard eventually overrode the unlikely hazard of being boarded.

There is an interesting difference between such simple systems and the masthead camera + AI data interpretation system: 15 bucks vs >10K$.

Perhaps the combined knowledge and experience of the CF population can come up with some intermediate level of equipment. I'll be interested to see if such surfaces.

Jim

[Rorzech]

Why don't you get a 3G radar. It's good for 22 KM , uses less power than a cell phone and can detect objects closer than 20 ft from your boat. Set a 50 foot alarm radius if possible and sleep soundly. I just got one, and have yet to mount it on the boat. Google the owners manual and it should tell you what you need to know.

[Rorzech]

Yes , a good camera at the top of the mast would be fun on a screen in the cockpit. Like a drone you don't need to pilot. I'm sure it would be a good view. You could even get Pan & Tilt cameras. I got one that does a 100 X zoom. Might find it on my boat one day.

[Rorzech]

Is that a CG sailboat ? Man there's got to be thirty grand in that system including the beer in the holder. I would just string one of those solar electric fences a couple times around the boat without signs of course. A wet hand on 20,000 volts will wake up any intruder and you needn't bother opening your eyes. Just chuckle when you hear the scream and the splash . Only you know how to open the insulated gate for getting off and on. They keep cows in and bears out all night. Greatest invention. Seen them for $150.00 in farmers stores.

[Almost Heaven]

Our experience with pirates is limited to the islands & Venezuela. Travel in company of other boats & get a boat dog.Also the judge (410 shotgun pistol)or mace guns if you are opposed to firearms.Our dog Gizmo barks if a kayak gets close!
Fair Winds & Our Lords Blessings.
Ed & Bonnie

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by Dane

Sigh..

Not to sound too ungrateful, but could we stay a bit closer to my original question please?

- Yes, I know anchoring is not likely to kill me.
- Yes, I am using the inside of my head to choose sailing grounds and not be a fool.
- Yes, I know about systems to detect intruders, WHEN they are already on the boat.

You may - or may not - agree that detecting a possible threat at night and addressing it with light and possibly sound before intruders climb aboard my boat, will give me an advantage. Could you just assume for the constructive progress of this thread, that I will use that information wisely?

OK then. I will be super grateful if someone has SPECIFIC technical knowledge or even experience with such detection technology.

Thank you,
Dane

The threat is real. We got boarded two nights ago while we slept here in the Seychelles. Fortunately just money and phone stolen.

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by rwidman

When you post a question on a public forum, you are bound to get some replies that don't suit you. Criticizing people for not answering exactly as you expected is not going to help things, it generally turns people off.

Now here is my response, like it or ignore it:

Thinking cameras contribute to security is a mistake. Cameras do not stop thieves or people who intend to harm you. All a camera does is give you a video of people carrying your stuff off. Unless you recognize the people, it's not going to be worth the cost of installing them.

Personally, I have to agree with the person who suggested not going to places where you think you need to worry about people boarding your boat uninvited. That's the first step in security, boat or otherwise: Limit your exposure.

Ok, so what if you want to circumnavigate? How do you only go to 100℅ guaranteed never to be boarded type places, please show me this route, i want to go that way.

[Dane]

Originally Posted by trifan

Dane - Video surveillance is my business. PM me, I'll try to answer your questions with real world, affordable solutions.

Hi Trifan,

Thanks for the offer. I suggest, like Paul L, that you could describe capabilities of the system here in the thread. Several peole seemed to have the interest to explore.

Thanks,
Dane