Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Went to visit the boat at the marina yesterday to close out my time off from work.
I keep all the furniture covered with tarp and rope (remember no cover yet), including the helm and drivers seat.
I get to the boat, the drivers seat is uncovered, fenders are moved, and there is mud tracked all through the boat. Not just mud, but the reddish brown clay....on gray carpet.

SOOOOO, I talk to the marina owner and the marina mechanic thinking that maybe they had to go on there and with the recent storms and fix something (who knows).
They tell me no.
I start telling a friend who is also at the marina. He reminded me of the local drunken marina fly that made comments about my boat when I brought her home. He was telling me today that the guy has a bunch of old boat keys and he thinks that maybe he tried to get my boat going. Apparently this guy is a nuisance and the slip renters have been trying to get rid of him.

If I go off the board for awhile, send bail money



PS: do they make anti theft devices for boats?

yep chain and remove the batteries.

I'd meet that dude in a dark alley. One way trip for him

Hide a battery disconnect

I was gonna set up lasers like in Mission impossible and when he crosses it....he will fry

Remington 870.

I';m old school S&W 357....

katieclooney wrote: PS: do they make anti theft devices for boats?

I have one of these, it's solar powered, it's small but makes some racket with a siren/blue strobe lights when it detects something, then resets itself.
I mounted it in the boat near the floor, but it can be screwed it to a piling or dock.

http://www.amazon.com/HomeBrite-EW-1-Ey ... d_sim_lg_1




it ain't much protection, but should scare off the vermin, but as the other posters suggested, chain or hidden disconnect will keep it in the slip.

Does your marina have cameras?
when I first got my toon I wasn't putting the mooring cover on because I was using it a lot. One day I noticed my gates open... Turns out it was kids jumping off the dock to swim and using my boat to get back on the dock. I complained to the marina and added how a few other marina members have noticed things moved/missing from the boats. A week later they had a camera system installed. Haven't
had any other problems since.
If he is a nuisance there I would complain to the marina and also confront him. If he was on your boat then he will know that you know it was him....and if he wasn't on it....well, he won't even think about trying it in the future..

Maybe put a "game camera" on your boat, and get concrete evidence - then press charges.

BobG and Cleatus have great ideas. The game camera's are pretty cheap. I've seen them at SlumMart for $45 and the alarm is cool, because it may get some attention from not only your "visitor", but a dock neighbor that might take the SOB out for you! Your hands are clean! I may just hang a game camera on the side of my slip, so so I can see the uninvited "DockFockers' who park their boats in it when its empty, to get out of paying for their own! I can aim it right where the registration numbers should be! I can watch it on the internet, 350 miles away from my slip... Thanks Guys!!!

BobG wrote:Maybe put a "game camera" on your boat, and get concrete evidence - then press charges.

Good idea. Almost as good as the dark alley beating.

so the marina called......say it wasn't the local drunk but that the tarp covering my helm was blowing off so another boater jumped on and recovered. the mud will come off with a garden hose.

FUNNY, since when I ASKED them if they knew what happened I got "I don't know." but now that I call out someone there is a story where I get the blame.


BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUULSHIIIIIIIIIIIT

Sounds like they are trying to protect thier asses. Even another boater would know enough to quickly take off his shoes when entering anothers boat... I would hope! I know I would...

katieclooney wrote:so the marina called......say it wasn't the local drunk but that the tarp covering my helm was blowing off so another boater jumped on and recovered. the mud will come off with a garden hose.

FUNNY, since when I ASKED them if they knew what happened I got "I don't know." but now that I call out someone there is a story where I get the blame.


BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUULSHIIIIIIIIIIIT

I wouldn't call BS yet, I would ask who it was "so you can thank them" . They may not have known at the time when you first asked but then heard about it from other marina members. .
More than once, I have had to get on my neighbor's toon to secure it. I also arrived at my marina once to see my boat completely turned around. I was told that a line had broke loose allowing the boat to spin around. Another member broke their butt re-securing it for me.
I know the mud on the carpet is annoying but hopefully it was someone just trying to help.