How to Make Dinghy Distinctive ?

[WhataWorld!]

Some advice I read on this forum was to paint your dinghy distinctively to help deter thieves. I have settled on getting a Apex A-13 tender center-console dinghy with a 50 horsepower outboard (see attachment one). How would you suggest I modify it to make it distinctive? Keep in mind, I want it to still look nice and tasteful, so no razzle-dazzle camouflage (see attachment 2)

[Maren]

Originally Posted by WhataWorld!

Some advice I read on this forum was to paint your dinghy distinctively to help deter thieves.

You could also go with a partial covering with sunbrella. Yellow is fairly visible. As a bonus the fabric also protects the dingy from UV.

[sarafina]

I would go for distinctive, but no pretty, or cool... I have heard folks successfully dumb down their dingy so that it *looks* like a POS... that way no one WANTS ta steal it...

[S/V Illusion]

Dinghy is easy to retain compared with the motor - where is it you plan on going?

[Healer52]

Paint them all fluorescent pink?

[WhataWorld!]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

Dinghy is easy to retain compared with the motor - where is it you plan on going?

Everywhere. I am in the process of planning an around-the-world trip, to take 5 or 6 years. This dinghy will be my new car, and I'm a young guy who likes fast cars, thus the large outboard! I am thinking about something like lojack, only for marine use. Does anyone know of such a thing that would be usable in as as many countries as possible.

[Minggat]

How about trying to make it diSTINKive, rather than distinctive?

[Minggat]

Hard dinks are supossedly less attractive, but not immune to theives. I rarely row mine, but if I did, the oars have removable blades that can easily be carried with me. Hopefully that would make the oars (mostly) useless.

But then, my hard dink is usually left at the boat in favor of the go-fast.

[maxingout]

We marked our name in four places on our Dinghy using black indelible magic marker. We renewed the magic marker writing every couple of years. The magic marker does not come off, but it does fade.

That was our main attempt at dinghy security, and it worked because we still have our dinghy many years later. (We did a circumnavigation)

[Martinini]

Pink or Red polka dots painted with vinyl paint. Paint the motor the same way. The more dots the better. If it is stolen more people will remember it if they see it.

[rebel heart]

Etch your name or something like it into any metal surface, especially the outboard. The best outboards to steal are the shiny-beautiful ones. I had a kick ass little 3.5 horse that I spray painted the top of.

And get a lock that fits through the little wingnut arms that fasten it down to the transom.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by WhataWorld!

a Apex A-13 tender center-console dinghy with a 50 horsepower outboard

Thems criminals about your parts must be prettttty dumb buggers if a splatter of paint's gunna hide the 50HP OB and the wheely bit console.

Why dont you just cross out the "0" after the "5" on the outboard?

Our 'Lil Dink, with a 3.3HP Mercury, has some huge patches bordered by about 2 inches of white Sikaflex. She looks so bad that folks at the dinghy dock often throw coins.

I think you should save wasting paint and invest in a heavy duty bit of security chain and a couple whoppin padlocks and a movement actuated light/alarm.



Mark
PS Do NOT go Colon, Panama.

[WhataWorld!]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

PS Do NOT go Colon, Panama.

Why? I will have to, because I plan to transit the Panama Canal...

[sarafina]

cause yer GONNA get yer dingy stolen if ya do.

Colon is pretty notorious for the diligence and adroitness of the members of it's thieves guild...

Just in general in Colon you want to keep track of where you are, and don't plan on strolling around after dark much. mug central. However the zona libre is a cool place ta pick up almost anything at deeply discounted prices...

And you can transit with out ever stepping into Colon. The canal is west of the city, not in it.

Panama city on the south end of the canal rocks... You will want to spend a bit of time there ; -)

[David M]

Paint the "roll bar" fluorescent pink or yellow.