First Thief Experience

[gatorman49]

Originally Posted by goat

Good thing your wife scared him away, that would really skew your monthly cost data. Also surprised this hasn't morphed into a gun thread. Yet.

Seriously though, I'm glad no one was hurt.

goat

Here is the gun thread. I wouldn’t be without one. Pointing one at unarmed, fleeing person, much less shooting at them, might result in some very expensive legal fees. Especially a property crime. Then there is the issue of leaving firearm aboard and someone stealing it. Dicey decision.

[jkxtreme]

Thieves that are druggies have only a couple thoughts in their head... don't get caught and if they do get caught, don't get captured. If they are on drugs and you discover them they may become a danger to you because of that second thought in their head. However, small time criminals will escalate their level of crime with each success. So it may be only stuff they take today, but tomorrow it could a life, or a rape, or more. You don't have to use a gun but you need to do something or have something that will drive them away or defend you. A dog has proven to be the best deterrent but even a garden hose can work. A gun will definitely scare them away but if they are also armed you could get into a gun fight. That said, most intruders when faced with a gun, rarely even shoot back. They are too interested in that second thought in their head. I believe you need to protect your stuff so you won't have to protect yourself or your loved ones in the future. Just make sure you have a plan.

[jsanton]

Try hornet spray. Long range and will send an assailant to the hospital. And its clearly not a gun.

Boat us insurance offers a very low deductible for the dinghy for a very low fee. One step ahead of the problem...

[crazyoldboatguy]

Originally Posted by jsanton

Try hornet spray. Long range and will send an assailant to the hospital. And its clearly not a gun.

Boat us insurance offers a very low deductible for the dinghy for a very low fee. One step ahead of the problem...

Hornet spray is good, if you’re attacked by hornets.



I’ve had wind spray hornet spray back in my face. It’s annoying - that’s all.
What happens if the wind is blowing in your face?

[sailorboy1]

Killing someone stealing your dinghy is I feel is a little far, even for a sociopath like me.

[redhead]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Back in the 90s there was a small group of boats used to sail down to the Ballearics from Marseilles every summer with "shopping lists".. basically anything of value was fair game from dinghies to pedigree dogs left top sides while owners went ashore.
Favourite trick was one man on the bow with a sharp knife on a boathook and another at the stern with a boathook.. front man cuts, rear man snags and they motor on with the owner below unaware.. just another boat motoring outs the anchorage.

We had a similar situation in Onset, Mass, at the beginning (or end) of the Cape Cod canal. We tied up our dink at the dinghy dock alongside maybe 12-15 others. I was a couple steps behind my husband and I see a guy on a cell phone walking past every dinghy and speaking rapidly in Spanish.
Since I know the language I could tell he was shopping! Describing every dink and every outboard to someone on the other end of the phone. I told Marc to go get the pizza and I'd be staying here, sitting in the dink.

(PS, this has nothing to do with Spanish speaking people, I love 'em, I lived there, don't start throwing stones. There is no way to tell this story without mentioning the word Spanish.)

[Bentwings]

I’m not opposed to guns but the responsibility and liability are very great. Florida laws are more in favor of the victim than here but still shooting someone is a big deal. The sad part is many bad people know this and will use it to their advantage. The other thing is having firearms on board can be an issue in other states. Nobody needs to know but if you start shooting you had best have proper documentation.

I’m a dog lover and trainer. I ve had big German Shepherds and now an Australian Shepherd. She has a 90 pound bark in a 60 pound package and three times the agility and speed of the GSD. While she is not protection trained she has only one level of bark....very loud and fierce. It how they herd and handle cows.

Anyway since you are in Florida this guy is in Miami. He is very very good. He offers trained dogs and will train you to own and handle the dog. He can advise you on the rules and regulations regarding dogs locally. He has many videos on YouTube. Once you learn to handle these dogs, they are a pure joy to have.

Here is his site.

https://www.richardmasterdogtrainer.com/

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Bentwings

Anyway since you are in Florida this guy is in Miami. He is very very good. He offers trained dogs and will train you to own and handle the dog.

I don't need any trained dog! I have a wife and she is fully trained already and rarely barks at me

[Bentwings]

ROTFLMAO. Good thing iPads are water resistant. I just spilled my coffe on it.

My ex wife hated my GSD because he took care of the kids and didn’t like her yelling at them.

We came in one day from dog training and she said “ you know, you are just like your dam dog. You wear the same color clothes every day, you eat the same food everyday and you bark all the time. So being a little put out I responded “ why don’t you just rehome me?” ����*♂️ And she did. ��

And now I’m like your sig. ��

[samfreeland]

I have had four dinghies stolen over the years while ashore. They had bolt cutters. The one that wasn't stolen had a hole in and started to sink as they made the get away so they put it back and took someone else's. At around $400 a pop it's annoying. I'm thinking I may try a GPS tracker so I can follow them on my laptop. Probably the safest way to follow a thief.

[erie]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I'm currently is a slip in Jacksonville, Fl that has locked gates to the docks etc. But that doesn't mean your stuff is safe:

We were awakened at 4am by weird noises and boat movements. Turns out there was someone trying to steal our dinghy right off of our boat's davits. He had managed to untie the davit lines and the dinghy was half down to the water when my wife, who had gotten up to investigate the noise etc. Guy appeared to have come by kayak and he paddled off after my wife went up and discovered him. I lost sight of where he went and by the time I put on some clothes and got a light I couldn't see where he went..

There isn't even really a close place near be to get into a kayak and there aren't any anchored boats etc. around with at least 2 miles. Someone paddling around at 4am in the rain you would think had a plan from the start and he had come targeting our dinghy.

Shoot them with a flare gun...

[GILow]

Somewhere right at the start, someone asked a very interesting question, and I am not sure if I missed the answer.

They asked if there was something particular about your dink that might have made it more attractive or worth a targeted attempt at theft.

Any ideas?

[Mikado]

Florida.........A sunny place for shady people.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by GILow

Somewhere right at the start, someone asked a very interesting question, and I am not sure if I missed the answer.

They asked if there was something particular about your dink that might have made it more attractive or worth a targeted attempt at theft.

Any ideas?

I think that was me. I’m still curious…

I do wonder if there are certain types of dinghies and outboards that are more attractive to thieves than others. Are inflatables more targeted than, say portabotes (I hope so )? Are inflatable targeted more than hard dinks in general? Or is it the reverse? Are certain brands more targeted?

… seems like I should start a new thread .

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

I think that was me. I’m still curious…

I do wonder if there are certain types of dinghies and outboards that are more attractive to thieves than others. Are inflatables more targeted than, say portabotes (I hope so )? Are inflatable targeted more than hard dinks in general? Or is it the reverse? Are certain brands more targeted?

… seems like I should start a new thread .

They are usually after the outboard.