Theft at Squalicum Harbor

[dbashJ56]

Hello Tugnuts!
I am sad to report that our RT 31CB was broken into at our home port, Squalicum Harbor, sometime in the last couple weeks. A couple items of men's clothing and cash and a flashlight were taken amounting to about $350-$450. They bypassed alcohol, electronics, binoculars and other grab-able items, and no damage was done to the boat. Ingress was made through the bow hatch above the V-berth, (they left the screen sitting on the bed) and egress was through the door. When we arrived on the boat, we noticed the door was unlocked, and as you can imagine, the blame game started, but soon realized that it was neither of us! WE are very conscientious about leaving the boat secured (my husband is retired LE) and theft was not our first assumption. Another RT31CB across from us, was also hit, using same ingress/egress. The person would have had to be small as the hatch is not large. At least one other (sail) boat was hit and don't know yet if others were also. We have notified both the Harbormaster and the Bellingham Police Dept. We are thankful that they were not disposed to vandalism and our loss is minimal, and we learned a valuable lesson! NO MORE CASH ON THE BOAT! So... I am wondering what, if anything, do you use for security? I am contemplating getting a "Ring" camera now. Has anyone also had someone access their boat through the hatch and is there some kind of bar we can install?? My husband seems to think that it would not take much to jimmy the lock on the hatch and with minimal burglary tools, could gain access?! I appreciate all input, and yes, we now know that we need to lock the hatches (didn't realize that they can be opened from the outside! (Did I mention that we are new ['17] to boating and this is a new boat?) WE are VERY thankful that the situation is not worse, and realize we were lucky.
Thanks in advance for your time and input.
Debbie

 

[Karll]

Sorry to hear of your break in. We just bought an r29 and have it temporarily in Anacortes but thought about moving it to Squalicum Harbor. Don’t they have locked gates to the different docks in Squalicum Harbor? I am guessing that the thief must of had access to the gate code. Does the harbor have security cameras? Maybe by talking to the other victims you might be able to better narrow down the time frame of the theft.
Good luck!

 

[baz]

I'm sorry to hear about this event.

The best burglary system for scaring off the criminals is a VERY LOUD siren. Burgulars hate noise.

Just do not gold plate the head. :lol:

Based on your post I will be looking at my two fwd hatches to see if they can be secured to prevent outside entry.... Thanks. 🙂

 

[scross]

Sorry to hear about your break-in.
We are on the guest dock at Squalicum several times each summer. They have both locked gates and lots of security cameras all over the marina. The gate codes are unfortunately not changed very frequently. And too many folks let others piggyback behind them going in.
I believe most v-berth hatchs can be locked from the inside when the boat is not in use. You just have to remember to remove the lock when the boat is in use. That said if you make it harder for a determined thief to get in he or she will just do more damage to the boat to gain access!

 

[ShortCut]

The first time I had a kicker stolen, the sheriff said that it no longer matters where you park your boat. Odds are that the bad guys will find you sooner or later. Next time, thieves took my new kicker and did $10,000 damage trying to take the main engine. Until the rendezvous a few weeks ago, I thought my boat was now in the safest place possible. It's on the top rack at Edmond's dry storage. Why would any thief risk his life by climbing up there when the marina is full of much easier places for a thief to browse?

Well, it turns out that mother nature can also deliver a few hits to you. We spent a few days in the San Juan Islands after the rendezvous, so my assigned spot on the extreme northwest corner of the dry storage rack was empty. Mother Nature aimed a bolt of lightening at my corner position of the rack but, since we weren't back yet, the lightening diverted to the next boat over. Pieces of the boat showered the other nearby boats and everything electrical on the boat was destroyed. I wonder what the next big earthquake will do to my top level parking spot.

Marshall

 

[dbashJ56]

Oh geez... Marshal!! What a nightmare for you! I am so sorry!

