Fuel theft on the Broads

[ranworthbreeze]

I assume a number of you will have seen the post on one the other forums where a member on visiting their boat yesterday at the Tingdene Marina found the batteries to be flat and the petrol tank empty some 80 gallons of fuel taken. It is thought that the batteries were used to pump out the fuel! It seems to me that a boat must have been used to take the half ton of fuel.

The owner has yet to report it to the police or the marina office.

Talking to BMS today they have had five enquiries for lockable fuel caps this afternoon.

Regards

Alan

[Guest]

It must be my London upbringing, ( ), a locking fuel cap has always been one of the first things I always fit to each of my boats.

The current one came from ASAP at Beccles, very sturdy in stainless steel, with a good lock seal. It's survived three Winters now, with no signs of deterioration.

http://www.asap-supplies.com/search/locking+fuel+cap

(The fuel caps are marked "fuel" instead, but they didn'y have any photos of those).

[Brian]

It still surprises me that there are still marinas without a CCTV camera facing on the entrance/exit

[BuffaloBill]

First thing I fitted to our boats! Bought them from Boulters.

Peace of mind....

[Hockham Admiral]

First thing I fitted to our boats! Bought them from Boulters.

Peace of mind....

That's a great idea, guys.

We only carry 60 gallons of red when full but it would put a fair dent in our holidays budget if ours was nicked. We'll be near Sonny's soon and I'll get one then.

I don't rally think I'll bother about water or waste... can't see even the scrotes bothering with those!

[ZimbiIV]

You could always change the waste and fuel caps over, should be a nice surprise for anyone trying to syphon out fuel

paul

[BuffaloBill]

Top Idea of the year!

[Guest]

if all the keys are the same for every lock doesn't it render the idea pretty much useless as all the thief needs todo is buy one to obtain a set of keys & hes back in the game??

Jonny

[ranworthbreeze]

Hello Jonny,

I assume you are joking. When ever you buy a locking fuel cap for a car, boat etc there is two/three keys at best and evey lock is different. For opperations such a hire fleet the locks could be supplied in the same suite with overall master keys.

I spent a number of years in the amusement indudstry and had a a keychain over 6 foot in length with hundreds of keys on it , service keys were used in general for one of the rear doors but not both and every site had its different keys.

Regards

Alan

[Guest]

I assume you are joking.

no im not its a genuine question.... are all the keys the same for every lock just cause it sounds stupid doesn't mean it might not be true... look at the old ford sierra or ford mondeo the keys were the same when we locked them in the car we simply looked for another owner with the same car & stupid as it was it bloody worked...

for all anybody knows it could work

if im wrong im wrong if im right im right least the answer will be found

Jonny

[Hockham Admiral]

You could always change the waste and fuel caps over, should be a nice surprise for anyone trying to syphon out fuel

paul

Truly wonderful, Paul........... I shall have to seriously consider that!

[Guest]

You could always change the waste and fuel caps over, should be a nice surprise for anyone trying to syphon out fuel

paul

You'd have to switch the fuel label over every four years for the BSS test though.

Certainly "Just Deserts" for the syphoner though....

It reminds me of something that happened a few years back in my village.

One of the young mothers had her car broken into whilst parked on the school run.

A handbag that had been on the passenger seat was stolen.

It was an old one though, and was now just used to contain spare disposable nappies.

and it had one in it.....

a used one !

[diesel falcon]

I know of someone who.....filled his waste tank up instead of his water tank so swapping the caps over would be ...not good!!

[Boaters]

Had to chuckle,the thought of someone sucking on the syphon tube to get it started. From the waste tank,Priceless

[Brian]

Oh yes those were the days lol !

[MBA Marine]

With the cost of fuel not about to drop in a hurry, perhaps the time has come that antisifons are fitted into tanks so that if a pipe is pushed down the filler at worst a couple of litres would be taken before it just sucks air.

Lockable caps are a good deterrent for as long as not many people have them as the next boat is a easier target, but if all boats have them, then the thing change and i would think 4" boltster chisel and a lump hammer...... im sure you can work out what happens!

[Guest]

Lockable caps are a good deterrent for as long as not many people have them as the next boat is a easier target, but if all boats have them, then the thing change and i would think 4" bolster chisel and a lump hammer...... I'm sure you can work out what happens!

Yes indeed, my boat has a petrol tank.

