While in the 1980s and 1990s boat theft was a very limited phenomenon (in Italy, one or two per year were reported), the last decade has seen a proliferation of the phenomenon. If at one time the object of theft was mainly tenders and outboard motors, now boats are being stolen.
HOW TO DEFEAT THE “SPECIALISTS”
To the many thieves of “casual” boats, i.e., those who take possession of a hull for a few days (in some cases, even for only a few hours) and use it for illicit transports, such as drugs, illegal immigrants and weapons, in recent years a very specific figure has been emerging, that of the specialized ne organized boat thief. One way to make life difficult for boat thieves is to equip your boat with an alarm system (preferably a satellite one, perhaps relying on a company that can offer boat tracking via the Internet).
And if you really wanted to do more, and keep an eye on your boat at all times, know that a growing market in recent years is systems that allow remote monitoring of one’s boat. What does it mean? Not only knowing that it is safe in port, through GPS position verification, but also that everything on board is fine and there are no anomalies whatsoever (suspicious temperatures, water leaks in the bilge). One of the first was the Swedish C-Pod, which was followed closely by many models. Many systems operate independently of telephone service, so they provide a specific subscription service that can provide 24-hour coverage. You can choose to be notified by email, by text message or even by whatsapp or phone call!
SAILSENSE / BOAT MONITORING SYSTEM
The SailSense system consists of a compact, waterproof black box that interfaces with onboard instruments and sends all the boat’s data to your smartphone, displayed via an easy-to-use app that will give you alerts and advice (for example, on how the weather is changing). www.sangiorgiosein.com
MOBISAT / FMB204
It uses a 33-channel GNSS receiver capable of reading satellite constellations (GPS – GLONASS – GALILEO – BEIDOU). This tracker allows the user to always know where their boat is in real time by displaying its location on a smartphone or PC. It is served with data SIM included. www.osculati.com
GLOMEX / ZIGBOAT
It is a 100% wireless system that relies on a central body and various sensors to monitor your boat remotely and manage some functions that does not need subscriptions and monthly fees. You will be alerted on your device, with “push” notifications, about the status of the battery, bilges, intrusions, movements, smoke, heat, and dock socket. www.zigboat.com
VESPER MARINE / CORTEX
Cortex is brilliant. Thanks to a compact waterproof black box that can be installed on board, you will have in a tool similar to a large smartphone: a very easy-to-use VHF, Class B AIS, and a monitoring system for your boat, with all the relevant alarms (intrusions, movements at anchor, fumes, temperatures, batteries). The latter can, of course, also be viewed and managed remotely from your mobile device. www2.vespermarine.com
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