How do you secure your boat on trailer at home.

[eli_lilly]

Re: How do you secure your boat on trailer at home.

I thought dogs were good protection until my house was robbed two months ago. I have +no idea+ what the dogs (who were both loose in the house) were doing at the time, but the thieves were able to stroll casually from room to room, digging through drawers and such. When I arrived home after work, the dogs greeted me at the door, as always. Luckily, the thieves were probably crackheads, all they took was some dvds and a bowl of change - they left +all+ the pro audio gear that is in my home recording studio.<br /><br />For the boat, I use one of those thick bike-lock things that has a 2" diameter steel cable with integrated barrel lock. It goes around the tire. From what I understand, bolt cutters won't cut cable that thick. Of course someone will probably chainsaw my motor and transom off the boat instead.

 

[TXJOLE]

Re: How do you secure your boat on trailer at home.

Well the simple fact is I guess if they want it they will get it. I do have a Boxer buts shes 16 weeks old and licks more then barks. We (home owners assoc.) pay an off duty cop to patrol on Fri & Sat nights. Think i'm gonna drag it to my Dads barn under lock and key and 800 yards off the country road. Seem like my best bet.

 

[Mark42]

Re: How do you secure your boat on trailer at home.

One very simple thing that helps is a set of floodlights with motion detectors. <br /><br />There are also some low cost x10 controlled light switches and trip wires that make automation of lights and sirens easy and inexpensive.

 

[wvit100]

Re: How do you secure your boat on trailer at home.

Another thing to think about when you take your new boat out to the lake. You need to lock the trailer to the car while your out boating. They've had several trailers stolen off of vehicles at the boat ramp. A brand new trailer makes a valuable and easy target and they are easy to get rid of. If you make it hard to get yours they'll probably move on to an easier one. I still see plenty of unsecured trailers sitting in the lot at the ramp.

 

[rwidman]

Re: How do you secure your boat on trailer at home.

Originally posted by wvit100:<br /> Another thing to think about when you take your new boat out to the lake. You need to lock the trailer to the car while your out boating. They've had several trailers stolen off of vehicles at the boat ramp. A brand new trailer makes a valuable and easy target and they are easy to get rid of. If you make it hard to get yours they'll probably move on to an easier one. I still see plenty of unsecured trailers sitting in the lot at the ramp.

I saw a TV show where they wanted to reposess a boat so they followed the boat to the ramp, then took the trailer while the owner was out on the water. When he came back and had no trailer to put it on he left the boat tied to the dock and went to get another trailer. Then they took the boat! <br /><br />As for the boat in the driveway, dogs and guns don't doo much good, if they want it, they'll take it. Make it as hard as possible with a coupler lock, chain or cable on the wheels, lights, and nosey neighbors. And insure it.

 

[TXJOLE]

Re: How do you secure your boat on trailer at home.

Its locked up tight at my folks place. Home owners insured and full replacment gap insurance on the boat.

 

[Terry Olson]

Re: How do you secure your boat on trailer at home.

A lot of good suggestions here but the best by far is a good hitch lock, a cover, and a motion sensor flood light.<br /><br />The hitch lock will deter most thieves and add to the difficulty level for the rest. The cover keeps your gear out of sight making it less tempting. The flood lights will scare off all but the most determined of thieves even when they know the lights are motion activated. <br /><br />Don't forget that even when the hitch is locked a trailer can be pulled away on only the safety chains. A guy could set the chains up so that they can be removed using clips or other removable links to prevent this.

 

[Johnshan1]

Re: How do you secure your boat on trailer at home.

Glad I dont have these problems, I leave my snowmobile with the key in it 15' off the road and the boat sits there during the season unlocked and ready to go, I live on a dead end street next to the lake, if theft ever becomes an issue I will move.

 

[xIIx]

Re: How do you secure your boat on trailer at home.

My boat is stored IN a barn with the cover on it. I have a ball lock on the trailer and the barn doors have locks. We live in 140 acres in the middle of nowhere. The house and barn are about a mile from the street and can't be seen from the street. I can assure you that by time a thieve makes it TO the barn he'll have a rifle pointed at him. We also have cameras on the main entrance gate and on the house pointing in different directions.

 

[amynbill]

Re: How do you secure your boat on trailer at home.

Buying a dog to protect a boat is like having a baby to get rid of extra milk.

Get some good tongue locks, a good wheel lock, park it in a well lit or motion lit area, and put an alarm on it if you are that worried.

At my house, the boat will be going into the 4 car garage.

 

[Zero Balance]

Re: How do you secure your boat on trailer at home.

Buying a dog to protect a boat is like having a baby to get rid of extra milk.

Not to mention that the dogs going to want to go fishing on account of watching the boat for ya and we all know dogs don't chip in for gas...

I have two. I just park them in the yard. My wife is usually home and she'll put any guard dog to shame!!!

I too live in the middle of know where..

 

[thunderroad]

Re: How do you secure your boat on trailer at home.

A cop friend of mine told me that if you wanted a motion sensor light to be really effective you need to wire it so it turns a light on IN the house that would be visible to the potential thieves.
If I were gonna leave it parked in the driveway for a long time, I'd remove a wheel AND the hub. A spare wheel would be easy to come up with as bolt spacings are pretty common. And I'd definitely have it backed up tightly to a wall to make it tougher to steal the drive.

 

[bamafutbal]

Re: How do you secure your boat on trailer at home.

its a losing battle, you can't stop a thief!

 

[cmcpherson]

Re: How do you secure your boat on trailer at home.

Where do you guys live that you have to spend this much time worrying about it, holy crap. I keep a tongue lock on it and that is really unnecessary, I more afraid that my trailer is going to get stolen when I am at the ramp...

 

[amynbill]

Re: How do you secure your boat on trailer at home.

Not to mention that the dogs going to want to go fishing on account of watching the boat for ya and we all know dogs don't chip in for gas...

.

hehe!

True!

I dont think we have even had a car stolen in the last 10 years in my town, let alone a boat.

 

[Ezrider_92356]

Re: How do you secure your boat on trailer at home.

im more worried about my outbord getting stolen than my entire boat/trailer. however one thing you can do for the boat/trailer is if you have elctronic trailer breaks you might be able to set it up where the trailer breaks are locked and unlocked with the flip of a swich or maby a switch in the hitch so if the boat is put on a ball it locks the breaks