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Trailer Security


saxton15

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We are in a period of transition between lake houses (sold the old one, now building a new one).  Long story short my boat is parked in my driveway for a good chunk of the summer.  What do you guys do to sleep easy at night?  I have removed the swing away tongue keeper pin and chocked the wheels with an excessive amount of stuff.  Are there any locks that people would recommend?  I've thought of simply chaining the tires together with a lock.  But my guess is that if you were ready to steal a boat, you'd know how to use chain cutters..

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How long between uses?   If it’s a while, put it up on jack stands and take the wheels off.

Edited by spinxt
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Don't make it an easy target. I would start with the external physical security features first. Motion sensing or constant on flood lights are a cheap and easy addition for deterrence. Take away the blind spots to allow 360 visibility if possible, i.e. trimming shrubs and low hanging limbs, moving trash cans, garaging or moving an otherwise unused vehicle. Most security systems are linked to the phone for instant notification if you don't already have one.

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ahopkins22LSV

Honestly, if someone wants it that bad they are going to get it. Do you live in a bad area? If no, I’d sleep easy. I keep a master lock on my swing tongue pin hole but in reality that does nothing for a seasoned thief. I have really good replacement coverage on our boat and that’s how I sleep easy at night. 

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I wouldn't worry about it myself. Just have ample insurance.

Make it just hard enough that that opportunist will walk past. What you don't want is for someone to try and fail leaving damage.

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I would think taking the swing away tongue off is the simplest way to keep an opportunistic thief at bay, when it comes to leaving with the whole boat.

 

My real fear is stereo equipment. Tower speakers look like the obvious target to me, but maybe most thieves don't know the actual cost.

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Make it so the boat isn't visible, if someone can see it then it's a target. There are a bunch of canvas sheds/temporary garages that you can get which will also keep the boat out of direct sun and other weather. Google "canvas car shed" to see what I'm referring to.

...or just leave some spent 12ga shells on the ground near the boat, that should make anyone trying to sneak a peek nervous!

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I would be more concerned about the boat getting broken into and things stolen than the boat itself getting stolen.  

Couple years back, I purchased some motion sensor flood lights at Costco that I put on the house. 

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I park my car in front of it each night.  I've ordered one of those trailer locks.  This is also a great excuse to get the outdoor security cam I've been looking for.  Our area is very safe and quiet.  I don't want to bank on this, since all it takes is one degenerate to loop by and the boat is gone.  

Has anyone ever considered putting in a GPS tracker in their boat?    

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1 hour ago, saxton15 said:

I park my car in front of it each night.  I've ordered one of those trailer locks.  This is also a great excuse to get the outdoor security cam I've been looking for.  Our area is very safe and quiet.  I don't want to bank on this, since all it takes is one degenerate to loop by and the boat is gone.  

Has anyone ever considered putting in a GPS tracker in their boat?    

that might make a nice option for zo or pp to put in place.  all of the big buck hardware already exists in most tow boats. just need to add a communications link to ping.

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22 hours ago, saxton15 said:

I park my car in front of it each night.  I've ordered one of those trailer locks.  This is also a great excuse to get the outdoor security cam I've been looking for.  Our area is very safe and quiet.  I don't want to bank on this, since all it takes is one degenerate to loop by and the boat is gone.  

Has anyone ever considered putting in a GPS tracker in their boat?    

I've used Trackimo GPS trackers on my drones and have stashed one in the boat to keep tabs on it in the past. Even at low current, they can suck a battery down over a few weeks if you don't run the boat or have a trickle charger. I also used Garmin Rino series FRS/GMRS radios with the "anchor drag" alarm to let me know if the boat moved when it was in the marina.

 

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I used to put a movement alarm on mine. I would hide it and any time a person came near or tried to move the boat, the alarm would sound. They are fairly reasonably priced and can be found at Lowe's or Home Depot.

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i don't keep my boat here, but we have ARLO cameras all around the house.  Basic router and two camera set not too expensive.  You can set for motion or noise detection.  mine are rechargeable battery or plug in and were super easy to set up.  Install the ap and you get a ping anytime it detects.  saves video for before and after the trip.  i went with ARLO because there is no monthly fee for up to 5 cameras.  saves video for 7 days then old ones roll off. 

 

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Arlo is also what I'm going with.  I'll be running cables through the soffit to ensure they are powered though.  Somehow, I don't think those batteries will survive one winter here.  

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