Theft On The James

[Bill Babler]

Again, voice of experence here. Locking storage compartments on a bass boat is like putting a dimond behind a piece of thin glass in East St. Louis. All you get then is the glass broken. Had my storage compartments popped out with a crowbar, and it was just pretty much unfixable. Know guys that have a locker bar on their boats broken out of the sides with a crowbar also. We have had at least 500 blogs on this. If you leave your boat and you absolutely must leave it overnight. Remove everything that you want to keep, and lock nothing you don't want broken.

It is a cryin shame, but it is more than reality and we all know this after 50 yrs. here of this kind of behavior. It is not worse than it has been as a matter of fact, it does not seem as bad, but it still happens. It may never happen to you or your dock or folks you know, or it may happen repeated times, as it has with us and our dock. We also had all the storage boxes on the docks broken into. Mostly looking for electronics and props.

Since the invention of the Battery opperated Sawsall, nothing cannot be penetrated in seconds or minutes at the most.

The battery deal is a tough one as they are hard to remove and heavy. So is the prop if you use it everyday. For sure if I had to leave it on the rock, if there was not a ramp to take it our every night I would remove everything but those items. If I were going to not use it everyday and only once a week, I would remove those also.

I'm lucky, the ramp is only 2 miles from my house and I pull my boat everyday and keep it in the garage. Since I started this, all is well. When we left our boats and equipment unattended on our lifts at the dock at Shell Knob, it bacame the property of whom ever wanted it, and lots of people did.

[Gone Fishing]

At Stockton this week about 3 or 4 catalytic converters stolen at Ruark Bluff ramp.They just cut them off in the afternoon.

Why would someone steal a catalytic converter.

[Chunk Rock]

Why would someone steal a catalytic converter.

I think they sell to recyclers for the platinum thats in them??

[dennis boatman]

I was thinking the same thing about the Catalytic converters...hmmmm

[dennis boatman]

Not even going to comment about folks leaving fully equipped bass boats in slips on Table Rock Lake. We have two slips at Shell Knob. If I ever leave a boat in one of them over night. I would like one of you to take the heel of your boot and grind my most tender parts into mush.

Don't mean to be callus, but how many times do we have to go over this. Everyone just thinks it won't happen to him or her. BULL.

Do not under any circumstance leave your boat unattended on Table Rock Lake. You could not do it in the 1960's and you for certain cannot do it now.

Sorry it happend to you.

I like your quote, " You could not do it in the 1960's and you for certain cannot do it now." There may be more now, but with forums like this and 24 hour news channels, every little crime and misdemeanor is published and seen my more people all the time. Be careful out there, be vigilant. It is not your fault some moron steals your stuff, but you can limit there access.

[Tfsh4bass]

Why would someone steal a catalytic converter.

I believe they are worth around $150 a piece. Central Air Units are a big deal now as I have sold a lot of camera systems lately pointed directly at their units especially churches.

[techo]

Churches are losing their air conditioners like crazy. When economic times were good people would steal the cable out of houses and from the highline poles. Economic times are not to awesome right now and people are stealing anything not nailed down and even from churches. Not sure it is going to get better any time soon.

Takes me less than 5 minutes to drop the boat off the trailer.....one of the many reasons I don't spend 1000s on a slip and carry everything in and out to include the lower end unit!

[Spinnaker]

I suppose the time of year might make some difference in volume of thefts but not enough to gamble.

[Tfsh4bass]

Churches are losing their air conditioners like crazy. When economic times were good people would steal the cable out of houses and from the highline poles. Economic times are not to awesome right now and people are stealing anything not nailed down and even from churches. Not sure it is going to get better any time soon.

Takes me less than 5 minutes to drop the boat off the trailer.....one of the many reasons I don't spend 1000s on a slip and carry everything in and out to include the lower end unit!

I had a church call for me for a quote on a camera system the other day after they had several cars have gas siphoned out of their tank during service. It is unbelievable what people will do.

[Cindyjo]

Does anyone know if the lower unit anti theft locks actually work?