Boat Trackers and Immobilisers

Boat security involves using electronic or physical measures to deter malicious acts, prevent damage, and thwart theft. Such measures or equipment could include the use of trackers, immobilisers, dash cams, and driveway bollards.

As thieves continue to develop new techniques to bypass factory-fitted security equipment, aftermarket vehicle security equipment is designed to function independently from your caravans factory-fitted equipment. This means that it is not affected by the latest methods employed by thieves to overcome factory-fitted security measures..

Here we discuss some of the most important things you can do to protect your boat against theft.

1. Invest and install additional aftermarket truck security.

Unfortunately, it seems nearly every boat rolling off the production line now has inadequate or compromised security features fitted. With the rapid development of new digital theft techniques manufacturers haven’t been able to keep up or adapt to the emerging threats. Because of this, boat owners and fleet operators up and down the UK have been turning to the aftermarket forboat security solutions to combat these issues.

Engine immobilisers – Aftermarket engine immobilisers are becoming ever more vital in the fight against the latest digital theft methods. Modern aftermarket immobilisers are user-friendly passive devices requiring no input from the vehicle owner. They work by implementing an additional layer of authorisation for a boat's starting procedure by working independently from the boat’s factory-fitted security and systems. Aftermarket engine immobilisers are great boat security upgrades for the prevention of modern theft techniques such as relay attack, CAN injection, OBD attack, and key cloning.

Trackers – The modern boat tracker is vital in the recovery efforts of a stolen boat, without one attempts to find and recover a boat after theft are vanishingly slim. Insurers often request the fitment of such devices and generally mandate the fitment of Thatcham category S5 trackers to vehicles over £45,000. Thatcham category S5 trackers offer 24/7 theft monitoring and automatic owner recognition as their main features and installation of such a tracker should be on your mandatory to-do list. As part of Thatcham’s security certification, category S5 trackers are insurance-approved products so in most cases are likely to bring your insurance premium down too.

Tracker and immobiliser – This combination is really the minimum I’d recommend to anyone serious about their boat’s security and concerns regarding theft. It’s the best of both worlds with the engine immobiliser preventing nearly all attempts of opportunist theft and the tracker there as a backup in the event the boat is stolen for whatever reason.

With a tracker fitted but no immobiliser your vehicle can be stolen with relative ease with modern theft techniques. With an immobiliser fitted but no tracker, you're very unlikely to recover the boat if it does get stolen for whatever reason or means of doing so.

2. Factory-fitted trackers (a false sense of security).

Don’t subscribe or activate a factory-fitted tracker.

If your new boat comes with a subscription to one then fine but I wouldn’t recommend spending any money on one when equipping the car from new, at handover or even if you have a preowned boat equipped with one but needing activation. Even if you are already subscribed to the service for whatever reason I’d still recommend having an aftermarket tracker installed.

Why? Because the factory-fitted tracker isn’t really a tracking system for real boat security purposes. Most are just your ‘connected app’ hardware with a monitoring centre bolted to it then marketed as a factory-fitted tracker. Others, while maybe more of an independent factory-fitted tracker are big bulky outdated hardware easily found by thieves. Manufacturers simply offer factory-fitted trackers and the service as another revenue stream, an expensive one for you too (compared with aftermarket subscription rates).

The main reason to stay away from these factory-fitted ‘trackers’ though is simply because they're fitted at the factory on a production line. Meaning they are all fitted in the same place (model-specific). For instance, take a Range Rover’s factory-fitted ‘tracker’ (it doesn’t matter what type of vehicle, this scenario applies to anything fitted with a factory-fitted tracker), marketed as InControl Secure, that tracker is fitted in the same location on every single Range Rover that comes off the production line, hardly secure, is it? If you know where to look on the internet you can easily find the position of the tracker and remove it. That’s exactly what thieves do, nearly every stolen-recovered vehicle I’ve ever seen had the factory-fitted tracker disabled, but thieves don’t stop there, thieves will also disable all factory-fitted hardware that has the ability to communicate with the outside world including the SOS call system.

