As a boat owner, it’s easy to take the security of your vessel for granted. Stealing a boat might seem like a bold move that few would attempt, but that’s not actually the case. Thousands of boats are stolen on an annual basis, so thinking about security is one of your most important tasks. And you can start by considering some of the tips and ideas included in this blog below.

Our Top Tip to Keep Your Boat Safe

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Securing the Boat While In Use

First, let’s talk about keeping your boat safe while it is in use. When you are out at the water, there are some steps you can take to make it less likely that someone will make off with your vessel. Consider the following –

• Always keep the keys. You certainly don’t want to make it easy for someone to steal your boat. So, when you step off at the dock for a moment, never leave the keys in it. Get in the habit of grabbing the keys and putting them in your pocket. This certainly isn’t fool-proof protection, but it is a starting point, and there’s no reason to skip this step.
• Add a cutoff device. Another good way to make it much harder for someone to drive off with your boat is to add a cutoff switch that disconnects either the electricity of the fuel that powers the boat. These aren’t too expensive, and they are easy to add to the boat’s equipment.
• Lock the cabin. If you own the type of boat that has an enclosed cabin, make sure the door to the cabin locks (and be sure to engage that lock when you leave). Adding as many layers of defense as possible will reduce the odds that someone can successfully steal your boat.

While all of the steps above are important and worthwhile, having your boat stolen at the water is somewhat rare. It’s a difficult getaway for a thief who steals a boat on the water, so it isn’t attempted very often. What’s more common is to have a boat stolen while it is already on a trailer and ready to hit the road, so that’s the situation we’ll discuss below.

Preventing Boat-on-Trailer Theft

When you have your boat on its trailer, the whole package is ready for someone to approach, hook up the trailer to their vehicle, and drive off. Fortunately, just as with theft on the water, plenty of options are at your disposal for decreasing your chances of becoming a victim of this type of crime.

• Use various locks. Many different lock products on the market can help to secure your trailer. If your boat and trailer are parked near a boat launch, and you will be away from it for a while, lock up the hitch, tongue, wheel, or some combination of those components. These locks will have to be broken or bypassed to pull the trailer away, which means the thief will probably just look for an easier target.
• Indoor parking. While at home, parking your boat on its trailer inside a garage is a great way to keep it safe. Not only will it be behind a locked door, but it will also be out of sight from the street – so most people won’t even know it’s in there. American Steel Carports, Inc. is the perfect partner for a detached metal garage construction project.
• Tie it up. You probably don’t have the option of parking indoors while you are out using your boat and trailer, but you can bring a chain and a lock along for the trip. Tie up the trailer to a heavy, solid object, and you’ll add yet another barrier that a thief must overcome.

Taking some time now to consider security issues for your boat will leave you more time in the future to relax and unwind out on the water. We hope the information in this article is helpful, and our team is standing by to help with a detached metal garage project that would provide your boat with a safe and secure place to live. Thank you for taking the time to consider American Steel Carports, Inc. Contact us today to find out more.