Security on your boat

[keving]

What measures do you take to protect your boat. Narrow boats are like little steel lockers. But there is only the windows that gives them a weakness from the thiefing yobs.

Do you fit alarm systems or over security devises.

Kevin

[OldGoldy]

What measures do you take to protect your boat. Narrow boats are like little steel lockers. But there is only the windows that gives them a weakness from the thiefing yobs.

Do you fit alarm systems or over security devises.

Kevin

We couldn't possibly 'advertise' how we secure our boats on a public forum

 

 

I think there are many variables. As 'wanted' states, it is a personal thing. It will depend on where you moor, how your boat is constructed (wooden doors, steel doors etc) Windows or ports and what you keep on it.

 

I would say as a minimum, a simple flashing LED ("this boat is alarmed") (this has saved my boat on towpath side long term moorings) then you can have padlocks of the type that thiefy cannot get at with bolt croppers, a car alarm possibly with cellphone attached to tell you the alarm status, dummy or active window foil (a la shop window) attached to your alarm. Polycarbonate windows? A single or multiple window bar(s)?

 

The possibilities are almost endless. You decide!

 

ETA 'proper' reply

Edited July 17, 2011 by dave69700

[Guest wanted]

Security is quite a personal thing I think. Some people have posessions worth thousands, some have very little. Everyone has differing feelings towards their possesions.

 

However, I'm guessing nobody wants to be broken into.

 

personally I am happy with my arrangemnet. A padlock on the front and back and a dead bolt inside the side hatch. None of whitch is theif proof, but I suspect the cost of replacing doors if I had a monster lock would be more than if they got in and nicked my belongings!

 

Some will disagree and have massive locks, camera's and alarms, for me, I'd sooner not live with the paranoia and take my chances.

(understanable if someone has had something happen to them though)

 

Good luck

Edited July 17, 2011 by wanted

[Dominic M]

What measures do you take to protect your boat. Narrow boats are like little steel lockers. But there is only the windows that gives them a weakness from the thiefing yobs.

Do you fit alarm systems or over security devises.

Kevin

Hardly any. I refuse to live in a prison and obsess about imagined burglaries that seldom happen.

[Guest]

What measures do you take to protect your boat. Narrow boats are like little steel lockers. But there is only the windows that gives them a weakness from the thiefing yobs.

Do you fit alarm systems or over security devises.

Kevin

 

The problem with adding layers of security to a boat is that if somebody does decide to have a pop they will do a lot more damage in their quest to gain entry.

[dor]

99% of narrowboats can be entered in about 15 seconds by using ...... Of course I'm not going to say how.

[Biggles]

Have a look at my blog. A week or two back. I have to admit to fitting an all singing all dancing alarm system with gsm remote control and reporting. It has a smoke alarm module as well and soon it will have a bilge monitoring sensor added. It's very sensitive but so far even with it current tempoary set up it has not gone off without reason, that being me forgetting to disarm it when I go in. It has covert and overt systems and is expandable up to 16 sensors of varios types.

[FadeToScarlet]

99% of narrowboats can be entered in about 15 seconds by using....

 

...the weedhatch.

[Guest]

...the weedhatch.

 

I thought that was the emergency exit...

[Ex- Member]

99% of narrowboats can be entered in about 15 seconds by using ...... Of course I'm not going to say how.

A key LOL

[blackrose]

Security is quite a personal thing I think. Some people have posessions worth thousands, some have very little. Everyone has differing feelings towards their possesions.

 

However, I'm guessing nobody wants to be broken into.

 

personally I am happy with my arrangemnet. A padlock on the front and back and a dead bolt inside the side hatch. None of whitch is theif proof, but I suspect the cost of replacing doors if I had a monster lock would be more than if they got in and nicked my belongings!

 

Some will disagree and have massive locks, camera's and alarms, for me, I'd sooner not live with the paranoia and take my chances.

(understanable if someone has had something happen to them though)

 

Good luck

 

But you live in a fairly secure marina overlooked by flats and surrounded by people in other boats who know you. So you already have major security measures in place. Living on the towpath like some here do, where boats come and go and strangers walk past is an entirely different prospect.

Edited July 17, 2011 by blackrose

[Dominic M]

Have a look at my blog. A week or two back. I have to admit to fitting an all singing all dancing alarm system with gsm remote control and reporting. It has a smoke alarm module as well and soon it will have a bilge monitoring sensor added. It's very sensitive but so far even with it current tempoary set up it has not gone off without reason, that being me forgetting to disarm it when I go in. It has covert and overt systems and is expandable up to 16 sensors of varios types.

The thing that bothers me about alarms like this is that there you are, 150 miles away at 2am, and you get a text that reads, "Hi - your boat is being broken into!" What do you do?

 

Or another text that goes, "Hi, your burglar alarm would like to be friends with you on Facebook."