Interestingly the Range Rover InControl Secure tracker is also category S5 Thatcham and insurance-approved and can be configured as a regular category S7 too. However, such is the ease of factory-fitted tracker disabling and removal that many vehicle insurers of Range Rovers stopped providing cover even with the activation of Land Rover's own Thatcham and Insurance-approved category S5 tracker (factory-fitted), even JLR’s (Jaguar Land Rover) own insurance plan won't cover you. So, a security product that car insurers endorse is now not acceptable even while being a Thatcham-certified category S5 tracker, why?

Because it’s factory fitted. Car insurers (again, we could talk about any insurer for any vehicle type) have learnt the hard way that trackers just can't be factory-fitted, they need to be installed in the aftermarket. They're too easy to find and disable when factory-fitted and insurers have found this out through costly payouts on ‘stolen not recovered’ vehicles. The key to trackers is for them to be installed in secrecy, a process known as security through obscurity, having the whereabouts of your boat’s factory-fitted tracker on the internet with detailed documentation of how to access it isn’t very secure or secretive, but that’s the case with factory-fitted tracking systems.

While that covers why you shouldn’t rely on a factory-fitted tracker for your boat security there’s also the matter of dealership-fitted trackers.

Dealership-fitted trackers -Depending on the vehicle manufacturer and dealership, they sometimes work with manufacturers of aftermarket vehicle security and offer customers the fitment of aftermarket trackers in-house at the dealership. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Your new boat is fitted with a dealer-recommended and supplied aftermarket tracker and is installed by dealership technicians, what’s wrong with that?

Well, their day job isn’t aftermarket security installation, it’s the servicing of their boats, they’re not professionals in the installation of aftermarket security equipment so you’re unlikely to receive the quality of installation expected from a vehicle security installation professional. As the inherent security of your vehicle relies upon the quality of the installation of your tracking system (how hard it will be to find by thieves if stolen) it is the most important aspect of having a tracking system installed, if it's installed poorly then there wasn’t much point in fitting it at all. If your vehicle is ever stolen a poorly installed tracking system will be found and removed in quick time, resulting in a lot of disappointment, wasted time, and wasted money.

Installation of aftermarket equipment at the dealership means they must also follow strict installation procedures and use connection methods that would otherwise be seen as compromising the covertness of the installation by industry professionals. Dealership technicians also usually follow specifications for the connection and positioning of the tracker provided by the aftermarket manufacturer/supplier, so as with factory-fitted trackers they are likely to be found again in the same locations (model specific).

Therefore, it’s also not recommended you have your tracker installed at the dealership either unless you do your research, ask, and find that an external third-party vehicle security installation professional comes into the dealership to perform their installations, this is the case from time to time as most dealership service departments are usually inundated with their own workload.

Conclusion -

To conclude, it’s wise to invest and install some form of aftermarket vehicle security product in your boat. With the development of modern digital theft techniques, most modern boat factory-fitted security features are inadequate leading to an increased risk of theft and failed recovery. For peace of mind, theft prevention and recovery capabilities, the installation of an aftermarket tracker and immobiliser is recommended to combat modern digital theft methods but installed by an industry professional, not a dealership unless they use external industry professionals to carry out this type of work.

Electronic Security

We would always recommend you consider installing a Thatcham category S5 boat tracker and engine immobiliser. Doing so provides excellent protection against modern digital theft methods as well as enabling a professional, police-backed response to recovery in the event your vehicle is stolen.

Combining both a Thatcham S5 boat tracker and engine immobiliser into one system ideally from the same hardware manufacturer is also recommended over installing both as stand-alone products. Combining the two provides more functionality and makes for a more user-friendly system. These combined S5 tracker and immobiliser systems are also able to utilise the communication capabilities of the tracker to control the arming and disarming of the engine immobiliser remotely.

