Some total jerk stole my inter 20

My Inter 20 has lain on the beach by my mothers house in sarasota for the last year or so and I just got a call that it was taken off the beach. There is no trailer access there it can only be taken over water. It is a non stock color so it is easy to identify, It is Ice Blue Awl Grip Like a very lgiht baby blue. It was taken over the last few days off of a private beach on siesta key. If anyone tries to sell you a I 20 with no sails that is a non stock color please call the cops. It would also be without daggerboards. I hope this forum will stay hot so people are on the lookout ...HELP!

thanks

Charlie

Sorry to hear of your loss, sad that there such scum in the world today.

That sucks.. I'll keep my eye out. Make sure you check craigslist and stay alert on ebay for it.

Have you alerted the authorities in the area?

Oh, also, it had a carbon rig and would be without a snuffer

totally sucks but nothing new....there has been thieves since there have been items to steal..

I hope you get it back...

Was it tied down/anchored?

Look into the fact that your boat may be missing you and has gone out for a solo sail either unassisted or assisted. Most of the time in my part of the world it is the latter - some morons with nothing better to do launch the thing to see how it floats
let the coastguard know because they may have a report of an abandonned catamaran at sea
go and have a drive down h coast youself. They usually only go one way

You might also want to take a cruise through the parking lot at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron down at the end of Radio Road, there are lots of cats parked in the storage lot, see if yours has been recently added. And of course notify the manager of the club, to be on the lookout for a new addition, good that yours has a distinctive color, that will help.

Without a trailer they either pushed it out into the gulf to "see what would happen" or they picked it up (need at least 3-4 people) and carried it away, but with the mast up, that would be difficult. I'm betting some jackasses pushed it into the gulf for a joy ride or swim platform...then abandoned it.

Hope you find it.

were there rudders on the cat?

is that blue as in Chip & Barb's N20 blue, or Jake's N20 blue?

What is with the rash of dissappearances lately? Are they using cats to smuggle people/drugs now that they found out how fast they are? Are people living under them now?

What ever happened to the report of that one cat (possible I-18/F18) washed up in Tampa Bay?

Jay,
It' a one of a kind blue. It's looks white with a small hint of light blue. Like an ice cube.

Joyriding or just the vandalism of pushing it off the beach is really common. It might be close by.

I'm for the "look down the coast" idea. How about renting a small plane and flying really low down the coast and look for your boat washed up somewhere?

Better than just waiting for the Coasties or Fish and Game.

My neighbors house was stripped completely a few weeks ago from Cape Cod. They brought in a moving van and took everything including appliances. Caught the scum a week later in Iowa. They had a regular route stealing stuff on the East Coast and bringing it to California to sell/pawn. Then they robbed a place in California and brought it to the East Coast to sell/pawn. Only got caught because they got into an accident and had no papers for the goods in the van.
My point is... EVERYONE from coast to coast needs to watch for this boat. Damn shame. Hope it's just a "float away".

Good luck.
Greg

Ive got the cops and the entire stiletto fleet on the lookout in addition to all you guys, thanks a lot, We'll see. Unfortunately I'm up in RI so I cant really do much until October when I go down for the Buzzelli Multihull Rendezvous

Not much point if you haven't got a boat!

Rub it in ! Why don't ya.

I have had a boat in the past pushed out, hatch covers removed and sunk by some d!ckheads just for a laugh. Luckly for me it was in only a few meters of water and I saw the stick coming out.

I'm sailling with wormwoods

On Merlin? I love that boat!

I'll be there with the Blade. You coming?

no on deuce coupe. Ever since my uncle passed away Merlin belongs to someone else....he has a different cast of characters on board.

When exactly is it?

Buzzelli Multihull Rendezvous with Stiletto Nationals: October 22-24, 2010

Nope, sorry I can't be there, got a -thing- the night of the 23rd up in Atlanta and I'll be flying on the 24th.

Yay!

My boat turned up tied to a dock at a public boat ramp in sarasota. No , there was not a note attached. I dont know exactly the condition, but the guys at the tow yard where the cops had it hauled say its fine. (not that they would be able to tell). Anyway, now I have to go through the process of getting it back, which will no doubt be a pain in the butt from Rhode Island, but thank you everyone for keeping your eyes peeled, I'll let you know if they ever figure it out, but i suspect it was drunk kids pulling a malicious prank by pushing it out to sea and probably a good samaritan who towed it in and tied it up.

thanks again
charlie

awesome !
very lucky to find it

That is terrific news indeed!

when I kept a Hobie 18 on the beach in Charleston, I buried two cinder blocks deep in the sand and ran a security cable through them. When securing the boat, I ran the cable through the dolphin striker (around each side of the post) and then around the mast base and put a pad lock on it. The cable was vinyl coated so it was easy on the boat finish. Something like that might help keep this from happening again. It's not bullet proof but it will keep the semi-honest honest.

Good to hear you got your boat back Charlie.

I leave my boat on the beach in Cape Cod, tied down to buried chunks of 2X10's to the trap lines, and an old chain buried around concrete blocks with a small lock, its never moved. A tented cover over the boom keeps people off the tramp.

It is amazing that people think its OK to use/mess with other peoples boat/gear

occasionally we get some garbage (beers, condoms) on or near our cats when left on our causeway on weekends.


We have had a boat or 2 pushed in the gulf overnight. On 1 occasion my friend found his cat about 3 miles south… with the beach wheels still under it. Recently we had a friends cat filled (tramp/board wells/and I think inside the port) with beach sand.

