Boat Alarm Systems

How many of you have Alarm systems in your boat?

What alarm sensors work best Prox, Motion, Zone?

I'm considering adding an alarm to protect this stereo equipment. Mainly for when the boat is sitting on the trailer and I'm inside a restaurant/bar. -- Maybe a few times while it's sitting in the water overnight. I was thinking of a motion sensor looking straight down from the tower. Or maybe a prox sensor. I've been toying with the idea of adding a power lock mechanism to the passenger side storage area under the dash.

thoughts?

http://www.voicealarm.com/index.html

These are the best I have found but have not installed myself yet. I might this year. I should but the price is tough.

Wow. It can send you a fax.

Fax from 555-555-5555
"Your stereo equipment was stolen at 10:58pm on July 22nd."

I had one installed on my 06 Tige' just last month. It was installed with the sound system. It is a contact system on the compartments so when the door are opened it goes off. It has a remote just like a car alarm with a blinking light. I can't say yet the brand until I get the paper work from the shop since it was handled thru the dealer. I will say it works awesome so far and it is plenty loud and once the door is opened it will go off until is is resat with the remote. I only had four compartments done but I want to have the rest done. The only thing to change is have it wired to the battery and bypass the shutoff.

I just installed an alarm on my boat, which I got from boatalarm.com. It was so easy to install and it works great. The people there are great to deal with and are very helpful. They even send you a customized diagram to show you how to hook everything up. Literally, if you can plug in a wire, then you can hook up this alarm.

I got a deck sensor that monitors the floor inside the boat and magnetic sensors for all the hatches. I also got a magnetic sensor that is hooked up to the sliding cover for the cd player. Also, I got two sirens (one is under the dash and a smaller one that is at ear level next to the battery. Hopefully if someone tries to disconnect my battery, they will go deaf). Finally I got a relay that is hooked up to my lights so they will flash along with the sirens.

This thing was so easy to install and it seems to work fine. Hopefully it will never be set off, but if it is, I suppose I am ready.

anyone ever here of insurance?

Ryan: Yes, I have insurance. I have also been cancelled by my insurance because of theft claims. No thank you! Besides, you are much better off to stop a theif instead of getting reimbursed (minus the deductable) and having to do all the work over.

I installed an alarm on my boat. Magnetic sensors on the hatches, motion detector on the insides.

A down side is that the alarm does draw a bit of power. Not an issue if you use the boat at least twice a month, but over the winter it will drain the battery. I added a 5 watt solar panel that was enough to keep up with the alarm draw.

The motion detector is a bit of a pain. It is the style that is often referred to as a "radar proximity detector", which can see through the hull and cover. It has a "warning" level that makes the alarm chirp when someone gets too close, and triggers the alarm with more significant motion.

The problem is that cats running under the trailer will make it chirp. So will rain on the cover. I am seriously considering swapping it out for a thermal based motion detector but I am concerned about the power draw.

Like Andy, I installed two sirens. A big loud one mounted up under the dash that will be heard a fair distance, and a smaller one mounted in the compartment with all the electronics where someone would go deaf reaching in to cut the wires.

I have a motion detector in my boat. Got everything jacked in August of 05. Took it to the shop and put one in the next day! (Pisses me off. People who jack other peoples stuff should be shot!). Same concept that is used in convertible cars. I recommed the motion detector that has a silent alarm that pages you when it gets set off....thats when you come out the slugger and catch the bastards...

I think this is a great post... and something that I am extremely intersted in doing. I have noticed that many of the alarms require snap covers to work, other than the motion alarms.
I just got a dock at a local marina. It is somewhat secluded and only patrolled until 2 am. I am mostly concerned with losing all my audio equip. Most of hte boats in this marina are fishing boats...and my tower is just beckoning thieves. I have a cover..but that wont do much.
I am looking to get an alarm - but not spend much. (sort of an oxymoron eh? invest little to cover your investment?) anyway -

I would like to get an idea on pricing from people that have purchased alarms in the past.

thanks!

My boat sleeps in a garage, so long term power draw is not a problem. I mainly want the alarm for when it's tied to the dock or sitting on the trailer in a parking lot.

Someone once told me that the best way to protect your cruiser motorcycle is to put a leather gun holster on it. Would you mess with a bike that has a gun holster without a gun, yeah, me neither. Doesn't quite carry the same affect on a boat.


As far as a thermal sensor, wouldn't rain drops on the cover set it off as well?

The thermal sensors are just like the motion detector lights. Body temperature (98 degrees) is generally a sharp contrast to the "room" or horizon temperature that a body is easy to detect. Rain on the cover would be approximately the same temperature, not much contrast.

One of the enhancements that I want to make to my alarm (and one of these days I will get off my lazy butt and do it) is to pull a wire through the cover along with the rope for tightening the cover down and connect that to the alarm.

It would be easy to defeat by someone who had the slightest idea what they were doing, but the three times (yes, three) that I had someone break into my boat they didn't take the time to unhook the rope, they took a knife and cut it. I figure if they are moving that fast they won't notice the wire and it will trigger the alarm before they have even gotten into the boat.

I was also thinking of running four wires (two pairs). Two are "normally open" and two are "normally closed". If they knew which two to short and which two to leave open they would defeat it. If they just shorted both pairs it would set the alarm off.

I have a buddy that got all of his stereo system stolen at a marina that even had security. He had a boat cover and the theives snuck under the cover and took their sweet time taking everything apart so not to wreck there stolen items. They took everything, even the throttle knob. They replaced the boat cover to look like they were never there and he found out the next time he used it. He was really pissed off, but his insurance bought him a new system. He ended up selling the boat months later. He had it at some marina on the Delta by Garlic Brothers Restuarant.

Brannon

I just spoke to a Ken Murray of Flagship Marine Security. He recommended wakeboard boats set up with a Deck Sensor. It is similiar to a pressure mat, but without the mat. It gets glued underneath the floor.
You get to custom make your own alarm (sort of) You can have a siren go off and lights flash when the alarm is activated...even paged when your boat is being broken into.

For a basic set up, Deck sensor, siren, keyless entry(lol), and all necessary wiring - around $300.00 (just includes sale of items)

For more info:
http://www.boatalarm.com/index.html

If you find something better out there, post it.... or feedback from anyone who has this in their boat would be great.

keyless entry?

- Yes, I hate fumbling around for my keys when I'm trying to get into my boat. Glad someone has a solution to that.

yeah...I was thinking the same thing when I was told that....

He was referring to the remote on/off to the alarm...just like your car..

I asked him if he could throw in an automatic 'boat' starter too....lol For those cold days like now when you want to start your boat as your driving into the marina....

Is your boat close to the house? If so, stick a baby monitor in the boat. The thief knows they are caught when your smashing them in the face!

For tower speakers.. get something with a quick release like SampsonSports.com has available.