(another reason for the locking fuel cap).

I guess the Thief's sudden Viking Funeral would have some pluses, but bad news for my neighbors boats !

[ZimbiIV]

re filling the waste tank with water that just means an earlier pump out, I remember approaching Loddon staithe with a very strong smell of diesel around and thinking we had a MAJOR problem with the engine, only to find while the men were at the pub the women had filled the diesel tank with water but had a coffee while it was filling and the tank was full of water and the water (Chet) was full of diesel.

paul

[VoysinDeMurk]

Take a regular old fashioned 12v electric fuel pump with a couple of lengths of pipe attached. Moor up beside the target, pop the inlet pipe into their fuel tank, the outlet into your own, switch on and sit back. No siphoning, no noise, no commotion and a steadily emptying tank.

No I'm not recommending it. But a few years back, in spite of police attention a couple of reprobates were thieving their way around the Kent river moorings draining off hundreds of gallons of fuel without attracting particular attention. On one unfortunate occasion the police were even watching a mooring where a boat was drained, while it was being done! They just thought it was normal mooring activity. Apparently the two oiks even came up and lounged on the cabin roof of their boat with beer whilst their pump pumped! The police were so unimpressed they didn't even note any descriptions. It was some months later, after the offenders boat was seen going under the Kings Ferry Bridge with a suspicious number of Jerry cans in the cockpit, that they were rumbled.

Alan.

[Hockham Admiral]

.

Lockable caps are a good deterrent for as long as not many people have them as the next boat is a easier target, but if all boats have them, then the thing changes and i would think 4" boltster chisel and a lump hammer...... im sure you can work out what happens!

And that's another thought, Mark..... we usually have between 150L - 200L in our tank and at today's cost you'd need about £200 - £300 to replace it............

What cost a filler cap and the surrounding deck area if the scrotes did attack with aforesaid mentioned bolster and lump? I'd think considerably more!

[VoysinDeMurk]

Between the filler caps and the fuel tanks on my boat I have installed simple 2" gate valves, they cost me £30 each. If I leave my boat for any length of time I just close them. So the filler cap only gives access to 7" of dry pipe. The valves are 'fuel safe' as I believe they are intended for use on heavy plant machines.

Alan.

[MBA Marine]

Between the filler caps and the fuel tanks on my boat I have installed simple 2" gate valves, they cost me £30 each. If I leave my boat for any length of time I just close them. So the filler cap only gives access to 7" of dry pipe. The valves are 'fuel safe' as I believe they are intended for use on heavy plant machines.

Alan.

This is a very good and simple idea. (I just so happen to have a 2" bsp dzr ball valve on eBay right now!!) Gate valves do have a tenancy to seize up when not operated regularly.

[VoysinDeMurk]

Hi Mark.

Having read your reply, I think the valves are ball valves, they aren't 'cocks' but levers. They were for hydraulic lines on diggers or something similar. They only took me a couple of hours of easy work to put in and offer a lot of piece of mind. I didn't just fit them to guard against theft but also because I have a morbid fear of pyromaniacs!

On the subject. . . I going to need a service on my twin Morris 1100 Vedettes in the next month or so. Is that up your street?

Alan.

[MBA Marine]

Hi Mark.

Having read your reply, I think the valves are ball valves, they aren't 'cocks' but levers. They were for hydraulic lines on diggers or something similar. They only took me a couple of hours of easy work to put in and offer a lot of piece of mind. I didn't just fit them to guard against theft but also because I have a morbid fear of pyromaniacs!

On the subject. . . I going to need a service on my twin Morris 1100 Vedettes in the next month or so. Is that up your street?

Alan.

Classic engines, are they side valve or overhead? yes up my street depending on the boats location, either send me a PM from here or email via website.

[MBA Marine]

Hi Mark.

Having read your reply, I think the valves are ball valves, they aren't 'cocks' but levers. They were for hydraulic lines on diggers or something similar. They only took me a couple of hours of easy work to put in and offer a lot of piece of mind. I didn't just fit them to guard against theft but also because I have a morbid fear of pyromaniacs!

On the subject. . . I going to need a service on my twin Morris 1100 Vedettes in the next month or so. Is that up your street?

Alan.

Classic engines, are they side valve or overhead? yes up my street depending on the boats location, either send me a PM from here or email via website.