Stolen Boat(s)

[matty40s]

Hope this is clear.

Only 2 weeks ago so .....

[alan_fincher]

As if a stolen powered wide beam is not conspicuous enough, let's instead tow it with another boat for the get-away.

If the story is really true, quite a few boats must have had to wait at locks whilst they were worked twice to get this ensemble through!

[Chris John]

57 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

As if a stolen powered wide beam is not conspicuous enough, let's instead tow it with another boat for the get-away.

If the story is really true, quite a few boats must have had to wait at locks whilst they were worked twice to get this ensemble through!

Story? Not sure it’s a story more of a plea for help in finding someone’s craft. Why put a police number and all those serial numbers for a story 🤷🏻‍♂️

[alan_fincher]

It's an odd one though, isn't it?
 

Quote

We understand two other narrowboats were also stolen at around the same time on this stretch of the Grand Union Canal.

Linked events, or complete coincidences?  Neither sounds likely, frankly.

[MtB]

Wasn't a boat called BLUE MOON involved in some illegality discussed on here about ten years ago? 

 

Or maybe I'm imagining it. I searched for "Blue Moon" and got too many results to read them all. 

 

 

 

[David Mack]

Be helpful if they told us which direction it was travelling when being towed by Blue Moon.

[MtB]

5 hours ago, alan_fincher said:

As if a stolen powered wide beam is not conspicuous enough, let's instead tow it with another boat for the get-away.

If the story is really true, quite a few boats must have had to wait at locks whilst they were worked twice to get this ensemble through!

 

It does seem rather improbable doesn't it?

 

I note it is a loss adjuster asking for information so presumably they've been employed by an insurance company reluctant to shell out for a total loss by theft claim.

 

It appears to be a photo of a printed sheet. Has this been posted to boatyards Matty? Or is it on a noticeboard somewhere? I notice the date is truncated so we can't read the year. 

 

Edit to add I see a complete date given in the body of the text though.

 

 

Edited July 6 by MtB

[matty40s]

It s been sent out to brokers and boatyards....not sure how wide an area has been covered.

It was headed North on the GU, I remember seeing it go past as it was an unusual happening, but have not a clue on what date or anything to help the quest....it was only reported on the 21st June so may well have been before then.

Edited July 6 by matty40s

[David Mack]

A wide boat heading north on the GU past Matty's only has a limited number of places to go. A cycle along the towpath plus enquiries at all the marinas on that section which can accommodate wide beams would be pretty straightforward (and should already have been done).

Did they book passage through Blisworth (and Braunston) tunnel?

[matty40s]

45 minutes ago, David Mack said:

A wide boat heading north on the GU past Matty's only has a limited number of places to go. A cycle along the towpath plus enquiries at all the marinas on that section which can accommodate wide beams would be pretty straightforward (and should already have been done).

Did they book passage through Blisworth (and Braunston) tunnel?

As if.

[Cha5]

Stealing a boat is incredibly easy, very lucrative & I'm shocked that it isn't more common. Fit a tracker & fit one NOW.

[Tonka]

20 minutes ago, Cha5 said:

Stealing a boat is incredibly easy, very lucrative & I'm shocked that it isn't more common. Fit a tracker & fit one NOW.

How many cars has a tracker stopped being stolen?

[Naughty Cal]

21 minutes ago, Cha5 said:

Stealing a boat is incredibly easy, very lucrative & I'm shocked that it isn't more common. Fit a tracker & fit one NOW.

Not really much point. The technology has been around in cars for a while and they still don't get you your car back!

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8r1798kp7o

 

 

[Cha5]

10 minutes ago, Tonka said:

How many cars has a tracker stopped being stolen?

Absolutely none. If they want your car they'll get it. The MO with organised car theft is to place it inside a faraday cage ASAP. This defeats all trackers.

 

Try doing that with a boat.

 

If my boat is stolen then I'll know where it is. Me & a few mates can then have a discussion with whoever has it.

[Naughty Cal]

Just now, Cha5 said:

Absolutely none. If they want your car they'll get it. The MO with organised car theft is to place it inside a faraday cage ASAP. This defeats all trackers.

 

Try doing that with a boat.

 

If my boat is stolen then I'll know where it is. Me & a few mates can then have a discussion with whoever has it.

If my car/boat/van is stolen I really don't want it back.

[Russ T]

1 minute ago, Cha5 said:

Absolutely none. If they want your car they'll get it. The MO with organised car theft is to place it inside a faraday cage ASAP. This defeats all trackers.

 

Try doing that with a boat.

 

If my boat is stolen then I'll know where it is. Me & a few mates can then have a discussion with whoever has it.

I thought a steel boat had similar faraday cage properties?

 

I don't really understand how trackers work. Do they require an external aerial and power supply, or are there more passive BT devices like the pod things that can use other people bluetooth?

[Cha5]

1 minute ago, Russ T said:

I thought a steel boat had similar faraday cage properties?

 

I don't really understand how trackers work. Do they require an external aerial and power supply, or are there more passive BT devices like the pod things that can use other people bluetooth?

Yes, a boat does have faraday cage properties, but you would check that your tracker works wouldn't you . . . 

 

Trackers are now incredibly cheap & the technology has come leaps & bounds from the old days. It's a no brainer not to fit one even for just peace of mind. I hope you never have to rely on one.

[MtB]

9 minutes ago, Cha5 said:

Yes, a boat does have faraday cage properties, but you would check that your tracker works wouldn't you . . . 

 

Trackers are now incredibly cheap & the technology has come leaps & bounds from the old days. It's a no brainer not to fit one even for just peace of mind. I hope you never have to rely on one.

 

So which tracker do you recommend please?

 

I was very professionally sold a tracker a few years ago when I upgraded my phone in the Apple shop but  never fitted it as it needed a re-charge every three months and I know I would forget to do this. 

