THIS IS THE time of year when most recreational boaters — except diehard winter crabbers and hearty wind sailors — have their boats out of the water and stowed away for the season.
Some have their pride and joy in storage facilities, but most have their boat on a trailer sitting in their driveway or side yard.
Boats stored over the winter become easy targets for thieves.
And many boat owners don’t discover that they’ve been a victim of theft until springtime when it’s time to make preparations to put the boat back into the water.
According to BoatUS Marine Insurance, the three most common items stolen from stowed boats are electronics, outboard motors and outdrives.
To avoid a theft of your boat’s electronics, it is well worth your time and effort to remove the gear and store it in your home.
If they are permanently installed, make sure to have a record of ownership information, including the model and serial numbers. It is also a good idea to have photographs of your onboard electronics.
Small outboard motors should be removed and stored in a locked garage or other secure structure. Larger outboard motors should have a lock installed.
It is recommended that outdrives be removed and stowed in a secure location after having recorded the unit’s serial number.
The next best defense against a theft would be to install an outdrive lock, BoatUS says.
Some more tips:
• When storing a boat and trailer at your residence, don’t leave the trailer tongue facing the street.
Additionally, block the trailer, and remove the tires and store them in the garage.
At the very least, wheel locks should be installed as well as a lock on the hitch receiver.
• If you are looking to sell your boat in favor of a new craft for next season, do not leave a “For Sale” posted on it all winter.
It has the potential of attracting the wrong kind of attention and gives nefarious characters an excuse to climb aboard and nose around with impunity.
Adding personalized markings to equipment helps identify and recover stolen items.
Making your mark readily apparent is an added deterrent because it makes those items less “marketable” and less likely to be stolen.
• Don’t forget that four-legged “bandits,” such as raccoons and other forest critters, would enjoy the comfort and shelter of a stored boat.
Ensure that winter covers are tight and remain securely attached.
If at all possible don’t store your boat in a place that makes it easy for animals to get aboard, such as near trees or building overhangs. Cover large exhaust ports, and never leave a ladder leaning against the boat.
Good reputation
Platypus Marine Inc., the Port Angeles boat and yacht repair company at Marine Drive and Cedar Street, has Seeya in the Commander Building.
The boat’s owner brought the 36-foot Yellow Fin by trailer from his home in Portland, Ore.
According to Capt. Charlie Crane, Platypus’ director of sales and marketing, the owner was particularly attracted to the company because of the reputation Verne Braghettia and the fiberglass department has garnered within the industry.
Capt Charlie said the boat will be at Platypus’ facility well into March for extensive fiberglass modifications.
The owner is an avid sportfisher of albacore and is reconfiguring Seeya into a go-fast fishing boat that can get him out and back for a day’s tuna fishing — a round trip of 100 to 200 miles or more.
Platypus also has Ocean Cape, a 52-foot Sunnfjord that hails from Douglas, Alaska, sitting on blocks in the Commander Building.
The commercial fishing vessel will be in Port Angeles until the end of the month while personnel sandblast her bottom and the entire boat receives a new coat of paint.
Dan O’Keefe, a project manager at Platypus Marine, is also the leader for Boy Scout Troop 1473 of Port Angeles.
Beginning this weekend, the troop is selling Christmas trees on Marine Drive next to Action Brake and Muffler, whose owners generously donated the use of a space for the Boy Scouts’ fundraising event.
This is the second year the troop has had a tree lot.
The brainchild behind this fund raising event is Kim O’Keefe, Dan’s wife and project manager for the O’Keefe household.
Half of the net proceeds from the sale of the trees are used to defer the costs of the troop’s activities throughout the year.
The other half are posted on a prorated basis, based on hours worked, to each Scout’s individual account, which he then uses to defer the costs of attending the annual Boy Scouts’ summer camp.
Dan said their goal this year is to help as many Scouts as possible to earn enough money to pay their camp expenses for next summer.
Historical note
In the Dec. 21, 1877, edition of the Puget Sound Weekly Argus published in Port Townsend, there is news of the arrival from San Francisco of the recently commissioned revenue steamer, Thomas Corwin, a topsail schooner with a complement of eight officers and 33 enlisted personnel.
Onboard the 140-foot vessel was a steel lifeboat that incorporated the latest technology gleaned from English and French lifeboats whose destination was the U.S. Lifesaving Station at Neah (spelled Neeah) Bay.
The boat was built of iron and weighed 3 ½ tons.
She had five thwarts (rowers seats) which could accommodate 10 men rowing double-banked, and could be steered either with a rudder or steering oars.
The news article went on to say that it was the intention of the government to have her manned by “Cape Flattery Indians” who are famous for their skill and daring in handling boats or canoes in the heavy surf which prevails at all times at the cape.
The article concludes by saying that it will take a couple of months to get the Neah Bay station in working order — many things will have to be provided for a position so isolated which are not needed on the Atlantic coast.
Filling up in the harbor
On Wednesday, Tesoro Petroleum in Port Angeles bunkered Genmar Phoenix, an 882-petroleum products tanker that is flagged in the Marshall Islands.
On Thursday, Tesoro provided bunkers to the Hong Kong-flagged bulk cargo ship, Hebei Mercy which is 800 feet long.
And today, Tesoro is scheduled to refuel the 941-foot crude oil tanker, Alaskan Frontier, which was tied up Saturday to the Port of Port Angeles’ Terminal 1 north pier.
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David G. Sellars is a Port Angeles resident and former Navy boatswain’s mate who enjoys boats and strolling the waterfront.
Items involving boating, port activities and the North Olympic Peninsula waterfronts are always welcome.
E-mail dgsellars@hotmail.com or phone him at 360-808-3202.
His column, On the Waterfront, appears every Sunday.
