Safety and Security

[Moosey]

So there you are, moored in the centre of anywhere, not a lot of other boats around.

What about crime on the cut? Is there a lot of it? How secure do you feel at night, and things that go bump?

Theft of your stuff left out over night on the roof etc, much of that go on?

What's the stories you've heard, if any?

[Athy]

In a nutshell: each year a few boats are the victims of crime such as theft, break-ins or, in very rare cases, theft of the boat itself.

Most aren't.

[patty-ann]

The only time someone tried to get into my boat was when it was moored in the 'safety' of the Marina...by appearance they had used a screwdriver or something similar at the top of the door and splintered all the wood..I presume then disturbed as they didn't get in but left a mess...all the times I moored in the countryside no probs at all.

[Kendorr]

2 month trip last year, all done single handed, absolutely no problems.

 

I did find a few nights funny. I'd stopped in the middle of nowhere, all by myself. In the mornings another couple of boats were moored very close. They had either decided I'd picked the best spot, or they wanted the extra security of being near to another boat.

[pophops]

Since the OP posted at 04.12am I would guess he's a worrier.

[Dave Payne]

For me its about picking your mooring spits carefully, I tend not to moor in Nuneaton for more than a couple of nights, prefer spots where there no kids, had some shouting abuse at me the other week just outside Nuneaton.

 

Only things left on the roof are logs and coal and if they get nicked then its not the end of the world.

 

In terms of getting broken into, can't do much about it I guess, if they want to get in they will, would prefer they damaged a door than break a window so no major locks in the doors, but enough to stop someone just pushing there way in.

 

I tend to not open blinds in the towpath side boat unless I'm in a rural mooring spot, stops people looking in and seeing what you have.

Edited January 23, 2017 by Dave Payne

[Nightwatch]

We have coal in winter on the roof. Never, up till now, had a problem with pilfering.

 

We also,for the past eighteen months had our bicycles on the roof. Laid flat, (we take the pedals off to assist getting them flat.)They are secured by reasonably cable locks. Both these things are a deterrent to light fingered passers by.

 

We are also selective where we moor. Our boat is our home and we continuously leisure cruise.

 

Martyn

[system 4-50]

I prefer the simple approach of not leaving much worth nicking in the boat. No TV etc.

[colmac]

The only fright I ever got was in the early days of our boating some 21 years ago. Moored on a Black Prince boat in Brum when, in the wee small hours, it sounded like someone was hammering on the hull but, as we have all experienced, it was the blooming ducks pecking at the hull. We were also let go in Brum one night but the application of several cable ties cured that one.

[Jess--]

I prefer the simple approach of not leaving much worth nicking in the boat. No TV etc.

do you also leave curtains open so that it can be seen that there is nothing worth nicking?

 

if you don't then you are no less likely to be broken into than a similar boat with all the bells and whistles left in it

[system 4-50]

do you also leave curtains open so that it can be seen that there is nothing worth nicking?

 

if you don't then you are no less likely to be broken into than a similar boat with all the bells and whistles left in it

I'll bear it in mind when I get to the point of having curtains!

I don't keep my handbells on the boat either, a set of twelve is about £3k to replace I think. No whistles.

[Guest]

Be sensible and you can stop worrying, it'll probably never happen. Just make sure you're suitably covered for if it ever does. Too many people waste their lives thinking 'what if?'

[lulu fish]

I had someone jump on my well deck and try my door while I was in bed at about 3 am. I was moored on the towpath miles from anywhere. I screamed and they got off and ran away. It's made me nervous to moor out in the countryside alone.

[mrsmelly]

So there you are, moored in the centre of anywhere, not a lot of other boats around.

What about crime on the cut? Is there a lot of it? How secure do you feel at night, and things that go bump?

Theft of your stuff left out over night on the roof etc, much of that go on?

What's the stories you've heard, if any?

 

I think the statistics if they were available would go to show you have more risks whilst in one of those " House " things. In our 27 years of mooring all over the system we have only had two plant holding jobbies nicked ( They were nice ones )

[Athy]

I had someone jump on my well deck and try my door while I was in bed at about 3 am. I was moored on the towpath miles from anywhere. I screamed and they got off and ran away. It's made me nervous to moor out in the countryside alone.

Normally you will be safe, as if a location is miles from anywhere by boat, it's even further from anywhere on foot. But if you are nervous, it's a good idea to moor within sight of other obviously occupied craft.

[cuthound]

Or get a big, vocal dog like a GSD

[jennywren]

With my previous boat, in central London, I frequently had drunk people trying to climb onto my boat at silly times at night/early hours of the morning wanting to take photos. It was a pretty little bilge keel yacht so it was a bit unusual, but I had some interesting conversations when I went out to tell them off-once had some guys who genuinely didn't seem to see why it wasn't okay to just climb onto someone's boat and asked if they couldn't finish taking their photo first.

