Security

[Ragnar Lothbrok]

For liveaboards, what do you do for security? Dog, guns, samurai sword, nothing? How rampant is crime in marinas, and is it petty theft in general or violent crime?

[zeehag]

i found life in marinas is most secure--better in mexico than usa. locks on boats are for show, as it is most easy to break into a boat.
in usa i locked m y boat. in mexico i am able to keep it open for fresh air.
same on anchor.
while anchored the only folks who stole anything from my boat were gringo cruisers with boats and dinghies.
locals were most helpful and honest

[Ragnar Lothbrok]

That's good to know. Actually I wouldn't have much valuable items since the less you have the better. Probably a laptop and electronic gadgets for the boat would be the most sought after things.

[Lepke]

There's gotta be many threads on this...
Docks with people 24/7 have less theft, maybe none. But many other things have an effect, too. Lighting, local economy, locked entry to docks, and so on. Also vehicle break ins can be a problem in many places. Remote anchorages can be a problem, too.
Personal protection that may provide security is determined by the individual. I don't think it's a good idea to advertise what security items are on board until it becomes obvious. Then word get around and you become less of a target. I did.

[a64pilot]

So far for me, it hasn't been a problem.
My car in the parking lot seems to be way more likely to be broken into, I don't know why?
Maybe sailboat guys are know to be cheap, the "good" stuff is on the big motor yachts?

[toddster8]

Local wisdom has it that you can leave your gear on-deck or in the back of your pick-up all summer without much worry. But keep an eye on things just after Labor Day when all the endless-summer kids are packing up to head for Baja and sometimes get sticky fingers. Yeah, the marina gate is locked (if someone hasn't propped it open) but there's free access to all the boats by small craft or SUP.

[boatman61]

I just use the standard boards and hatch cover set up with a padlock when I go ashore..
Night times bottom board and hatch.. never felt unsafe.

[toddster8]

Various people have recommended having arrangements of steel bars made up to replace one or more drop-boards and the deck hatches, for security and ventilation. Also if the drop-board track is formed by a piece of teak trim, replace it with steel U-channel. Seems easy and a reasonable idea, but it's kind of far down on my to-do list.

[leboyd]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

So far for me, it hasn't been a problem.
My car in the parking lot seems to be way more likely to be broken into, I don't know why?
Maybe sailboat guys are know to be cheap, the "good" stuff is on the big motor yachts?

Opportunity. It's a lot easier to walk into a parking lot or even a driveway to break into your car. Likewise, there tend to be more cars/trucks/suvs/etc. than boats in the marina. Lastly, it's a lot faster going rifling through a car/truck/etc than a boat.

But both make me

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Ragnar Lothbrok

For liveaboards, what do you do for security? Dog, guns, samurai sword, nothing? How rampant is crime in marinas, and is it petty theft in general or violent crime?

I have an ogre. If someone doesn't try to steal something off the boat soon so he can catch and eat them he is going to starve.

[s/v Moondancer]

Depends entirely on where you are...

Safest marinas we have been in: one was in Mexico, the second was in New Zealand and the third was in Panama.

Cartagena was unsafe both in the marina and at anchor as are many Caribbean Islands.

We have locks and bars on all hatches and use depending on location. However, in 10 years full time we have never personally felt threatened but in the marina in Cartagena someone attempted to cut the outboard lock while we were asleep.

[Dave_S]

We haven't had any trouble, we saw a couple acting suspiciously on SUPs in the marina, I let them see me take their picture and they left, not sure if they left because they were dodgy or because I made it clear I was suspicious of them.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Ragnar Lothbrok

For liveaboards, what do you do for security? Dog, guns, samurai sword, nothing? How rampant is crime in marinas, and is it petty theft in general or violent crime?

Hatch and companionway security is very poor in most yachts, especially if ventilation is required. This would be relatively easy for yacht builders to address, but they seem reluctant to do so.

However, in most parts of the world crimes involving cruising yacht are rare, so we should not become unduly paranoid.

[Hudson Force]

During our 45 years of liveaboard cruising, remaining in marina slips and anchored out in both crowded and isolated locations, we never locked or secured our boat in any way, whether we were aboard or ashore, except when we were leaving the boat for more than a couple days. Our only exception to this was to often cable or chain lock our dinghy and outboard at dinghy docks or to our davits. Over these 45 years we only experienced two thefts,- a surfboard taken from our deck and our Son's bicycle stolen from a place ashore.

'just our anecdotal story and only disclosed now as we have moved ashore and now leave our boat locked. Most of our theft free time was spent in Florida, but we were often cruising from Maine south and throughout the Bahamas.

We lock our home ashore regularly,- this is new behavior for us, but it seems typical.

[JPA Cate]

Dave, at MBTBC, someone came aboard our first Insatiable, and tried to steal our outboard motor, one time. He was chased away, and arrived back at his vehicle soaking wet. He can't have been very bright, because it was clear that people were aboard.

Ragnar, we've cruised a little over 30 yrs. Have had a pair of flip flops stolen from the dinghy, one time. No other problem, except the above. We can lock the companionway, but it's sorta like zee said, locking a boat is like locking a tissue box. Some people make or have made, screens that admit air but not people. It hasn't seemed necessary where we've been, but I suspect high population areas or known high theft areas are a different story. Once you leave the US, there are places where deadly force is not legal to protect property.

Ann