Sure Action Boat Alarm Products Boat alarm systems offer generous profit opportunities to security and marine installers.  MarineGuard provides more than boat alarm equipment; we provide know-how too.  Boat owners and insurance companies find value in theft prevention.  Marine alarm security systems maximize that prevention.  Plus, many insurance companies offer a discount on insurance for marine security systems. Learn how to be part of this growing security industry!   Boat Alarms Yacht Alarms & Custom Installations Camera Triggers Docks Tracking/Reporting   Boat Alarm Systems and Theft Prevention Boat security has become an increasingly relavent topic over the past ten years.  Unfortunately for boat owners, thieves have discovered that stolen boats are easier to sell than cars and their interest has escalated.  The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) has estimated that boat theft is a $40,000,000 business in just the United States.  Between January 1, 2006 and March 31, 2009, 19,854 watercraft were reported stolen.  While the NICB does not require a dollar value for boat theft, 334 of the reported incidents during this period were valued.  The total amount for just that small number of valued thefts was estimated at more than $5.2 million.  And these numbers reflect only the incidents where boats were stolen; they do not reflect burglaries (stolen property and electronics) or vandalism. As boat owners and Insurance companies feel the monetary pinch of theft, marine electronics and security installers have an opportunity to provide a solution.  With basic information and training, both types of installers can feel comfortable designing boat alarm security systems.  Boat Alarm Basics Protect Key Locations.   The most important places to protect on a boat are entry points and areas where the most expensive property and equipment are stored.     Entry points often include ladders and hatches.  Property and electronics are frequently stored in cabins,  in the cockpit, and on the deck.  The installers goal is to design the alarm system so the intruder never gets close to any valuables.  Annunciation and Lights.  If a boat alarm scares the intruder away before he successfully steals anything, the security system has done its job.   At a minimum a marine security system should have an audible siren that sounds when the system is tripped.  If the system also includes flashing lights, usually tied to the boat's existing lights, the system will be more effective.   A frequently-voiced concern boat owners may raise is that they don't want their alarm system bothering the neighbors.  If the alarm system is designed well and uses marine grade, security components, false-alarms will not be an issue.  Thieves want to remain unseen.  If there is a thief onboard and the security system triggers turning on a siren and flashing lights, no burglar will stick around long.  If a thief attempts to rob a boat, the boat owners should want the neighbors to notice. Use Marine Grade Equipment.   Many security installers use standard home alarm components on boats.  This is a huge mistake.  A boat is not a house and the harsh marine environment is not the same as a person's backyard.      Marine security equipment is exposed to intense sunlight, birds, high winds, gentle to extreme rocking, and high exposure to humidity and direct water contact.  If security equipment is not protected properly, it can trigger a high number of false-alarms and the equipment can breakdown quickly.   Marine grade equipment is built to last and provide stable, virtually-false-alarm-free security. Monitoring the Marine Alarm System.  Protecting a boat with an alarm system is an important deterent.  Adding monitoring services to the system, increases the value of the system expontentially.   Having a stable alarm system that fires when an intruder attempts to board is extremely valuable.  But what if the boat is in a remote location?  Or what if there are other boats that have faulty systems that trigger often and the neighbors have learned to ignore the siren?  What  then?  Boat owners can now have their marine alarm systems monitored.  A message can be sent by cell or satellite network to a central station or even to the owner's cell phone or PDA notifying them of the alarm code.   The security alarm can be responded to promptly.   In our high tech society, owners can be notified promptly by their marine alarm system if there is a problem on their boat. These points provide basic information about designing a marine security sytem.  MarineGuard builds every piece of equipment with these goals in mind.  Look for additional articles on designing, pricing, selling, installing and troubleshooting boat alarm systems in the Business Resource and Tech Center sections of our web site.