Additionally, the fitment of an OBD (On Board Diagnostics) port immobiliser (if your vehicle has one) is useful to combat more specialist theft methods that use software to compromise a vehicle’s onboard electronic systems. The theft method known as OBD attack (aka CAN injection) sees thieves plug a piece of hardware into your vehicle’s OBD port and communicate with your vehicle’s onboard electrical systems using sophisticated software. This software can tell your vehicle not to look for certain items needed for authorised engine starting or enable an emergency start procedure, as such they can circumnavigate many things normally needed for starting the vehicle and steal it with ease. The installation of an OBD port immobiliser denies thieves easy access to your vehicle’s onboard electronic systems through the OBD port, as such modern theft methods such as OBD attack and key cloning can be prevented.

Wireless backup boat tracker. The installation of a secondary tracker for extra security and peace of mind is also a good choice. Using a wireless battery-powered tracker enables the device to be installed in even more covert locations on your vehicle, requiring no hardwiring they can be positioned in locations not normally accessible for hardwired devices such as underneath the vehicle or behind exterior panels where vehicle wiring is non-existent. With it being a secondary backup tracker, it can be used to continue tracking a stolen vehicle if the main tracker is lost and provides further resistance to jamming.

Physical deterrents

Driveway bollards are another good addition to upgrade your boat's security. They’ll prevent thieves from simply towing your boat straight off your driveway in the event they're able to steal your vehicle for whatever reason. Driveway bollards for boat security come in many shapes and configurations, generally, you’ll find them as fold-down surface-mounted or assisted-manual lift posts. They can also contain smart technologies for automated lifting and lowering in the presence of your vehicle using a motorised mechanism.

While physical boat security upgrades do work, it's a common theme that they are normally inconvenient and cumbersome.

Therefore, it really depends on whether your boat is on or out of the water. Driveway bollards, wheel and hitch lock/clamps for the transport trailer can serve well to prevent theft of your boar whilst at home or in storage. When on the water, however, electronic security equipment such as an aftermarket engine immobiliser and tracker is likely to provide better protection, although a steering wheel lock might still be useful.

 We would recommend the installation of a tracker and immobiliser system for boat security upgrade purposes. It’s a user-friendly system that arms and disarms the immobiliser automatically without interaction from the owner. It also does this whether you're at home, work or even abroad so you’ll also take that security with you wherever you go. However, it must be said that physical deterrents do serve well as visual deterrents by making your boat look far less attractive behind say a gated/bollarded premises or a steering lock.

If your insurer has asked for a boat tracker to be fitted to your vehicle, they’ll normally request a Thatcham-approved, professionally monitored tracker. Even if you do not require a boat tracker for insurance purposes it’s still advised to install a professionally monitored tracker.

‘Thatcham Approved’ products are products that have been independently tested by Thatcham. The certification provides reassurance around the functionality, design, performance, and compliance (legislative and automotive quality standards). Thatcham has created the compliance criteria for two Categories of Stolen Vehicle Tracking, Category S7, and Category S5.

We’ll explain the difference between the two categories below.

Thatcham Category ‘S7’

Thatcham Category S7 is a type of standalone tracking unit that is used primarily to secure lower-value boat These trackers provide location data and other important features such as driving behaviour monitoring. They are connected to a monitoring centre that operates 24/7/365 with trained personnel who are alerted when the tracker detects any suspicious activity. If any alerts are generated, the monitoring centre will immediately contact the owner of the vehicle.

Thatcham S7 boat trackers usually come with features like vehicle battery disconnection detection and tow-away alerts to prevent any possible sabotage. Furthermore, the tracking unit has an in-built backup battery that enables it to remain operational even when its power supply is removed.

In the event of a theft, the owner of the vehicle needs to report the incident to the secure control room by phone. The personnel will then liaise with the police to aid in the recovery of the stolen vehicle.

Thatcham Category ‘S5’

Thatcham Category S5 boat tracking systems are designed for high-value and higher-risk vehicles. They consist of a tracking unit and driver recognition technology which provides fast proactive alerts to any unauthorised vehicle movements.

Driver recognition technology is used to confirm that the driver of the vehicle is authorised to do so. In most cases, this is done by using a small battery-powered tag that is usually attached to the vehicle's key or carried by the driver.

