Is yacht theft common?

[gobi1570]

I'm looking to purchase my first boat this summer. My lender obviously is requiring insurance, but I was just wondering, is it common for someone to come into a marina and take off with a boat? Seems like quite a feat to do that without being noticed. Are there any reporting/tracking systems in place/available to help recover my boat if someone were to take off with it?

[seafox]

Some idiot stole a benetau from our marina. Didn't get far. Anchored about 5 miles away. Now doing time in jail.

[Alan Wheeler]

An escapee stole a boat from our Marina. He got halfway across the straight before he ran out of fuel and then got caught.
Another yacht made TV on a show called Police 10/7. The perpetrators (ooh big word, probably spelt it wrong) where caught stealing a sailboat from a swing mooring. Thier excuse was, they thought it was someone elses boat and were moving it for him. Lots of trailer boats get stolen. Even had an inflatable stolen off the back of the boat that is berthed beside mine. Yet my inflatable has the 15Hp on it and it is hanging from the davits on the back.
But all up, it is rare here in NZ. Greater chance of fire or sinking than getting stolen. I have 10K worth of electronics in the Pilot house with no way of locking it up. If I had to leave the boat in some Marina I wasn't sure about, I woudl disconnect everything and stow it all away below locked up. But our Marina is fairly safe.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Alan Wheeler

TV on a show called Police 10/7.

What???????? Do New Zealand cops work 10 hours every single day of the week?

I must rob the bank in Auckland at 1am. that'll stuff them! Then for my gettaway I'll carry a drum of diesel....

[swagman]

Suspect actual an actual yacht being stolen is a pretty rare event. We've been sailing over 30 years and yet to meet anyone it's happened to.
JOHN

[Stella Polaris]

A couple of years back a 44 foot Bavaria was stolen from a Marina in Stavanger, Norway. The thieves managed to get a two day head start before the theft was noticed. By then they were long gone and as far as I know the owner collected on his insurane and had to buy a new boat.

[GordMay]

Keeping boat theft at Bay ~ by Dick Thompson
Boat/US Magazine, May, 2004
Goto:
Keeping boat theft at Bay | Boat/US Magazine | Find Articles at BNET.com

Excerpt:
... Sailboats have the lowest boat theft rate in the U.S.
Based on a 10-year study of BoatU.S. Marine Insurance claim files, sailboats have a theft rate of 2.5 in 10,000, compared to 100 in 10,000 for personal watercraft ...

[ssullivan]

Like Gord points out with facts, it does happen but it's exceedingly rare for sailboats.

See, most will steal a powerboat before a sailboat. Why? The getaway.

Putting it in land terms:

Assuming they were of the same value, would you be more successful stealing a Toyota Camry, or a Massy Ferguson farming tractor?

Another reason is that people who steal things are typically less educated and less motivated. Turn the key and go on the power boat, but handling the sailboat takes knowledge.

[mickmul]

Some idiots stole a Jeanneau yacht from SW Ireland and headed for Wales. Didn't check the forecast and had to be rescued . . there was, however, a €30k outboard rib engine stolen from a prominent and busy carpark next to a slip in my local village . . apparently some of our guests from European expansion are treading where traditional thieves feared to tread up to now . .on the water. . . a container of mostly top end outboards was recently intercepted in Belfast port headed for parts East, I won't be too specific for fear of tainting a country by the actions of a few of it's scumbags. . .

[oldsalt_1942]

It is so amazingly simple to steal a boat it's a wonder more aren't.

When I was working for a boat yard in New Orleans back in the '80s and having a 100 ton license I was the person who would be sent to pick up boats and bring them in for repairs. No one ever questioned me, a stranger, getting on someone's boat and taking off with it. In one instance I had to bring in a boat that was going to be transported out of state. The boat was moored behind an empty house. We didn't have the keys, so I had to use a pry bar to remove the padlock on the hatch. I brought a battery on board and jump started the engine, removed the lines and motored away. During the entire operation three people at neighboring houses watched me and even waved as I departed the dock!

I had similar instances where I picked up boats at marinas and was never once questioned by anyone.

And if anyone here is thinking of absconding with a boat, here's a tip. The best day to do it is on a Monday morning because usually the owners won't be back until at least Friday evening.

[cal40john]

If your sailboat does get stolen, try calling the Ketchikan Yacht Club first.

48° North - Editorial

John

[gobi1570]

Originally Posted by SettingSail2009

A couple of years back a 44 foot Bavaria was stolen from a Marina in Stavanger, Norway. The thieves managed to get a two day head start before the theft was noticed. By then they were long gone and as far as I know the owner collected on his insurane and had to buy a new boat.

Ya, this is the type of theft I was thinking of...someone grabs the boat, takes off into the sunset, and you never see it again. But all the other responses seem to indicate this is exceedingly rare, which gives me some comfort.

[rebel heart]

Things get stolen from boats a lot: outboards, fishing poles, electronics left in the cockpit, etc.

If it's anything like bicycles, most bicycle thefts are from people who are walking around, see a bike, use it for the day to get around wherever, and then ditch it. No one really wants to deal with keeping it; it's just for the joyride aspect.

As much as I love sailboats, the idea of getting this big girl underway and rolling doesn't fall into the "joy ride" category.

[Rez]

Cal 40 John,
What does your post mean?
Thanks

[S/V Elusive]

Rez - click on the link and read the article. At the end of the article, they spell out exactly what it means