6,302 (Ave.) Boat Thefts Per Year Nationwide
Among the 19,854 watercraft thefts in the last three years, July is the favorite month, Florida is the leading state in
this crime category, and Yamaha PWCs appear to be the target of choice, according
to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). The NICB says that the most expensive
theft they recorded was $600,000 but the average theft represented about a $15,000
loss. PWC was the clear favorites of thieves, followed by kayaks, jon boats, canoes
and pontoon boats.
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This bar chart of thefts pretty much follows the ebb and flow of boat usage around the calendar. |
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Boat registrations are highest in Florida, but it also has the longest boating season, which we reckon accounts for the disproportion number of crimes there. |
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If you thought large, expensive boats were the prime targets, you got it wrong. |
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Yamaha PWCs are now the most popular watercraft for heist, overtaking Sea-Doo (BRP USA) the last couple of years. |
Although watercraft theft is mostly a seasonal crime, many states have year round
seasons and owners need to practice safe and smart boating which includes personal
safety while on the water as well as theft prevention. NICB recommends the following
tips to help protect your watercraft from theft:
• When you dock it, lock it and secure it to the dock with a steel cable
• Remove expensive equipment when not in use
• Chain and lock detachable motors to the boat
• Do not leave title or registration papers in the craft
• Disable the craft by shutting fuel lines or removing batteries
• Use a trailer hitch lock after parking a boat on its trailer
• Install a kill switch in the ignition system
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To you he might look like just a regular bank robber, but for all we know he could hanker for a PWC or jon boat. |