Security System Survey

[denpooch]

Hi Folks,
I am interested in knowing if anyone has some sort of security system on their boat. I am thinking that there are expensive electronics on my boat and although we have not had problems at the dock, I would rather be safe then sorry. One fellow has a motion detector which 'wails' a high pitch when activated.
Thanks.

[tomschauer]

We are in a pretty safe area. The marina also has someone on site 24/7 so I don't even lock my doors. At a previous marina, several people had some type of alarm that would sound if someone even stepped on the boat. The problem was, sometimes with a storm with decent wind, the alarms would go off, very annoying when the owners weren't there.
So I would look for something that won't annoy the neighbors with false alarms. Like car alarms, after a few false alarms nobody pays any attention.

[Viper]

Sky's the limit with everything from small all-in-one battery operated motion sensors to more elaborate units incorporating wifi that will notify your cell phone there is a potential problem. There's nothing more annoying in a marina than an alarm going off all the time in the middle of the night due to nuisance tripping/false alarms. This is usually due to improper installation or cheap equipment. There's all kinds of equipment out there. You can probably find something on ebay or Amazon.

[Viper]

Source of the post.....after a few false alarms nobody pays any attention.

+++1

[Midnightsun]

I installed a car alarm system in my previous boat. Had it triggered to areas of the canvas that would need to be lifted to enter the boat. A small magnet inside the seam of the canvas with a home style sensor worked well. Came with a siren and had a 12v output which I connected to my arch lights that would flash. Worked well, no false alarms like IR or motion sensors will do. In general alarms are rather useless but in my case there was security at night so any alarm or flashing lights would definitely go noticed.

That being said I opted for a 2 camera Arlo pro2 security camera system on Midnight Sun. This does require wifi to be available but what does not in todays world. This also triggered the installation of a wireless modem and router setup on board even though it would work fine off of the marina wifi. Pretty flexible since the standard mount is magnetic. Bought a couple extra mounting bases so I can move the cameras to my liking. Bases are supposed to be screwed on but there is no way I am putting screws for this in my gelcoat so I purchased some correctly sized VHB tape for the job https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Thickne ... 4c4dHIX5Fc Right now the cameras are covering the rear transom door entrance and the cockpit door area however I will install one base on the transom (docking aid camera) and one in the engine room to where I will transfer the cameras when we are at the boat. Adjustable detection sensitivity with audio, instant email notification and free 7 day cloud storage of all recordings. Only been installed for a few weeks but love everything about the system so far. This is Arlo. https://www.arlo.com/en-us/products/arl ... fault.aspx

[bud37]

Years back I put together a system for our boat at the time from car and home stuff in a marina that had a problem.....but honestly I believe the deterrent was the small flashing led light by the salon door....must have worked cause I disabled the other stuff and still did not have problems.....my true belief is that if they want it they will get it and the flashing light keeps the honest folk away..

[Midnightsun]

I agree Bud but in todays world when you get caught on camera that is stored in the cloud you cannot steal the security system or cameras to destroy the evidence. Not as easy as it used to be unless you do not mind getting caught.

[denpooch]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate your feedback.

[Viper]

Put a sign on the boat visible to those passing by that says "SMILE, YOU'RE ON CAMERA." The wife used to own a flower shop years ago in a plaza that saw just about every retailer there get broken into. After we heard about the third break-in, I put up a few of these signs in the front and rear of our unit. After months of no break-ins in our space, the idea caught on to the other retailers and soon the break-ins stopped all together. None of us had cameras!!

[Midnightsun]

Great minds think alike they say. Yesterday I ordered a "smile you're on camera" sign to put on my dock box. https://www.ebay.com/itm/YOURE-YOU-ARE- ... SwKrxUZPow