When the vehicle's ignition is switched on, the tracking unit scans to find the signal from the tag. If the tag is detected, then the system sees that an authorised driver is present. However, if the tracking device fails to detect the driver recognition tag, an alert will be sent to the monitoring centre where the owner of the vehicle will receive a phone call to check if a theft has taken place. The monitoring team will then liaise with the police on the ground to recover the vehicle quickly.

Compared to S7 systems where you would need to discover and then report the theft, S5 systems alert quickly to any unauthorised use or theft of the vehicle. This fast alerting is the difference between the two systems. With an S7 device, you may not realise the vehicle has been stolen for several hours, whereas S5 systems ensure the fastest response from the monitoring team and the police, increasing the chances of safe recovery of the vehicle.

S5 systems include all functionality associated with an S7 but with the added benefit of driver recognition.

It's important to understand that tracking systems do not prevent vehicle theft, but rather alert you when theft occurs and help with recovery efforts using location data from the device. If you're interested in preventing vehicle theft, consider our combined tracking and immobiliser systems, which include aftermarket engine immobilisers that can help deter theft.

If you’re interested in installing an aftermarket boat engine immobiliser or require one for insurance compliance, then look no further. Specialist Trackers UK prides itself on offering the very best boat engine immobilisers and combined tracker and immobiliser systems on the market.

As insurers look to further curb the rise in vehicle theft, they too are turning to engine immobilisers. Unlike boat trackers, there are not any specific Thatcham/insurance-approved categories for aftermarket immobilisers yet, other than Category 2 although this relates mainly to factory-fitted equipment.

Therefore, for now, it is rather hit-and-miss as to whether insurers have the product you intend to have installed on their approval list, even so, a quick explanation as to what you're having installed should suffice, an engine immobiliser is an engine immobiliser after all. Aftermarket car security companies are working hard to get the insurance companies' lists of accepted products updated as quickly as possible with modern products. It's frustrating but important work as many contain older, inferior, and discontinued car immobilisers that the insurers are recommending to customers even though there are better more modern alternatives on the market.

See below to find information regarding what boat engine immobilisers are and how they work -

An aftermarket immobiliser is an electronic anti-theft device that prevents the unauthorised starting of a vehicle's engine. While similar in operation to factory-fitted immobilisers, they differ in many areas.

First, aftermarket immobilisers work independently of your factory-fitted systems, which means they are not influenced or disarmed by the presence of your vehicle's key or its signal. With many modern theft methods exploiting the vulnerabilities of keyless entry and start systems, this feature is crucial as it makes them effective at preventing digital theft methods such as relay attack and key cloning.

Second, when paired with a tracker, many modern immobilisers can utilise over-the-air communications, which enables remote immobilisation of the vehicle's engine. You can find these products and more information on them here - Combined Tracker and Immobilisers.

Third, most aftermarket boat engine immobilisers are passive systems that arm and disarm automatically without any input from the driver. This is achieved through proximity and communication of an ID tag. Unlike the factory vehicle key, the ID tag uses a different technology for communication, which makes it less vulnerable to signal relaying due to its security architecture. The increased theft rate of modern vehicles fitted with keyless entry/start systems is due to the vulnerability of the factory vehicle key's signal, which can be easily relayed to the vehicle at a distance.

Finally, aftermarket immobilisers are currently superior to factory-fitted car immobilisers for vehicles fitted with keyless entry/start systems. Factory-fitted immobilisers can be disabled in as little as 30 seconds, making them vulnerable to modern digital theft methods such as 'relay attack'.

If you're looking to increase your truck security, the aftermarket now offers many systems that are far superior to anything fitted at the factory. Unfortunately, vehicle manufacturers are lagging behind the advances and threats made in vehicle theft techniques. As a result, truck owners are turning to the aftermarket for new advances in vehicle security products and technologies to secure their vehicles against theft.

If you want to upgrade your boat’s security, then a combined boat tracker and immobiliser system is the most effective way to do it. Even boat insurers are now requiring their customers to have both a boat tracker and an engine immobiliser installed. These combined systems have been popular in the aftermarket for some time, as they offer a great solution to combat boat theft and enable recovery capabilities. The aftermarket truck security installers have been fitting these combined systems for years to fight modern theft methods.

