My neighbor tells me I am going to have a problem

[Fl_Richard]

Re: My neighbor tells me I am going to have a problem

Thats exactly it J M.

If I have to lock up everything than I am essentially locked up. I refuse to participate in that. Mess with my stuff and risk paying the ultimate price.

Just to add - there is alot you can do increase your odds of NOT being a victim. I do all of these.

#1 Get a security monitoring sign from a real company and place it prominently in your front yard. - Even without a security system this reduces your chances by 90%.

#2 For those of you on acreage, a big fake security camera where everyone will see it as they approach the property. Better yet use real cameras. Better than 70% reduction

#3 - Use outdoor lighting. Random timers for inside lights. Don't know the figure's but it helps ALOT!

Now if your a grow house or are know for having expensive stuff get dogs.

It goes without saying you have to be prepared to defend your rights.

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: My neighbor tells me I am going to have a problem

Preventive maintenance is all it is. I once had a brand new EZ Loader trailer stolen, only 3 months old. No insurance either. Broke my heart. And this happened in an area with a very low crime rate. Sometimes it takes just that for people to take preventive maintenance. How many alarms have I installed in homes and businesses after they were broke into. Everyone has the attitude that ''it won't happen to me''. But it can. Chances are getting better that it will. Be prepared.

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: My neighbor tells me I am going to have a problem

I don't know what "fart Jam" is, but it sounds particurly nasty to me..Possibly a better defense to begin with..

Yeah, I had to re read that. Not sure where I was going with that term. lol. It's just that we can't have handguns and such up here. Which really sucks. I enjoy sidearms and enjoy target practice. I was even employed in a job where I had to carry sidearms. To protect my home I need my own homemade weapon. But if I use it, then I would likely be the one to go to jail.

 

[drrpm]

Re: My neighbor tells me I am going to have a problem

Trailer theft is apparently quite common. There was a prominent local businessman in Augusta who had a sideline of jacking trailers at night. He ended up killing himself after being caught with a stolen trailer in rural Georgia. It turned out that he had a bunch of stolen trailers in his warehouse.
Usually its a crime of opportunity, so a little deterence should be adequate.

 

[dockwrecker]

Re: My neighbor tells me I am going to have a problem

Mine stores wheels off for the winter, left side wheels off during the boating months (closest to the garage and the air impact wrench!) Chains are too easy to cut nowadays with all of the cordless tools out there.

1990 Carver Montego 21' "Suspicious Behavior"

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: My neighbor tells me I am going to have a problem

I refuse to lock up my life. If they want in come on in.

Of course I live in Florida and all us crackers are heavily armed and the state backs us up with the castle law sooo... Come on over take my unlocked trailer on the side of my house and if your lucky you'll escape with your life

Does the Fl. Castle Law provide for protecting property with deadly force? This is actually a real question, not a comment. I moved from there quite awhile ago....

 

[Thajeffski]

Re: My neighbor tells me I am going to have a problem

I chain my jetskis to the boat trailer and take the tires off of all of them.

During the summer the boat is in the water.

 

[livin4real]

Re: My neighbor tells me I am going to have a problem

It also helps to have a reputation. I'm from Alaska and don't put up with a lot of cr*p. I caught some guy in my truck one evening and just walked up to him asking what he was doing. He said he was the owner and was taking the radio to get it fixed. I normally have a hunting knife on my belt, and just slowly pulled it out and threw it over this guy's shoulder, into a tree behind him. His eyes got really big, but his buddy, waiting in a car across the street yelled "you missed, now what are you going to do?". I just loudly said I needed it out of the way so I could get to the skinning knife I had in a pocket under the the hunting knife. The buddy took off in the car, leaving the guy with my radio down on his knees, pleading that I not hurt him.
My wife called the cops, who charged the guy with over a dozen break ins (and a deal since he turned in his driver and fence).
Me-I'm known as the crazy guy from Alaska YOU DON'T WANT TO MESS WITH. No more trouble in the neighborhood since then.

I was willing to back up my facing the guy since I have a black belt in tia quan do. And I did have a skinning knife in my pocket.

I think I saw you on "Ripleys Believe It or Not" lmao

 

[Fl_Richard]

Re: My neighbor tells me I am going to have a problem

Yes the Castle law provides for protection of property with deadly force as well gurantees protection aginst civil and criminal prosecution.

 

[Rwebber77]

Re: My neighbor tells me I am going to have a problem

I've only had a problem once, and I lock the tongue and have two "eyes" (#9 rebar) by the back of the trailer concreted (3' deep) into the ground. I loop a chain through each separate eye and run it around the frame of the trailer. One night around 1am I heard a pop and knew it was the sound of a boltcutter on one of my chains. I walked outside and fired one shot into the field with my 10 gauge. I have never seen two guys so scared in my life....and to this day they won't even look me in the eyes when I see them in town.

 

[esobofh]

Re: My neighbor tells me I am going to have a problem

I live in LA. My boat is in the driveway without a lock. I really don't worry about it. If it get stolen it gets stolen. I have insurance.

Your signature line is sooo true.