 

The second reason I haven't fitted it somewhere on my boat is embarrassingly, I've lost it. 

 

The tracker I mean, not my boat.

 

 

 

 

[Cha5]

How would I steal a boat !

 

First I wouldn't actually steal a boat, but here's how I would do it . . . 

 

Firstly I'd target a particular boat. Location & condition being top of the list. Then I'd place an advert on ebay for that boat. Pick a time to actually steal it, I'd want as long a time before anyone noticed it missing, weekend retreats etc are better than live-a-boards. Move the boat & move it as far away as quickly as possible, in the meantime I've changed the boats name & reg no' with simple stick on vinyls, fingers crossed that it isn't fitted with a tracker, but pro's can easily ID if it is and render it useless. Location is important here because I'd want at least 4 directions the boat could go within 20mls.

 

Who's looking for it? When was the last time you saw a policeman on the towpath? When was the last time anyone even gave a second thought to that boat over there being stolen?

 

I now have a boat that could be worth anything upto £100k+. Costs next to nothing to change the outside colour scheme & rearrange a few things in the interior. The legitimate owner would struggle to ID it even if they were stood next to it. I can now sell it on to an unsuspecting punter.

 

Scary how easy it is isn't it & if you've ever owned a high end caravan you'll know just how common it is for them to go missing . . . !

[Jen-in-Wellies]

1 minute ago, MtB said:

 

The second reason I haven't fitted it somewhere on my boat is embarrassingly, I've lost it. 

 

The tracker I mean, not my boat.

You didn't pay extra for the tracker for the tracker. 

 

23 minutes ago, Cha5 said:

bsolutely none. If they want your car they'll get it. The MO with organised car theft is to place it inside a faraday cage ASAP. This defeats all trackers.

 

Try doing that with a boat

 Most high end cars that are stolen end up abroad, shipped out in containers. Narrowboats in particular are a very British thing, with no market anywhere else. They are alao much more individual, so harder to ring, compared with cars off a production line. Boat theft seems to be rare and done by individuals and small timers, just waiting to get caught. 

[Arthur Marshall]

20 minutes ago, Cha5 said:

Yes, a boat does have faraday cage properties, but you would check that your tracker works wouldn't you . . . 

 

Trackers are now incredibly cheap & the technology has come leaps & bounds from the old days. It's a no brainer not to fit one even for just peace of mind. I hope you never have to rely on one.

 This is another weird subject, like the drowning topic. Surely the easiest way to stop your boat being stolen is either to have a secure mooring or to live on it rather than dumping it on the towpath and leaving it unattended for weeks/months on end. If it gets nicked while you've gone to the shops/to the pub for the evening ait won't have gone far by the time you get back.

I'm sure a few get pinched from marinas and moorings, but it would be interesting to know where boats were mostly stolen from.

[Tonka]

2 minutes ago, Cha5 said:

How would I steal a boat !

 

First I wouldn't actually steal a boat, but here's how I would do it . . . 

 

Firstly I'd target a particular boat. Location & condition being top of the list. Then I'd place an advert on ebay for that boat. Pick a time to actually steal it, I'd want as long a time before anyone noticed it missing, weekend retreats etc are better than live-a-boards. Move the boat & move it as far away as quickly as possible, in the meantime I've changed the boats name & reg no' with simple stick on vinyls, fingers crossed that it isn't fitted with a tracker, but pro's can easily ID if it is and render it useless. Location is important here because I'd want at least 4 directions the boat could go within 20mls.

 

Who's looking for it? When was the last time you saw a policeman on the towpath? When was the last time anyone even gave a second thought to that boat over there being stolen?

 

I now have a boat that could be worth anything upto £100k+. Costs next to nothing to change the outside colour scheme & rearrange a few things in the interior. The legitimate owner would struggle to ID it even if they were stood next to it. I can now sell it on to an unsuspecting punter.

 

Scary how easy it is isn't it & if you've ever owned a high end caravan you'll know just how common it is for them to go missing . . . !

But 99% of caravans are the same. Totally different with boats.

Now we know that you have stolen a boat and are going to paint the interior

[Cha5]

8 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

So which tracker do you recommend please?

 

I was very professionally sold a tracker a few years ago when I upgraded my phone in the Apple shop but  never fitted it as it needed a re-charge every three months and I know I would forget to do this. 

 

The second reason I haven't fitted it somewhere on my boat is embarrassingly, I've lost it. 

 

The tracker I mean, not my boat.

 

 

 

 

 

I can't remember my exact make & model but it's a Thatcham S5 approved, we have them fitted in a small fleet of HGV's so the monitoring costs me nowt'.

[MtB]

Just now, Cha5 said:

 

I can't remember my exact make & model but it's a Thatcham S5 approved, we have them fitted in a small fleet of HGV's so the monitoring costs me nowt'.

 

So, the reasons I haven't fitted one are:

 

I don't know what to buy

I think they require a monthly sub to be paid

The battery runs down and needs regular charging

Finding somewhere to conceal it on the boat is a headache

Only a handful of boats get nicked each year out of tens of thousands

Most get recovered

There are easier ways for crims to make some money than by stealing a 16 tonne NB and trying to fence it

 

 

 

 

[Cha5]

9 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Most high end cars that are stolen end up abroad, shipped out in containers. Narrowboats in particular are a very British thing, with no market anywhere else. They are alao much more individual, so harder to ring, compared with cars off a production line. Boat theft seems to be rare and done by individuals and small timers, just waiting to get caught. 

 

When you bought your boat what checks did you do to assure yourself it wasn't stolen?

 

Boat theft is rare, but as other types of organised crime become more & more difficult & risky then sooner or later they're going to take a look at it !