Stolen Boats

[Bizzie]

Hi guys,

Just a polite reminder about www.stolenboats.org. It is a really valuable resource and has expanded over the last few years.

It is the only database available to the public to inform them whether or not a boat is stolen and is regularly updated by the UK Police with details of stolen boats in their area.

There is a useful link named "Know your boat" where you can download a form to note your boats HIN, Engine number and other identifying features.

Well worth a look and will help you be prepared in case the unimaginable happens..................at least with all of the details recorded you may stand a chance of getting your boat back!

[boristhebold]

Im aware of the site but from observations it could do with improvement, on many occasions boats are reported stolen on the site but one or two weeks after the fact which isn't much help for anyone incase some one might spot a boat being transported on the road as the timeframe would mean the boat is probably long gone (overseas). Many reported thefts on the site have no picture so again not ideal.

Of course if owners aren't reporting boats being stolen for some time it is a lost window of oppourtunity.

What I find useful is looking at what areas boats are being stolen from where and in what circumstances. If someone had time on their hands some useful statistics would be evident.

JUst browsing the site on Ribs you can tell that Ribs on trailers are more likely to be stolen, and a hot bed of activity in the south is around the Hamble area. Also majority are less than 7.5M in size and their seems to be patterns of activity like 3 or 4 ribs of certain sizes being stolen all within a couple of weeks or in some cases days of each other.

My thinking is some of these ribs are being stolen then placed in a shipping container ond shipped overseas.

Seems like using a dry stack is a very good idea to store your boat.

[Bizzie]

I know that in my area Hampshire, the Police update as soon as they are provided with the details by the owner. Unfortunately, a lot of owners dont store all of the id details in one place, so it takes time to get back to the Police and have their details uploaded on the site -hence the importance of the know your boat proforma.

The other problem in Hampshire is the fact there are so many holiday homes and boatyards where people leave their boats for a considerable period of time without checking on them.

Drystack does seem the way to go :-(

[SPR]

Our local police force did not know of the site ! I did point them to it when an unbolted 4 HP went a walking ....

Only insurance companies and police can update

ps. I was not my 4 HP, I was reviewing CCTV footage !