On The Hook

[Capandmrswood]

When living aboard on the hook, and take the dingy in for a day in town, anyone have problems with theft of your boat,...or from your boat and also your dingy,...seems not good for things to be unattended for too long.

[Jimbo485]

Uh oh, here we go again... You will hear everything on CF from guns and booby traps to friendliness and an invitation for thieves to take what they like.

You probably already do something for the security of your house and car. Just do the maritime version of the same. Don't ask the CF crazies and don't ask me!

[Lagoon4us]

Really it comes down to your choice of anchorages, luck and whether there are any baddies out that day.

It's part of the life we choose, if we spend that life being paranoid about every what if then we wouldn't be cruising for long.

As Jimbo said do what you consider appropriate and enjoy the ride, you won't loose much.

[Capandmrswood]

Ya that's about what i figured,...probably just leave the big dog in the boat and leave the dingy at the marina,...i bet when you get to know folks that live at the dock they'd let you leave the dingy with them,...thanks for the insight,...

[Lagoon4us]

A doggie scares most burglars, pity we can't get a detecter that growls and if aggravated further barks! No pissin', no feeding, makes good sense.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Depends where you are in the world - I don't liveaboard, but my dink is tied to the harbour wall (with busy public access) and is never locked. and at least one oar is always aboard (also unlocked). From time to time I leave other stuff onboard, not always intentionally........

That's probably cursed me........

[AnchorageGuy]

In over 20 years of cruising including many third world countries, we have never had the boat stolen or broken into nor the dinghy stolen. The only theft we ever had from the dinghy was at the municipal marina in St. Augustine. When we reported it to the marina, they were not interested in hearing about it. The gas tank was stolen. We do lock the boat whenever we leave and don't leave things in the dinghy other than oars and PFDs. We do put a cable and lock on the gas tank now. We do know of a few incidents where dinghies were untied and allowed to drift off. These are very rare and as everyone has already offered, a lot depends on your location. Other boaters keeping and eye on each other is a neighborhood you want to be in. There are places we won't leave the dinghy. Chuck

[gts1544]

Regretably, in the BVI's, dinghy theft, usually for the "nicer" outboards to ship down islands, has become somewhat commonplace. The drill is to use a short security cable and lock to secure your outboard and gas tank to the dinghy and a longer version to secure your dinghy to the dock or to your boat at all times. No, I am not paranoid, just sensible! The evidence is there and there are too many boaters who don't bother. Thieves are lazy and want to avoid exposure so they go for the easy ones. Think of the inconvenience, not to mention the expense, of a missing dinghy! gts1544

[MarkJ]

I take it you are not cruisng yet?

When you go to a new port you will quickly get the idea of the security situation with dinghys. When you pull up to the dinghy dock and see twenty dinks all looking like Fort Knox then you better chain up!

Outboard motors are a pretty expendable item in most places. A $2,000 expendable, but there ya go.

There are some pretty simple rules I follow... If some local says they will look after your dinghy for $5 then I leave, up anchor and go somewhere else because the place is crook. The guy asking for the $5 is crook too.

In most of the cruising world you are on the beaten path... There will be other cruisers there. Tie up with them, do as they do etc and you share the risk, or lower it via numbers. If you go off by yourself you will, generally, not be going to the nicest anchorages, most scenic etc or all the cruisers would be there.

The reality is you can lose the dink and OB easily. The boat, not much of a chance.

[daddle]

In many years of cruising in the U.S., Mexico, Central America, Pacific Islands and SE Asia the only place I have suffered any losses was in Monterey and Pebble Beach, California. Super rich, super white and super dishonest. Go figure. Right now the fancy boat and dinghy and everything are undefended, unlocked, 8000 miles away in SE Asia. I am not expecting any problem whatsoever as SE Asia is far more civilized than the cherished west.

* If you cannot afford small losses, or remain cool with setbacks you shouldn't be cruising.

* If they want it they will take it. Your defenses are useless.

[donradcliffe]

YMMV, but in 20 years we lost a small container of shampoo and a wingnut. Enjoy yourselves, and make sure your boat or dinghy is a little more secure than your neighbors.

[Hudson Force]

Over forty years of liveaboard cruising with two losses due to theft,- one bicycle and one surfboard.

[svmariane]

Actual thefts? Only when the mother ship was docked at a marina in Ensenada, Mexico, and then only two of the four fenders I'd deployed. Otherwise, and touch wood, no problems with theft, vandalism or intruders in 19 years while cruising the northern Med, west coast of North America, island hopping across the Pacific to New Zealand, up in Malaysia and Thailand, and now in AS.

We recently added a Torqeedo to the dinghy... and I'm STILL trying to figure out some way, any way, to lock both it and the dink to the dock.

However..... {Not-quite-theft story warning! }

Pago Pago, American Samoa. Marine authorities coming around to all the fishing boats, checking for registration (local ones expire 31st Dec), and doing safety equipment checks. I'm getting ready to leave the dock in my dinghy, and get asked by one copper why I have no PFD in the dink. Answer: As soon as somebody teaches the local kids to respect other folk's property, then I'll carry a PFD. He appeared perplexed. Told him about the local long-boat race this past spring. (Long boats: 40 or 42 rowers in a "canoe" shaped boat with tiller/rudder.) Had my dinghy tied to the dock near the finish line and with hundreds of locals (adults and children) on the docks and shoreline to watch the race, three kids got in my dinghy and tried to row out. Either nobody said a word or the kids ignored them. Apparently they couldn't figure out how to operate the twitchy oarlocks on my Caribe so got pushed around by the wind/tide. Ended up on the rocks, climbed ashore, and just left my dinghy there. I know this version of events because one local (suitably sad-faced) explained. Because they were just kids I was expected to be understanding. Hey, for all I know it could have been the police chief in my boat!

Yeah... Figure the odds of my leaving PFDs in the dinghy, or slinging them over my shoulder when we go out for dinner. (Anyway, part of our lifestyle when out on the hook is just not going ashore when the weather turns nasty.)

[Capandmrswood]

No, we haven't gotten our boat yet. I'm a 500 ton supply boat captain 14 yrs now and am sure I'll look like a green-horn when I get ona sailboat. The wife and I are selling a house and property that too much for just the two of us and building smaller more sensible pad on land getting a boat. Have a family member stay in the house and we on the boat, at a local marina and learn the boat making short coastal trips. Hopefully in 5 yrs experienced with boat and money saved quit our jobs and get to the real fun.

[Kenomac]

We lock up the boat, use an oversize anchor with plenty of chain, lock the bikes to something solid, use a cable lock for the dinghy and outboard. When ashore, the dinghy and outboard get cable locked to a cleat. So far, so good. No thefts to date.

Basically, we make the other boats and dinghys look like easier targets. Also, our dinghy is intentionally on the ugly side and recognizable.