Gas Theft On Table Rock

[mosouthpaw]

get yourself an infared deer camera. position it so you can get the thieves and thier boat number. Heck if the police wont do anything get copies and post it all around the lake showing the turdburglars.

[ozarksfishin]

Skeeter,

I understand your frustration, but shooting someone is the last thing you want to do, and patroling the dock every night can get tiresome. There have been many great suggestions on here, something else to try, disconnect your fuel line from the filler neck and lock the deck lid where the fuel tank is stored. May take 5 min., but is worth the hassle of taking shifts of patrol or the time spent in jail. Think of all the other night fishermen out there just out fishin!

On a side note, Whackem, you are one heck of a guy. You turned an apparent bad situation, to a couple of guys laughing it up about mutual friends. My hat off to ya!! If that would have been me (and it has happend) I would have jumped on that 1/2 drunk guy before he knew what was goin on!! Whackem, you are OK in my book!

[techo]

What if this is this gentlemen's houseboat or cabin cruiser he sleeps in can he defend himself then?

Only if a person is able to articulate the protection of himself or others from serious physical harm or death is a person able to use deadly force, even in your house....even if your house floats.

[Danoinark]

What if this is this gentlemen's houseboat or cabin cruiser he sleeps in can he defend himself then?

Only if he felt his life or the life of others were in danger, not for theft.

Dano

[Danoinark]

Hey Techno, GREAT minds think alike.....

Dano

[davekeim]

Are the chances of theft less at a public marina like Gage's or State Park marina?

Signed,

Cardiac

[Whack'emGood]

Thanks Phil. I sure wanted to go over there and teach him not to accuse and yell at people he doesn't know... But I really did feel for him. It sucks to get violated like he did. I guess I handled that one pretty well... Like you were saying about yourself, I haven't always handled things that well either. I have definitely had my bad moments, especially when I was younger (not that I'm old, just older than when I was in my teens and 20s), when I didn't handle that kind of situation very well. I felt pretty good about how I handled it at the time too-- it makes a person feel pretty good to do the right thing. I appreciate the compliment. That feels pretty darn good too.

Whack'em

[ozarksfishin]

Im like you Whackem, its just not worth it anymore. Skeeter, I hope you are reading all these posts, you have to ask yourself, is the action you take worth the consequences that you face. It may seem like shooting someone is the right answer now, but when you are sitting in the pokey, and you have time to look back on the whole thing, you might have handled the situation different. I have a 6 yr old son, and I will tell ya, nothin makes you look at life a different way than a child. I am not saying to bow down to these theives, but deter them from stealing anything. Like Babler said, it has been happening for years. And if you do catch them, don't shoot them!! Just give em a good ol country butt whoopin!!!

[Bill Babler]

Gent's, great comments; Like the hidden camera. Motion lighting for the most part doen't work, we got our pontoon robbed even with the lights.

Another problem is a huge percentage of these heists take place during daylight hours. I left my boat in our slip at Shell Knob about 6 years ago after a guide trip. Had an early AM trip and then an afternoon trip. Took all my rods and put them in the lockers and plugged in the charger. Walked up to the house, well in view of the dock, for lunch and a nap before the afternoon excursion.

Was gone about 2 hrs. Came down and the lockers were broken open and every rod and all my tackle were stolen, along with both graphs. The one in the dash was pried out. All my lifejackets and coats and heavy shirts with my name on them were also stolen.

In 1982 we left a new pontoon at Viola dock where we rented a slip. Did not think about theft. The next week when we came down, everything was gone, ski's rods and lifejackets, and without saying the prop.

Put a lift in a private dock at Shell Knob in 1990. My father-in-law, put his new boat on the lift. Stole the gas tanks and the prop. He said I'll fix them, I will take off my props from now on when the boat is on the lift.

Two weeks later, they stole the 35 hp engine off the boat. It was chained on.

You know, we solved the problem. We don't dangle cookies in front of hungry kids anymore. All our stuff goes in the grage.

IF you leave your boat in any dock or on a lift, you are screwing up as badly as you can.

Only cost us about $20,000.00 to learn this in our 4 episodes. I should have known better from Lake Ozark in the 60's and 70's.

I hate it to death and feel badly for any thieft victim. However, this is not a current problem, but a reacurring nighmare that has been playing out on these lakes since the late 1950's.

We all know how to prevent it. I timed myself today. 3 minutes 30 seconds to park the boat at the curtosy dock walk up unlock the truck and back into the water, load the boat and put the motor toter on. It takes twice that long to raise the lift, let alone empty the boat, of all its cargo.

I get to sleep all night and don't have to worry about anyone stealing from me, or injurying someone proctecting my property.

Good Luck Out There

[bigredbirdfan]

After comments here sounds like an a whoopin might be similar assult to shooting better check with an attorney or others here that give free legal advice.

I still think the motion sensored game camera will catch them in the act. Even if you just get a face shot local law enforcment has more then likely dealt with the criminals anyway.

P.S. Electrical booby trap was an attempt at humor.