Boat / personal security

[sapient sue]

Wow,

I was horrified to read this thread. We have lived aboard 18 years and sailed 180,000nms and have never carried a gun. We do have spearguns onboard but for the purpose they were designed.

We have a mesh theft screen which can be locked from the outside or inside to secure the companion way. We have motion sensor lights in the cockpit and sometimes leave a radio on if not aboard.

I would not be cruising but locked in a secure compound ashore if I was paranoid like the folks in the gist of this thread.

Sue - loving a simple cruising life

[Group9]

Originally Posted by nolagal

Or from home. When people ask me about fear of storms or "piracy". I get to just smile nicely and say "I'm from New Orleans darlin".

Lots of land pirates there! (Not from there but lived there, and still live near).

[ssanzone]

Watch 'home alone' and you will learn everything you need to know...

paint cans on strings and blow torches on doorknobs and patches of ice and dont forget a bunch of life size cardboard cut outs on a string and record player.

When I am not on the boat, I am at the stables and even when I know they are on, the electric fences still get me a few times a week... prob work very well with life lines (especially with 240).

-steve

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by ssanzone

............... When I am not on the boat, I am at the stables and even when I know they are on, the electric fences still get me a few times a week... prob work very well with life lines (especially with 240).

Can you say "lawsuit"?

I hope everyone is smart enough not to booby trap their boats.

[lonesoldier0408]

Don't forget to Chum around your vessel, no body, no crime. 😜


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[FamilyVan]

I think seriously most people have it right about being safety conscious aware etc. I have these cool custom anti pirate bars that slide into my hatch, so I can have my hatch open and locked. Nifty idea, not sure if would help much. I'm Canadian, so no problems owning fire arms in this neck of the woods II like to shoot and I'm not a bad shot, but they need to be trigger locked and I can't imagine using a 12 gauge would be any fun in the confines of a Fantasia 35- so I keep them at my moms farm. Of course I have a couple machetes in my workshop.
HOWEVER! My boat came with a neat old 8 gauge brass flare pistol. I've often wondered if I could load birdshot into that sucker.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by rwidman

Can you say "lawsuit"?

I hope everyone is smart enough not to booby trap their boats.

If there were any money there, lawyers would have been suing the crap out of cattle farms for people who trespassed and got shocked on their fences (me being one of them when I was a kid when we would do that a lot).

Try and find one.

[Jimmyd60051]

I'm entertaining the thought of modifying a 12 volt electric cow fence insulated at the lifelines, operated remotely. Probably wont kill em but it'll hurt like hell and virtually undetectable.

[garrobito]

...i see dead people..
so... should I get the new chartplotter or the nice .50 cal I found on silkroad???

[Kokanee]

The risk and need for security greatly depends where you live and cruise.

Example:
I rarely lock my boat, although my home marina has a locked gate. Never had a problem.
I've never locked my house in Australia in the past 15 years. I'm not even sure if I still have keys for the doors. Again - never a problem.

Currently, I do rotational work in Iraq, I'm posting this from my office which is surrounded by 18 foot high concrete tee walls, topped with concertina (razor) wire. This is then surrounded by more fencing, CCTV cameras, floodlights, trenches, lookout towers, guardhouses, search bays with sniffer dogs etc. I have a hardened bunker which is RPG proof behind my office, a well armed & trained ex-Canadian special forces guy in the room next door, and plenty of heavy backup power minutes away.

I feel much safer when I get home with the doors unlocked, the windows open and not a firearm in sight.