If you are a potential customer for boat security, I would recommend a combined tracker and immobiliser system as the minimum amount of security needed for effective protection against modern theft techniques. This is because modern vehicles with keyless entry/start technologies can easily be stolen, but this also still applies to older turnkey-style technologies. Thieves can steal a modern boat in as little as 30 seconds using modern theft methods such as relay attack, OBD attack and key cloning.

While other types of boat security such as trackers are crucial in the recovery of a stolen boat, they do not prevent theft. A boat fitted with any type of tracker can still be stolen using modern theft methods and provides no increase in a boat security or theft prevention other than the capability of potentially alerting to the theft attempt and providing positioning data for its hopeful recovery. Therefore, I recommend fitting an aftermarket boat immobiliser, but pair it with a tracker. This combination is effective at preventing keyless theft because the immobiliser works independently from your vehicle’s factory security systems and is not disarmed via the factory remote/vehicle key.

A combined tracker and immobiliser system is a boat security package that usually includes a category S5 tracker and an engine immobiliser. The engine immobiliser is automatically armed and disarmed using the proximity of an ID tag.

Having a combined tracker and immobiliser system installed in your boat is crucial to protect against modern keyless theft techniques such as relay attack, OBD attack and key cloning. The most important feature of this system is the engine immobiliser, which automatically arms and disarms, ensuring that your boat is always immobilised when not in use. This helps to prevent the exploitation of keyless entry and start technology and protects your boat from many of the modern theft methods.

Most of these systems do not require any input from the driver of the boat, they are passive systems. This means that the immobilisation of your boat’s engine is done automatically, often through the proximity of an ID tag, making it easy for boat owners and operators to use day to day.

When considering electronic or physical security upgrades for your boat, it's helpful to compare their ease of use, cost, range of use, and effectiveness as a starting point.

Generally, electronic boat security products outperform physical security options in most aspects, except for cost. While deterrents like driveway bollards and gates can be more expensive than electronic security systems, electronic options such as trackers and immobilisers provide real benefits in terms of theft prevention. They are easy to use, reasonably priced, and offer continuous security wherever you go. They are highly effective in preventing theft by modern theft techniques.

On the other hand, physical boat security deterrents, like steering wheel locks, driveway bollards, and gates, offer strong visual deterrence to potential thieves, which electronic boat security systems lack due to their secretive nature. Steering locks and driveway bollards and gates can deter thieves from attempting to steal your boat, while electronic security may invite thieves to cause some damage before giving up due to an immobilised engine, for example.

While physical deterrents have their advantages, they also have their disadvantages. Steering locks can be cumbersome to operate, move, and stow away, while driveway bollards require constant manual operation. Additionally, driveway bollards only provide extra security when your boat is at home and don't offer protection once you leave the yard or storage facility.

In conclusion, combining electronic and physical deterrents for improved boat security can be beneficial, but it's recommended to install your electronic boat security system first. Since electronic security systems are meant to be installed professionally and covertly, it's not advised to display stickers or any indications of their presence. Not advertising their presence keeps thieves guessing and may deter them from attempting theft. Conversely, a boat without any indication of aftermarket security upgrades may be appealing to thieves. In this case, physical deterrents such as steering wheel locks, driveway bollards, and dash cams could be beneficial.

Its simple!

1. Select the product you wish to have installed and either add it to your bag or go straight ahead and purchase it.

2. Once purchased Specialised Trackers UK will contact you that same day to arrange a date and time for your installation.

3. And that's it, your installation engineer will carry out the installation on the agreed-upon date and time.

4. If you need your vehicle security product for insurance purpose, such as a tracker, once your product has been installed you will automatically receive your ‘proof of installation certificate’ via email. This is the important document your vehicle insurer will be needing to prove the product has been fitted. Simply forward this on to your insurer once you receive it,

5. Your all set and now insurance compliant.