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Human smugglers could be targeting different kind of boat to steal
Tips for protecting boats from thieves
--Lock the boat’s cabin, doors and windows.
--Remove keys from the boat.
--Install a coded ignition or hidden kill switch to the engines.
--On a boat lift, install a power switch away from the lift to cut power.
--Install motion sensor lights on the dock and a boat alarm.
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NAPLES — Excited for a long holiday weekend on the water, 82-year-old Bud Foster packed up food and luggage Wednesday morning and headed down to his boat slip on Tarpon Drive to load up his 45-foot Sea Ray cabin cruiser.
Foster said he’s docked his boat in the same slip for 24 years.
“I was leaving this morning to go away for a few days this weekend,” Foster said. “We got down there and no boat.”
Three times in less than three weeks, thieves have stolen cabin cruisers at least 40 feet in length from Naples boat slips, Naples police reported Wednesday. After a string of 30-foot “go-fast” boat thefts in Southwest Florida in 2007 and early 2008 by suspected human smugglers, police say the thieves seem to have adjusted their tactics and their targets.
“The original profile was go-fast boats,” Naples officer Michael Herman said. “The profile has expanded.”
When thieves stole the go-fast boats last summer, authorities in Southwest Florida began an education program to teach boat owners how to protect their vessels. Naples police made contact with all the go-fast boat owners in the city to work with them to make their boats harder targets to steal.
“It seems that it’s possible that these thieves are just adapting to find softer targets,” Herman said. “The problem is, this (type of) boat is so popular it would be impossible to go out and find everyone and contact every owner personally. There’s just too many of them.”
The first boat was stolen on Aug. 11, when police found a 40-foot Sea Ray cabin cruiser abandoned with its motor running in Moorings Bay.
The boat, which is owned by Robert Parker, was stolen from the 4400 block of Crayton Road and found loaded with 36 15-gallon barrels of diesel fuel, a fuel pump, sports drinks and sandwiches.
The boat had damage on its side, leading police to believe the thieves hit something and abandoned it, fearing they might be caught in the inland waterway.
On Tuesday morning, Robert Sumerel reported that his $900,000, 48-foot Sea Ray was stolen from the 3800 block of Crayton Road, Herman said. Sumerel’s boat had a 400-gallon fuel capacity, a large cabin and range for a 300-mile trip.
Attempts to reach Sumerel for comment Wednesday were unsuccessful.
Though it is too soon to say the thefts are a trend, Herman said police want to get out in front of the curve.
Like the go-fast boat thefts, police believe human smugglers may be behind the three cabin cruiser thefts. And because there are significantly more cabin cruisers in Southwest Florida — including hundreds in Collier County — they don’t attract as much attention as go-fast boats.
“It blends right in,” Herman said. “Most people wouldn’t think twice.”
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has not had any recent reports of stolen cabin cruisers, spokeswoman Karie Partington said. Neither has the Marco Island Police Department, Lt. Dave Baer said.
But Baer said Marco police have been in contact with local marinas to make them aware of the Naples thefts so they can help spread the word to their members.
“One of the problems with a boat like this is you’re not putting this size boat on a lift,” Baer said. “It’s in the water. All the work of getting the boat off the lift is done for them.”
Baer said neighbors need to call police if they notice anything strange in their neighborhoods.
“People have got to call us,” Baer said. “We need all the extra eyes and ears to help us catch these bad guys.”
A lifelong boater, Foster said having his boat stolen left him upset, shook up and uptight. He said he put about $400,000 into his 1998 boat, which had a white hull, brown canvas, a camper top on the back and a satellite television and phone.
With no boat, Foster wasn’t sure how he would spend Labor Day weekend.
“I suppose I’ll get another case of beer,” he said, “and sit down and drink that son of a (gun).”
Comments
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400 gallon capacity for a 300 mile trip? Nice.
I'm still convinced these boats get stolen because they need to be stolen.
There are so many anti-theft devices on the market and not being used. The cops can disable stolen cars by radio. I'm sure those devices could be used in a $900,000 boat.
Maybe not all.....but with 3 boats stolen, there is going to be one bad guy.
#1 Posted by volochine on August 28, 2008 at 1:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Boat owners must be living on Sesame Street and don't believe in LoJack, other security measures for their big, expensive vessels.
#2 Posted by Bramble on August 28, 2008 at 5:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Maybe they are stealing them just for the fuel.
#3 Posted by rafmarfl on August 28, 2008 at 6:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Isn't it nice we warn the theives of the anti-theft measures - so they can adjust their tactics and targets of course.
#4 Posted by Joseygirl on August 28, 2008 at 6:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I have a 41 year old, 14 foot Aluminum boat, on a 41 year old trailer, with a 41 year old outboard! Nobody has ever even tried to steal it, and it's a good boat!
#5 Posted by rayroman on August 28, 2008 at 7:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I assume for a few hundred bucks a boat owner can toss a lojack system on board? So for less money than half a tank of fuel .....
#6 Posted by kneejerk on August 28, 2008 at 8:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
volochine, you are absolutely right!! How dare these people be successful enough to own large boats?! How dare they get poor fuel mileage?! But wait, most small boats also get poor fuel mileage, they just don't have 400-gallon tanks. Maybe we should all stop boating. And while we're at it, let's punish these people for being wealthy by taxing them even more! Oh wait, we already do that...
BTW, if you think cops can disable stolen cars by radio, you've watched too much TV. They can only do this with their own BAIT cars that are set up to be stolen, not yours and mine.
#7 Posted by ediemike on August 28, 2008 at 9:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Edie, I'm sorry if I got your underwear in a bundle. My angle is not environmental, it is larceny. You want the boat stolen, so you can take the check and buy a bigger one.
Just my opinion. Used boats are a tough sell right now.
It seems that boats can be easily protected.
#8 Posted by volochine on August 29, 2008 at 12:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Actually, I know a lot of people that have larger boats like this (not me). NONE of them have any security/theft prevention device whatsoever. It's like living here vs. living in Miami. You wouldn't think of putting bars on your windows here because the propensity for their necessity is very limited. However, in most of Miami, you wouldn't consider living in a home without bars.
The point is, security devices for large boats beyond normal locks have never been needed around here. Of course, times change, so we must change too. These thefts may become the catalyst.
By the way, if this was an insurance fraud issue, I don't think we would be seeing numerous boats "stolen" unless there's some vast yacht-club conspiracy!
#9 Posted by ediemike on August 29, 2008 at 12:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"The boat, which is owned by Robert Parker, was stolen from the 4400 block of Crayton Road and found loaded with 36 15-gallon barrels of diesel fuel, a fuel pump, sports drinks and sandwiches."
Did he get to keep the fuel since he had to deal with the boat getting stolen?
rayroman - I would imagine that is true, but it might be a bit hard to make it to Cuba on a 14ft boat (then again, some have made the trip on much less!)
ediemike - dead on! We have a smaller performance boat and made sure that there are hidden kill switches, an interior lift shut-off switch, etc. A little bit of prevention can go a long way.
#10 Posted by jim09091 on August 29, 2008 at 4:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
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