For the other person from talking about Squalicum Harbor Guest Dock. Yes, there are locked gates, IF you are coming from LAND! They have ZERO control over people arriving from the water via dinghy or row boat. It is obviously a weakness in the system, indeed most Marina's are the same. We have had problems up her for the better part of 2019, and one suspect was caught.There are clearly others doing the same thing, and going for mostly cash. We are not certain about whether or not other stuff was taken, and will be looking more closely tomorrow. I have bought an "Arlo" system from Costco today. $$$ but well worth the $300 if it works well and is wireless with night vision!!

I appreciate everyone's comments - thank you! Keep them coming...
Debbie

 

[baz]

Oh geez... Marshal!! What a nightmare for you! I am so sorry!

For the other person from talking about Squalicum Harbor Guest Dock. Yes, there are locked gates, IF you are coming from LAND! They have ZERO control over people arriving from the water via dinghy or row boat. It is obviously a weakness in the system, indeed most Marina's are the same. We have had problems up her for the better part of 2019, and one suspect was caught.There are clearly others doing the same thing, and going for mostly cash. We are not certain about whether or not other stuff was taken, and will be looking more closely tomorrow. I have bought an "Arlo" system from Costco today. $$$ but well worth the $300 if it works well and is wireless with night vision!!

I appreciate everyone's comments - thank you! Keep them coming...
Debbie

Maybe do a 'live aboard' as a final solution.

Yes, burglars arriving from the water is a real weakness at most marinas. There needs to be an electronic security barrier at the entrance to the dock fairways that would trigger an alarm if an unauthorized boat enters without the credentials such as a transceiver chip given out to marina customers to be installed on their boats.... but as others here have mentioned, there's no stopping a determined burglar. As we all know by now, security is only so good and is even an inconvenience for us.

 

[stwendl]

The problem secure by a marine from the water is that most of them are on public water. For instance my marina has a sign “no fishing from docks” however there always little boats coming into the marina fishing between the docks because it is a public waterway. Not that I care much about fishing or even consuming anything swimming in a marina, but I pay for the space and I am not allowed to fish while some who does not is allowed. Absurd

Motion activated lights and cams should do deterrence

 

[Joan and Jim]

After an unhappy experience some time ago, I started a thread on this topic which I will post shortly. I did not want a remote monitoring system. A fellow Tugnut, Quinsky, had tried Aqualarm #20410 but reported that the siren was not that loud. I added the accessory, external siren #20420. Both are quite small. I have an R31-S. The main alarm panel was installed just below the DC panel to which the alarm is connected. It is connected to one of the circuits on the panel that stays on even when the house battery is off. The position is convenient but, as one enters the cave, one can inadvertently hit the buttons and the alarm can go off. I had thought to put the exterior siren in one of the lockers situated on either side of the engine space but it was suggested that the hatch covers would muffle sound. It was installed in the compartment where the battery switches are and situated above the uppermost switch. There is a motion sensor above the window on the after bulkhead port side in the cabin and a contact on each of the cabin doors. With two sirens there seems to be a lot of noise. I am still playing with it but it seems to be sufficient for my purposes. I also hang a sign on the cabin door window telling people to call if alarm sounds. That in itself may be a bit of a deterrent. There is one sticker supplied advising would-be thieves of the alarm's presence. I would like to have had two to affix one to each door. I am thinking of ordering another hand-held remote so that Joan can have one too. Without that remote, the alarm is armed and disarmed by keying in the code.

 

[dbashJ56]

Thank you for your input!
Debbie

 

[SPTug]

Tagging onto this thread because I was just wondering about security at Squalicum Harbor. We were thinking of putting our new and expensive kayaks onto the boat the night before we head out for the weekend. For those with experience at Squalicum, would you leave expensive kayaks unattended on your boat overnight there?

