My Boat Was Stolen Yesterday!! Caught On Tape

[RobbyA]

Re: My Boat Was Stolen Yesterday!! Caught On Tape

Any chance you could post clear pics of your boat on here? I was cruising a boat selling website today when I came across a nice Grady White for really cheap price, when I looked closely at the pics, it was registered in Florida. I immediately went back to your thread to see what your boat was. It was not a match, but for an offshore boat to be for sale in Texas for a really cheap price registered in Florida kind of has me wondering.
I have always liked finding needles in haystacks and the reward wouldn't hurt either .
Give a good description of the boat and motors (i.e. torn seat, scratch on hull). You never know what the power of the internet and ignorant thieves will bring around. Many of us on here search for deals on CL and other sites like it daily. Your boat could very likely show up for sale out here, by the time they sale it they would be long gone.

This boat has me thinking that it could be stolen, it just seems to cheap.

 

[Purecarnagge]

Re: My Boat Was Stolen Yesterday!! Caught On Tape

status from insurance company?

ps

What happened to bigfish17 case/thread if anyone knows...that link was so long and I read it all and no conclusion!

 

[skargo]

Re: My Boat Was Stolen Yesterday!! Caught On Tape

status from insurance company?

ps

What happened to bigfish17 case/thread if anyone knows...that link was so long and I read it all and no conclusion!

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=289712

 

[Mr Crabbs]

Re: My Boat Was Stolen Yesterday!! Caught On Tape

Thanks for putting in the bigfish17 threads. THAT was a learning experience! I'm sorry he just didn't keep it at home until things were settled and saved himself the outrageous(to me anyway) storage fees.

I'm familiar with Lojack for laptops but didn't realize the do automotive too. If I had a high dollar boat (I don't) I'd spend the extra money for the lojack. It might reduce your insurance premiums.

 

[thefox1051]

Re: My Boat Was Stolen Yesterday!! Caught On Tape

Sorry for your loss

 

[j_martin]

Re: My Boat Was Stolen Yesterday!! Caught On Tape

There are many GPS tracking solutions for this problem. You hide the GPS unit, which could be as simple as a cheap pay as you go phone, a 12 V adapter, and a 10$ setup fee. Logging in to a web site will get you a location, direction, and speed reading.

You can go real time for a couple hundred install and maybe a monthly fee, or a fee based on usage. Then you could have given the police a running report of exactly where the boat is, which direction it is travelling, and at what speed.

They all use a combination of GPS location and the wireless telephone system.

BTW, the only thing needed for license plate reading is enough pixels on the plate itself, being a small image mostly plate, or a small area of a multi-megapixel image. Just so there's enough dots to discern the numbers.

I know of a camera that can zoom out to read a license plate several blocks away, and be automated to follow motion, and thus do so automatically. All it takes is money. That'd be about 6 grand for the system.

Motion detection and tracking, with a pan, tilt, zoom camera and automation is coming to maturity. It's fun to work with.

 

[MacPointMan]

Re: My Boat Was Stolen Yesterday!! Caught On Tape

BeaufortTJustice: Thank you for your service. I know that Law Enforcement is pretty much a thankless profession. There are several police officers in my unit and I am trying to get int o law enforcement when I get home form Afghanistan.


That really sucks about your boat. I bought an older boat but insured it just the same. It isn't worth a whole lot and if something ever happened to it I know I won't get what I paid for it but at least Ill get something.

Hopefully It never comes to that. I am interested in seeing how your insurance company takes care of the issue.

My insurance is is By Progressive through USAA. I hope I never have to find out how good they are but insurance is one of those things. We buy it hoping we never have to use it but in the event we do we are thankful we did.

I agree your boat was stolen by pros who probably got paid by someone to have it parted out or to be used to run drugs along the coast. It is alot easier to run them that way instead of using highways.