 

[Bronc Rider]

Re: My neighbor tells me I am going to have a problem

I have had all kinds of things stolen but never a boat. When any of my boats are in the front of my house they don't get locked either.
The locks, chains and alarms wont really slow down a career thief. You would be surprised how quickly someone can remove all four tires and leave your car on blocks, even with wheel locks. One of my co-workers had their stock 20" Chevy rims stolen at a store when she stopped to get a pack of smokes. She was on her lunch break on the way back to the office. My wife walked out of an Astros game with just her purse straps. The straps were cleanly cut and not torn like it would happen if the purse got caught on something. Like it was said already, "if they want it, they will get it".
I know that for the most part you can deter your average "druggie" with locks but, I just don't worry about it. I have had locked items stolen so I don't place too much value on them any more. I lock my doors and windows with their normal locks, keep up with my insurance and call it good.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: My neighbor tells me I am going to have a problem

Not to range off topic, but be careful with your interpretation of "castle laws" and the like, and what "property" you can and can't protect with deadly force. Your house is not the same as a boat in the yard, or the yard itself, under the law.

GENERALLY you can use deadly force to protect life but NOT personal property, such as a boat out in the yard. GENERALLY if someone comes into your house, they are a presumed threat to life and you can shoot. You cannot, however, if they just come into the yard. Some states have different rules whether it is daytime or night.

Before this discussion goes sideways, know this: the laws vary by state. Some of the law is statutory (spelled out in the state code) and other is "common law" made by cases decided by judge and jury, so it can change. You cannot count on someone else's case results and you do not want to be a test case.

The best rule is this: don't kill anyone outside who is just messing with your stuff, no matter how mad it makes you. And the next best rule to remember: don't have your gun out to threaten or scare the other guy; have it to protect yourself from harm. Legally, that is where you want to be.

To pre-empt some comments: it does not matter what you think the law should be. It doesn't matter what your brother in law got away with in another county. If you injure or worse, kill, someone outside the house you are in for at least an uncomfortable time with the law and at most losing your property and liberty. Be smart.

 

[jonesg]

Re: My neighbor tells me I am going to have a problem

Interesting list of stolen boats around the country, with photos and status in most cases.

http://www.boatman.com/stolenDB/recover.html

Thieves don't seem to favor one type of boat, either, something to keep in mind I suppose.

But they DIS-favor junky looking boats like mine.

Anyway, some of those boats look garish.

 

[cbavier]

Re: My neighbor tells me I am going to have a problem

We live in Northern Michigan. In the woods and other than Drugs the major crimes committed it seems is B & E or theft from yards of trailered sporting equipment. Jet Skis, Snowmobiles,Boats, Utility trailers, Motorcycles and well you get the picture. Even Fifth wheel and travel trailers have been stolen out of yards. It's usually from people down state that come up. Steal and take back downstate to sell. I lock everything. Not that I'm paranoid but it's better to be safe than sorry. Oh! I've only had one thing stolen in ten years here. Last year someone backed a trailer, I suppose up and stole almost three face cords of firewood while we were out of town. I now have a Motion detector light and camera installed. So they can smile as they are on camera and lit up.

 

[basstracker219]

Re: My neighbor tells me I am going to have a problem

i dont think it matters, you still should lock it up.

 

[cribber]

Re: My neighbor tells me I am going to have a problem

I put a pad lock on the coupler and pull the pin from the swing away tongue. I also roll the front of the trail close to the garage as I can get. If you want the boat, you're going to have to turn it around in the sandy yard next to the driveway by hand, cut away the lock, find a pin to reconnect the swing away tongue. All that in plain view of the security camera mount 20 feet up recording your every move lit up by the motion sensored flood lights.

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: My neighbor tells me I am going to have a problem

Before this discussion goes sideways, know this: the laws vary by state. Some of the law is statutory (spelled out in the state code) and other is "common law" made by cases decided by judge and jury, so it can change. You cannot count on someone else's case results and you do not want to be a test case.

I just looked up the Florida Statutes here:
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=Ch0776/ch0776.htm

The Florida statues do not directly provide for the defense of property with deadly force.

Texas laws do, provided it is after dark (strange but true):
http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/txstatutes/PE/2/9/D/9.42

 

[reelfishin]

Re: My neighbor tells me I am going to have a problem

The bottom line is that they will take it if they really want it, it's just your job to make it as hard as possible for them to steal.

A number of years ago I was parked next to a guy at the boat ramp, during the day on a Saturday, who had his boat trailer locked to his hitch, the ball welded to his drawbar, and the drawbar locked to the hitch. When he came back someone had cut the center out of his hitch and stolen his trailer and back bumper off his truck. They didn't touch my truck or trailer, which were both newer. I guess they just didn't need one like mine.
His trailer was older, as was his truck and not the best looking rig in the lot. My truck was brand new, the trailer a week old. My rig was a bit larger than what he had stolen so chances are they needed a trailer just that size.
(Since NJ don't require a title for a trailer, it would be no problem for them to just register that trailer as homemade and use it).
There was another rash of incidents where they would steal your trailer, and then come back and steal your boat or outboard when you had to leave your boat at the launch to go find another way to get it home.

I don't know about the next guy but if it were me that caught someone like that, I'd find it pretty hard not to dish out some old fashioned justice.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: My neighbor tells me I am going to have a problem

I think I saw you on "Ripleys Believe It or Not" lmao

You don't even show where you are from in your profile. What are you scared of?

Some people aren't scared, believe it or not. I wouldn't recommend trying to steal things from people's yards around these parts in Vermont either. Maybe not a lot of black belts, but quite a few black deer rifles.