Buyer beware when it comes to bargain boats

By ROBIN BAILEY

Thinking of buying a boat privately? Be careful, because some of the bargains appearing in the "For Sale" columns are stolen.

How do you tell if a boat has been stolen? With great difficulty.

And that's the problem that continues to confront Martin Paget. The launch master sergeant is officer in charge of the Police Maritime Unit based at the Marine Rescue Centre at Mechanics Bay in Auckland. A huge problem, in time and effort, is chasing and identifying stolen boats and outboards.

"Because Auckland has more boats than any other place in the country, our figures top the list," says Paget. "In 1999 there were 356 boats stolen in the region. Last year the total was 288 and so far this year 49 have been stolen. Of those 693 boats, only 70 were recovered. So this means that in the Auckland region there are more than 600 stolen boats still out there from the last two years alone."

That figure causes him concern, because tracing a stolen boat is time-consuming and often fruitless. When an obviously stolen boat is found, there's no way of proving ownership. "Sometimes there is a ding in the hull or an alteration made by the real owner that tells the story," says Paget. "But that doesn't happen often. Mostly we find it impossible to prove ownership and the thief gets away.

"We have 12,000 to 15,000 boats in the Auckland area on marinas or moorings, and more than 90,000 other boats on trailers. Marinas are mostly secure, but moored craft are fair game for burglars seeking outboards, inflatables and electronic gear."

The maritime police try to target areas and individuals who they know are up to no good, Paget says. However, they know that elements of organised crime are active in the marine area, and both boats and motors are going offshore as well as to other parts of New Zealand.

He is keen to see the introduction of a system similar to or even an addition to the existing Vehicle Identification Number that's in place for motor vehicles. "It's not just a matter of making our job easier. It's a protection for the honest boat-owner."

The benefits of such a system are being evaluated and will be discussed with interested individuals and groups, including the Boating Industries Association.

Tauranga security company chief Wayne Renner, who also has an interest in matters maritime, believes he is some way down the track towards solving the problem. He offers foolproof identification of GRP boats of all sizes, and mostly everything else that floats.

His company has developed a series of microchips and a back-up computer register. The chips range from a couple of inches in diameter down to the size of a large grain of rice. They can be implanted under the gelcoat of a GRP boat or glued to wooden or aluminium craft. They can even be dispersed over several sites on the hull to make detection difficult.

"The size of the chip doesn't matter," says Renner. "They all do the same job, it's just that the bigger the chip the greater the range it gives the reader unit that receives the ID information installed in the chip. The tiny chips can also be used to mark outboards, depth-sounders and radio gear."

The chip technology may be some time away. In the meantime, Paget says that if you are looking at buying a second-hand boat or motor, consider these points:

* If it is a real bargain and seems too cheap to be true, it probably is. Beware and contact the maritime police.

* The police will want to know the hull serial number if there is one, the motor serial number, if there is one, and the trailer registration number.

If you buy a boat that turns out to be stolen you could well end up without both the boat and the money. A good idea is to check the waterpolice website before parting with any dollars.

www.waterpolice.co.nz