MacPointMan

 

[crackedglass]

Re: My Boat Was Stolen Yesterday!! Caught On Tape

There's always the old school type protection, I've got a 200+ pound rottweiler and a pitbull that showed up one day as a stray. Both have issues with people in general, the rotty is fine with me, follows me all over the shop, but the pitbull will playfully hurt you. Plus, she's got an issue with chewing through tires so I have to be careful where I park things. Either way, if anyone can get past those two, you earned the boat or whatever you want, that is if you get past my shotgun, two gun crazy neighbors, and a steel gate. I've yet to have anyone get past the gate. (I never did find out who it was, all I know is that someone jumped the fence, the dogs dragged a chunk of phone pole that they were anchored too about 100' and got hold of him. All I found was the blood stains on the concrete and the dogs were tearing up the leg off a pair of jeans the next morning. A call to the local police never turned up anyone that complained about being mauled. The newspaper article that followed showing the dog with a pant leg in his mouth pretty much got the word out not to go there I guess. They fought over that pant leg for a week before totally ripping it to threads. They both got extra treats that day.

Too bad all I found the next day was a pant leg and some blood stains. I'd have loved to find the low life that was dumb enough to jump that fence.
I guess they couldn't understand what BEWARE OF ATTACK DOGS meant on the sign?

 

[Mr Crabbs]

Re: My Boat Was Stolen Yesterday!! Caught On Tape

There are many GPS tracking solutions for this problem. You hide the GPS unit, which could be as simple as a cheap pay as you go phone, a 12 V adapter, and a 10$ setup fee. Logging in to a web site will get you a location, direction, and speed reading.

Wouldn't suprise me that in the not so distant future you could receive an alert on your laptop, phone or other wireless device warning you if your unit was on the move.

 

[skargo]

Re: My Boat Was Stolen Yesterday!! Caught On Tape

Wouldn't suprise me that in the not so distant future you could receive an alert on your laptop, phone or other wireless device warning you if your unit was on the move.

The future is now.

 

[lkbum]

Re: My Boat Was Stolen Yesterday!! Caught On Tape

Hey Diesel5599,
Update??? How did the insurance claim go and any luck finding the boat?

 

[32_d3gr33s]

Re: My Boat Was Stolen Yesterday!! Caught On Tape

wow this is an eye opener... i just had my boat chilling in the front yard. someone could easily pick it up in about a 2 minute period. I'm going to invest in some locks/chains/tie a pitbull to it lol

 

[LAC_STS]

Re: My Boat Was Stolen Yesterday!! Caught On Tape

Sorry about the loss.

The Tampa police dept are useless. Unless it is something about drugs or you get lucky they dont care.


I agree that the people either were in the know from someone you know or saw the boat and then just watched you.

People dont take theyre time very often when stealing anything especially a boat. They knew you were not going to come rolling up anytime soon. And the fact that they came 10 mins after you left is more proof. I always watch for people following me home or staking me or my neighbors out. I live in Sarasota and the whole W coast of FLA has been having bad problems with all this lately. About once or twice a week I read about someone following someone home and either strong arming them , home invasion, or stealing something.

Heck, about a month or so ago EVERY Chinese restaurants owner in the city was followed home and then strong armed. Last year it was all of the dollar generals. People would wait outside of the store after closing and wait for the manager to leave and then follow her to the bank and get out and knock them over and steal the deposit bag. And then there is the daily home invasion or strong arm in a parking lot somewhere.

Its getting worse and worse around here. Cops don't put any effort into it unless its drugs or gangs. Its really pathetic.


Go to your local gun store and sign up to take the CCW (concealed weapons permit) class. The guy that taught the class I took told us we should carry a gun everywhere. He said he never goes to the bank without his. If you have a CCW permit you can carry anywhere that you do not have to pay permission to enter except schools, airports, courthouses, etc. Wouldn't have helped you here but you never know. you might see your boat one day.


Ill keep an eye out too.

 

[Red_BOFUS]

Re: My Boat Was Stolen Yesterday!! Caught On Tape

USAA ROCKS!

My boat dealer tried to talk me out of insurance, but really it is worth the investment.

 

[Ebbtide94]

Re: My Boat Was Stolen Yesterday!! Caught On Tape

I didn't read the entire thread so forgive me if this has already been mentioned.