 

Had a few minor things go missing off my boat-someone nicked my fuel can a couple of times (no fuel in it either time so £5 plastic fuel can...meh). Biggest thing I had happen was my bike got stolen, but that was partly my own fault (I left it unlocked because I was on board and going to take it out again, then it started raining so I changed my mind and obviously forgot to lock it again). Someone also scrawled graffiti on my boat a few months back, but luckily it was on the glass of the windscreen so cleaned off easily.

 

I don't leave any of my proper valuables (laptop etc) on the boat however. If I go out, it all comes with me, then if anyone wants to break in none of my other junk is any sort of loss. But that's mostly because I'm a bit paranoid about the loss of stuff like my laptop as I had one stolen from my parents car last year. I don't think there's really any more crime than anywhere else and it's unlikely anyone's going to go out of their way to break into your boat if you're taking reasonable precautions.

[Chertsey]

Had someone try to nick coal out of the hold in Wolverhampton once before we got the cloths on. They got the surprise of their lives when PB leapt out of a tent hidden under a bit of tarpaulin, wielding the keb.

Someone tried to nick the bike in Stone. It was chained to the cross plank and they ran off when we made an appearance.

My first boat was broken into when I left it unattended in central Huddersfield. This was when I was just about to leave, having been there eighteen months without incident. Nothing was touched except they stole a gas lighter and a rather nice knife (I do sometimes worry what might have happened to it subsequently). Had to replace a broken window.

 

That's three incidents in twelve years - so on one hand, not much at all; on the other, more than I've experienced re my house or my person. (I had a babysitter steal some money and jewellery c. 1986)

 

On the basis of the above I feel safer in the middle of nowhere than in towns.

[bizzard]

I was outside our sanitary station disconnecting my cassette from my bog on my boat when two people came traipsing through from the stern end doors, a male and female, curious Italians, I think they were, but harmless enough. I showed them my cassette and how it worked by opening the slide, they cleared off pronto trying to hold their breath.

[tagulablue]

I had someone jump on my well deck and try my door while I was in bed at about 3 am. I was moored on the towpath miles from anywhere. I screamed and they got off and ran away. It's made me nervous to moor out in the countryside alone

Last year I woke up at 4am to find a naked pevert at the kitchen window (i'd forgotten to pull down the blind) ..it was the 1st night on my own and I must admit I nearly returned to the marina,

[bizzard]

Last year I woke up at 4am to find a naked pevert at the kitchen window (i'd forgotten to pull down the blind) ..it was the 1st night on my own and I must admit I nearly returned to the marina,

Why weren't you sleeping on the boat instead of on the tow path when you saw this naked person at your kitchen window ?

[Sammas09]

Last summer we stopped in center of skipton, 2am in morning a drunken group, probably just thrown out the local pub, tried entering the boat, i flicked the lights on and they all ran off. 2 mins later, BANG, they had crossed over the canal and had throw a bottle at the boat. Luckily missed the windows and no real damage done. When i went out they had all dissapeared, didnt get a good nights sleep that night. Everytime we stopped in the country side, no problems.

[Bee]

Never had much in the way of problems really, untied a couple of times over the years. Odds and sods vanished from the roof. If I have to leave the boat anywhere for a few days I try to find a boat with ruffians living on it, get to know them and ask them to keep an eye on the boat. if they look like scary zombies and keep a dog or three then casual thieves tend to keep away, nice respectable people on tidy boats are no deterrent.

[Moosey]

Since the OP posted at 04.12am I would guess he's a worrier.

No. The O.P. is on night shift and was scratching his head trying to think of a non-stupid question to put on here as his first post.

I think, given the amount of replies, I succeeded!

I am however, married to the original mega-worrier, and the great response from everyone will surely put even her at ease.(maybe;)

[RD1]

We have had our boat over 28 years, never had a problem at all, been on canals in Cheshire, Shropshire Wales no issues.

On the Bridgewater we had a few youngsters try to get on the boat, 23' grp, they just wanted a ride, I changed the subject and asked them what they did around here, with occasional reference to, oh don't sit there, if the boat moves you might slip into the water, still asking them questions, again with more references to their safety. Asking their advice, where the shops are, not that I was going to leave the boat lol, after a few more words, they said goodbye mister and went away. We were a captive audience that night, I would normally do a midnight cruise and get a couple of miles between us, but we were at Plants lane lift bridge, that can only be opened by BW in the morning. We didn't see the lads again, this was the school holidays, the kids were bored, had I been more aggressive, then their behaviour might have changed too. I just let the kids know that I cared about them, and didn't want them to hurt themselves.

 

We have seen youths with catapults, throwing bricks in the canal at bridges, kids with air rifles, we were never targets, a camera was always clearly on deck, but we never took any pics, that could really antagonise them, and make them want to get the camera at any cost, well that was our thoughts.

On the broads, there were few towpaths, or foot paths, you were often moored on islands with a moat around them. Mooring in the middle of a broad... see if you can get us now lol...

 

Just in case, I keep an air horn within reach, fire extinguisher, bright torch, phone, boat hook, mooring pin, etc

 

No problems what so ever, 28 years+

However, if we see a ropey area... we just cruise a few more miles. Nice to have another boat within sight sometimes though.

Edited January 23, 2017 by RD1