Boat Ramp theft!

[Ol Yeller]

Last Saturday at the 50 ramp on the St Johns a truck had it's catalytic converter stolen while the owner was on the water. It turns out this is getting pretty common as the scum bags get about $200 for the scrap value. They like to steal from trucks with large ground clearance as they can get under easier. There is an article in the Orlando Sentinal http://www.orlandosentinel.com/communit ... 1274.story.

Anyone got any ideas for an alarm that would be easy to install and effective against this? How about one of those "Bulldog" alarm motion sensors? It's either that or we'll have to start parking over fire-ant mounds.

[dantheairboatman]

That is insane! Nothing like a long day of cutting out people's cadalitic converters

[bondsman]

this is just gonna get worse until they start prosecuting the scrap yards for taken stolen scrap.they shounld have to take thumbprint,copy of a valid picture i.d. and a requesition letterfromwhere it came.

[Rich Andrews]

chain a pit bull to the bumper

[Homegrown]

Which of the three ramps were you at? I park on the southside usually so my truck is in the open(not sure if that will stop them.) Sounds like we needd to sit in the bushes with some sticks and park some jacked up trucks with airboat trailers hooked to them. If they won't have any security patrol the ramps we need to do it ourselves and send a good message. I'm tired of this, I showed up to the ramp a little earlier than some wouldbe thiefs expected and they didn't get my rims and tires but, I realized on 95 headed home at midnight that my lugnuts were loose with my buddy and his 9 year old boy in the truck that could have been ugly. Well if someone sees me at the boat ramp beating the Sh-- out of somebody with my stick then you know I caught one. They need to lower the price of scrap metal, between that and the economy I'm afraid this is only gonna get worse.

[SAFARI RICK]

WORST PART IS THEY ONLY GET ABOUT $50 FOR THEM!!!
Friend works for a company that just scrapped some old work trucks and all they got was $50 for the converters.
Aint worth your life for $50 CAUSE IFIN I CATCH EM - TAKEN THE BOAT BACK OUT TO DISPOSE OF ..........

That is ifin I could get the boat running......

[rost495]

Well now lets think a bit... isn't the donut at the headers on the truck something synthetic? IE not steel. And most exhausts are hung on insulated hangers for vibration, not direct steel to steel...

A battery operated constant voltage IE not pulse, operated hot fence charger. Could be easy to rig up, and a hidden flip switch or remote to arm/disarm.....

Don't know what they'd do after they got hold if it, but it'd be a good laugh at the bastards laying on their back under a vehicle and grab hold of it....

Jeff

[Quackcephus]

Just another reason that I need to be KING FOR LIFE...

[Bob in Canada]

Up here in the Ottawa area some scumbags are actually stealing manhole covers off the sewers .
Could you imagine hitting that at night on a motorcycle? What kind of a selfish pr1ck would do a thing like that?

[RiverRat]

Well now lets think a bit... isn't the donut at the headers on the truck something synthetic? IE not steel. And most exhausts are hung on insulated hangers for vibration, not direct steel to steel...

A battery operated constant voltage IE not pulse, operated hot fence charger. Could be easy to rig up, and a hidden flip switch or remote to arm/disarm.....

Don't know what they'd do after they got hold if it, but it'd be a good laugh at the bastards laying on their back under a vehicle and grab hold of it....

Jeff

I was thinkin along the same lines as you on this, rost. Somehow make it HOT for the a-holes!
It got pretty bad up here for a while even with folks cars just parked in big store parking lots... The theory was the thieves were in two vehicles sitting in the lot waiting for the right vehicle to show up and park in a spot they could get on each side of... The police said they were using something like cordless recip saws and could have one cut off in just a minute and be gone.... They've gotten off the converter kick though and have now moved on to the copper in AC units.

[Rich Andrews]

Hey Bob, those same scumbags have been in S Fl as well. The SCUM bag recyclers should all go to jail as well. ....I had a metal tiki torch taken from my yard the other night.

[Whitebear]

I like that solution. Probably the only one that will be effective. Catch em in the act, then have some fun with them. Sticks and stones can break my bones....... thats exactly the idea ! Some judge will; just either turn them lose or give em a few days in the hotel at OUR expense and they will be right back on the job stealing stuff again. Of course a chain and some drag time would......... nah, thats already been done.

Scotty

[Jimmy Rickards]

I know some guys that scrap cars. But they don't steal them they either buy them or people give them to them to get them out of their yard. They told me the converters have platinum in them. Wherever they take em the guy cuts them open weighs it and pays that way. I was told you can get over $200 for some. I don't know how platinum builds up in there but Iguess it does.

[Whitebear]

Platimum is put in there at the factory as the catalist for the catalitic converter. It reacts with the byproducts of combustion and makes it more or less non polluting. At least for "some" of the gasses they measure for.

Scotty

[Jimmy Rickards]

Platimum is put in there at the factory as the catalist for the catalitic converter. It reacts with the byproducts of combustion and makes it more or less non polluting. At least for "some" of the gasses they measure for.

Scotty

10-4 thanks I wasn't sure I just heard that's why they were buying them.

[RIDINFILTHY]

they get em for the platinum in em!!! i actually replaced one for a customer this week cause he was at the mall at came out and it was loud as hell!!someone stole the damn converter, it is funny but it pisses me off, that these punks get away with this crap, i cant even get away with speedin, but whatever if ya catch em beat the shit out of em and tie em up for the cops
just me 2 cents

[Rich Andrews]

If them dam things are worth that much, I'm cuttin my old ladys' out and going ridin next week.

[Bob in Canada]

What's next ... boats getting stolen for the metal in the hull .
Rich : you have some twisted ideas . I've got the hack saw out and wait for my darling to nod off .

[Mike Thurman]

Since Florida does not have emmissions testing any longer why don't we all cut them from our trucks and add a little hp while making a few dollars to compensate for the price of fuel?? Now where is my saw at???:lol:

[RiverRat]

We don't need em up here either, Mike. Hmm... There's a thought. Stash another couple of hundred bucks in the sock for boat building material!

[Canes350]

Hey Bob, those same scumbags have been in S Fl as well. The SCUM bag recyclers should all go to jail as well. ....I had a metal tiki torch taken from my yard the other night.

Hey man you cant put all people that recycle iin that catagory when i get the chance to help my buddy scrap and make a little extra gas money i do it. But no i dont steal and i am deffinently not a scumbag just because I take scrap to the scrapeyard

[K-mac]

I think maybe some well placed bill boards showing
some jerk lying on the ground with a rechargable
sawzall in his hand, and a hole tween his eyes.
maybe a caption saying ( IS IT WORTH YOUR LIFE ? )
and posters showing the same at the recycling places.

[lanny haff]

I hear their stealing the bronz flower vases out of cemerterys now. People never cease to amaze me!
Lanny

[Cuda]

Vento, you no where I usually park. I've been pretty lucky, easy pickens there. Guess it just a matter of time. But If I catch em in the act, I won't hurt em, I'm just gonna take em for a friendly little boat ride. We all have some special spots out on the St. Johns for our special friends to be dropped off at. Let them find there way home in the dark while dealing with the skeeters and the rest of our 4 and 6 legged friends that live out there. I'm sure they'll think twice before they steal from another airboater!

[cowtown]

I think maybe some well placed bill boards showing
some jerk lying on the ground with a rechargable
sawzall in his hand, and a hole tween his eyes.
maybe a caption saying ( IS IT WORTH YOUR LIFE ? )
and posters showing the same at the recycling places.

i agreewith that