You should upgrade your security right away. These guys already know your house and your patterns, so they may not be finished. As comfortable as they looked taken your boat it wouldn't be surprising for them to come back for other things.

 

[LAC_STS]

Re: My Boat Was Stolen Yesterday!! Caught On Tape

Best Buy sells an awesome Linksys camera for $149 that hooks up to any router wirelessly. It sends you an email with a 5 second video clip anytime motion is detected.

ITS AWESOME

Of course you have to have a smartphone of some type. I've used it on my iPhone iPad blackberry and evo.

I have saw the GPS modules for $80 at SAMs club. Plus the plan of course but if you had one you would be able to find your boat and go surprise them.

My friend had his charger stolen out side of a 7-11 when he was inside for 3 mins. He found it not even 24 hours later stripped to the frame. Quick recovery is essential with cars, trucks, boats, etc.

 

[stic88]

Re: My Boat Was Stolen Yesterday!! Caught On Tape

i really get upset when i see people who work their ***** off to get something nice for themselves and their families only to have it taken by a low life p.o.s. if they spent half the time working instead of how to steal something from someone then they too could have nice things. who knows what kinda damage these jackholes have done to the boat. hope the insurance company makes it right and you get another boat, but it still wont be your boat, the one you have had blood, sweat, and i am sure tears working on. sometimes i think the police would rather write a speeding ticket than actually doing something to stop crime. good luck on getting you another boat in a timely fashion,

 

[bitterboater]

Re: My Boat Was Stolen Yesterday!! Caught On Tape

wow this is an eye opener... i just had my boat chilling in the front yard. someone could easily pick it up in about a 2 minute period. I'm going to invest in some locks/chains/tie a pitbull to it lol

Having read this entire thread, I agree that it is a very real Eye opener. i have had items stolen in the past from out of our boat while at a resort dock. They did eventually find the kids, and I got back some of my stuff. However, thinking about my own boat in my yard. Gives me the creeps to think that some EDIT might come by see it and decide to drive away with it.

 

[LAC_STS]

Re: My Boat Was Stolen Yesterday!! Caught On Tape

It may be hard to believe but some of these so called professional thieves do nothing all day but drive around town looking for the next score.

They just drive around and try to spot stuff in peoples yards or see you with your nice boat going through a traffic light. Then they follow you home and do some recon on it.

Its not all that hard if you think about it.

People keep saying repo, but any thief who has stolen any kind of vehicle before is not going to be scared and in a rush or obvious. After a couple of boats under theyre belt they can hook up your boat and take it just as you would.

Karma is a you know what though. Maybe you should ask the detective if you can make a website with info and reward? You can go to officelive.com (Microsofts Office live site) and make a site for free. It will be a whatever.officelive.com but for $15 you can get your own domain site. You said your ins would pay up to $2500 in investigative fees, I wonder if they would count a $2500 reward as that?

 

[LAC_STS]

Re: My Boat Was Stolen Yesterday!! Caught On Tape

Oh yea, about the posts about bad/good neighborhoods.

The best neighborhoods around are where the property crimes have been happening the most. (at least here in FL) Thats where the money is. Even the kids know that.

There have been car hopping sprees almost once or twice a week for the past year around here. Sometimes they catch them and its some kids or something. They come to the good neighborhoods because thats where they are most likely to find good stuff.

They busted some guy in Manatee county about 6 months ago that was staying at a Howard Johnson crack hotel. He had 200K + of stolen stuff in his little hotel room and then his girlfriend told them the local of some storage units with more stuff.

The Sheriffs dept had to have a entire weekend event where they laid all the stuff out and let anyone with a recent police report come look to try to recover stuff.

Thats only one guy. As much as you shouldnt have to do it you HAVE to take every precaution you can to protect your property. Just read the newspaper and look at the local sheriffs reports on the sheriff site. Its every day. Jet ski's, ATVs, cars, boats, burglaries, home invasions, robberies, anything for someone to get some quick $.

It might be hard to get prints off the hose but you can bet if it were a huge brick of cocaine they would have the prints off of it.