 

[scross]

We still launch out of Squalicum. They have changed the gate code security system and it is marginally better. The bathrooms near the Gate 9 guest dock still are used by what you might call non-marina folks on a regular basis. The restrooms and showers near Gate 9 can be a bit dicey. Gate 12 guest dock is better since the restrooms and showers are inside the dock gate. The problem of thieves arriving by boat is still a security weak spot.
It’s not just Squalicum where security is a real problem. I know of a number of marinas in Puget Sound that have ongoing boat break-ins and equipment stolen.
Back to your question. We have never left our boat unattended overnight at Squalicum. I would not recommend leaving valuable equipment unsecured overnight on an unattended boat at any marina. We lock out dinghy motor, dinghy, coolers and grill with a fairly expensive cable and round key lock even when we just leave the boat go to dinner. Dock side cabin windows on our are always closed and latched with the curtains drawn to block view of the inside.
Unless you can lock the kayaks with a really secure cable and lock, I definitely would not leave them on the outside of the boat unattended overnight. Even then I would be nervous. A determined thief will not be stopped.
Good luck!

 

[Tippetknot]

I’ve had a slip at Squalicum for about four years now. I personally have not had a problem and know of nobody who has so far. I keep my windows and door closed and locked, but otherwise take minimal precautions. I’ve left moderately expensive fishing gear on deck (pot puller, downriggers, crab and shrimp pots, fishing rods, tools) without an issue. My philosophy is that I would rather trust my fellow man and get disappointed once in awhile then be inconvenienced and paranoid every time I leave my boat unattended.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Someday*]

Oh geez... Marshal!! What a nightmare for you! I am so sorry!

For the other person from talking about Squalicum Harbor Guest Dock. Yes, there are locked gates, IF you are coming from LAND! They have ZERO control over people arriving from the water via dinghy or row boat. It is obviously a weakness in the system, indeed most Marina's are the same. We have had problems up her for the better part of 2019, and one suspect was caught.There are clearly others doing the same thing, and going for mostly cash. We are not certain about whether or not other stuff was taken, and will be looking more closely tomorrow. I have bought an "Arlo" system from Costco today. $$$ but well worth the $300 if it works well and is wireless with night vision!!

I appreciate everyone's comments - thank you! Keep them coming...
Debbie

I use these Blink cameras for home….may be an option for the tug?
https://blinkforhome.com/

 

[OlygirlNav]

We now moor in Squalicum Harbor despite my login name, as we moved from Olympia a few years ago.
To deter theft we have several items in place. We have bicycle locks ie heavy cables on our anchor and dinghy/grill. Installed locks on the two cockpit storage compartments. The locks are not super sturdy but might deter. As for the forward hatches on R29 I noticed the locking mechanism were not real hardy. I made a simple yoke device using some oak slats I had in the garage and tie wraps. I cut the slats to slightly less than the width of the hatch. Then I drilled holes to allow the tie wrap to go through and around the hatch latches to slide it all the way forward past the locking mechanism. It is visible when looking from the outside. The idea is to prevent the handles from being turned in the opposite directions as required to open the hatch. From the inside they are easy to remove.
Considered alarms but was more interested in deterring than in seeing after the fact.

 

[cmwahl]

We use the blink cameras on the boat, one forward and one in the cockpit. At home we use the exterior cameras but those require a senque module connected to Wi-Fi. We also have a Nethear Nighthawk to supply Wi-Fi that is not marina dependent. Because we have had some issues with the blink senque module going offline in our barn, we decided to go with two ac powered mini cameras for the boat. They work beautifully. No sinque module required. The other difference from the exterior blink cameras is that they do not have a temp sensor. The minis are $30 (we got ours for $20 on Amazon day) We have had these cameras at home for several years and are grandfathered into the no charge plan. Now Blink does charge a monthly fee for cloud storage but the cameras also have a spot for usb storage devices. I don’t know how those work. You can talk through the blinks to whoever is there real time. We got them after Technomadia placed them on their boat and were alerted to a burglar. They were able to scare him off their boat and then they called police who found him hiding in the marina trash