[Guest wanted]

But you live in a fairly secure marina overlooked by flats and surrounded by people in other boats who know you. So you already have major security measures in place. Living on the towpath like some here do, where boats come and go and strangers walk past is an entirely different prospect.

yup, as I say personal.

 

You'll be pleased to know that i've been doing a bit more of both lately! (at last)

[nigel carton]

[blackrose]

yup, as I say personal.

 

You'll be pleased to know that i've been doing a bit more of both lately! (at last)

 

Good! Get some value from your rent!

[muddywaters]

Security is quite a personal thing I think. Some people have posessions worth thousands, some have very little. Everyone has differing feelings towards their possesions.

 

However, I'm guessing nobody wants to be broken into.

 

personally I am happy with my arrangemnet. A padlock on the front and back and a dead bolt inside the side hatch. None of whitch is theif proof, but I suspect the cost of replacing doors if I had a monster lock would be more than if they got in and nicked my belongings!

 

Some will disagree and have massive locks, camera's and alarms, for me, I'd sooner not live with the paranoia and take my chances.

(understanable if someone has had something happen to them though)

 

Good luck

Would a padlock both ends just advertise that the boat was unattended

[Guest wanted]

Would a padlock both ends just advertise that the boat was unattended

 

Yes, difficult innit!

 

Good! Get some value from your rent!

 

may no be renting too much longer either.....

[keving]

My mate who worked on barges told me they would leave a locker unlocked.

But he said they'd put a gate alarm in the locker. A gate alarm is a gadget that fires a shot gun cartridge off. You can set them to go off when a door is opend or on a trip wire. Game keepers use them to warn them of poachers. They are legal. And in a confind space they make a hell of a bang

http://www.airsoftworld.net/pyrotechnics/blank-firing-devices

[bottle]

We always enter our boat from the front, the rear hatch is bolted sideways into the runners, the side hatches have internal bolts top and bottom, the front doors are wood and locked by a five lever lock, we have portholes.

 

Is our boat secure, posssibly but if someone wanted to break in I am sure they could, the same as a house.

 

Do we worry about it no.

[keving]

Is there many breakins a year to NBs. Boats left on tow paths seem vunerable. I've never heard or read about NBs been broken into.

I think the mobile phone call triggerd by the alarm system sounds really good. Even if your miles away you can always ring the police.

[JennyM]

Nigel your right - get a dog! Love yours - he/she's gorgeous!

[Ex- Member]

If we leave the boat for longer periods a day plus say, we leave through the stern, the cratch doors have 2 X 13mm bolts top and bottom which slot into a brass surround and the doors are 4mm steel lined with 18mm ply, they would take some getting through. Side hatches 2 bolts again but smaller with the same type doors.

 

When we exit into the engine room there's a 30mm thick marine plywood door with a 5 lever mortice lock set into the door and the bolt slots into the steel frame, door is hung very tightly too so not much room to get leverage.

 

On exit through the stern doors we use a shrouded padlock which can't be bolt cropped. The cratch doors look like there's no lock affixed so passers by might think you're inside. We've left the boat unattended for quite some periods a few years ago on the K & A and fortunately had no problems.

 

Shrouded padlocks will put burglars off if they're carrying bolt croppers.

 

Being all portholes means we don't have to worry about access through windows.

Edited July 17, 2011 by Julynian

[blackrose]

If we leave the boat for longer periods a day plus say, we leave through the stern, the cratch doors have 2 X 13mm bolts top and bottom which slot into a brass surround and the doors are 4mm steel lined with 18mm ply, they would take some getting through. Side hatches 2 bolts again but smaller with the same type doors.

 

When we exit into the engine room there's a 30mm thick marine plywood door with a 5 lever mortice lock set into the door and the bolt slots into the steel frame, door is hung very tightly too so not much room to get leverage.

 

On exit through the stern doors we use a shrouded padlock which can't be bolt cropped. The cratch doors look like there's no lock affixed so passers by might think you're inside. We've left the boat unattended for quite some periods a few years ago on the K & A and fortunately had no problems.

 

Shrouded padlocks will put burglars off if they're carrying bolt croppers.

 

Being all portholes means we don't have to worry about access through windows.

 

I have all portholes partly for the same reason and also because I like the look. I don't think people breaking into boats generally like entering through windows, but what they might do is smash a small bow door window if they think they can then open the door. That seems to be a favourite. I have steel bow doors - no windows. If someone comes tooled up I realise they can still get in, but most are opportunists so you've got to make it less easy.

 

Edited July 17, 2011 by blackrose

[Mac of Cygnet]

If anyone reading this wants to break into my boat, could you please use the spare key in the gas locker, rather than breaking the door lock? And be careful of the trip wires.

[matty40s]

 

 

Similar to blackrose, I find the moat effect works well against all but the most determined...............