A few months ago I left my cat overnight (sun) and went back on Monday night to de-rig it. There was a family sitting right in front of a friends cat. The next time I looked over there, the kid (a boy around 13?) was sitting on the tramp. The next time I looked, he was jumping on the tramp. … I decided as soon as my hands were free I would walk over and tell him (and his parents) to get off…when I looked again, he was off the boat.. so I did nothing.

Just as I was about to drop my mast I looked over and the kid was KICKING my friend’s carbon fiber rudders. I yelled at this time “STOP kicking those $1000 race rudders, the guy has a race next weekend and you are kicking his gear?”

The kid stopped. I couldn’t believe the parents thought it was ok to let their kid do that. (that same rudder came apart the next week.. not sure if it was related or not)

On another occasion I went to the beach at sunset with a girlfriend. I parked right next to a friends boat. We walked down the beach and when I returned to my car, there was an older couple (70’s?) making out on the cat’s trampoline. They looked up at me and said “ we are sorry is this your boat?”. I said “no but I know the owner and I am certain he doesn’t want you on his boat” (I felt silly admonishing senior citizens). They responded with “then he should have a sign on it saying STAY OFF”…

I really think I'd put some sort of sign like "Fragile- please don't sit or jump". People have no idea.

BUT...rousting the old folks is just wrong! We have to take advantage of every chance we get!

A sign like that will just encourage people to sit on your boat.

Next time you see someone sitting on your boat, go plop your butt down on the hood of their car and ask them how they like it.

In all actuality though, I think this type of behavior has to be anticipated (though not necessarily accepted) when you leave your boat on the beach. Unfortunately most people consider boats on the beach to be a piece of the beach and part of the public domain.

sm

How about a sign that says:

"I periodically patrol this beach in an effort to preserve my property. While you could act like a child and violate my private property rights - if I catch you doing so, I'll violate your right to personal safety. Have a nice day."

So here is the update. Apparently some homeless dude stole my boat, rigged it up with some random old sails from some random boat and tried to sail it. He was rescued 3 miles off shore by the sarasota PD with a mainsail torn in half. My brother in law saw the sails and says they are totally threadbare. Homeless guy is lucky to be alive. He pushed off the beach with no daggerboards and random old sails. THe boat has some cosmetic damage to the paint job but is otherwise OK, not parted out or anything. Unbelievable, but I am so grateful that my boat is back and that some mentally unstable homeless guy didn't kill himself trying to get to mexico or something. ANyway, that boat is going on the trailer and I am sticking to my stiletto 23 for now. Anyone want to buy an I20?

Here is the sign:

If you can read this sign, my camera just took your picture. Please Keep Off!

After a bum sailed it?!?!

Fixed it for you. I've found the threat of sodomy to be quite effective.

Well, I mean, I wont judge Karl :P

Signs don't work. Sail Honeymoon ( water sports rental op.) has signs that warn the area is under video surveillance.

This weekend he was telling us about two guys being serviced by one girl in full view of the cameras.

People that are drunk,high,homeless or horny don't care about signs.

LOL, And that's a lot of people!

hahah... (Karl, you need help)

I agree there is an element of risk leaving a cat on any beach. I accept these risks. (with insurance)

I also agree posting ANY sign will encourage bad behavior.

I think the best solution is to get a tramp cover made (that will also go over the boom to repel butt's (and feet) from sitting on the tramp... but no guarantee they wont find a way... or sleep / have sex under that cover, etc

our causeway closes at 11pm, but is seldom enforced/monitored as far as i can tell.

Deploy caltrops on the trampoline.

and maybe between the rudders :P

Heck, most of the sailors fit somewhere in that list (if not all of that list)

The best advice i have heard is to put a tarp over it with white paint dropped all over it to make it look like bird poo. No one will try and sit on it then.

On my beach, we learned to take the boat off the wheels so that there is less room for bums to sleep or make fires under the tramp.

Yeah...

If your boat is on a public beach, you really just need to assume the worst and prepare for it as best you can. You don't really have "private property" rights, and even if you do, no one is going to respect them (for a thousand different reasons).

If I had a boat with rudders worth $1000, there is absolutely no way they would be on my boat overnight, unless it was at a regatta with at least 30 others like it (even then, it would have to be a very secluded regatta site, and I'd still think twice about it).

Mike

I don't think I buy the "you forfeit your rights to private property when you park it on the beach".

I park my car in "public" parking lots all the time. I have a "reasonable" expectation that my private property will not be tampered with even though there's no warning or proactive enforcement mechanism.

I think that you're right though - these days you have to basically expect that your property will be vandalized or otherwise used without your consent. Sad really.

I didn't say it was OK in any way...

In some ways it's the same, but in so many others, it's really different to park a boat on a beach compared to a car in a parking lot. Conceptually, it's totally the same, but actually, it's just very different.

For example, no one breaks into cars to have "relations" (maybe a pickup bed?), cars can't be pushed onto a freeway to see what would happen, etc...

Mike

I don't know - I think both examples you could find ancedotal evidence to the contrary

I know, I was thinking that as I was typing it... Never say never...

Tell that to James Bond's repair man

$1000 isn't to hard to get to that value with boat parts. What would upper and lower casting (plus the rudders) cost on your cat?

That's my point. Rudders come off with one pin (each) on my boat. Not worth taking a chance leaving them on the boat for long-term storage. Same reason I wouldn't leave the sails tied to the tramp.

The other thing is, even if the rudders aren't stolen, they are highly likely to be tripped over and broken at night (or even in daylight by people playing on the beach, not watching where they're walking, etc.) . No mischief needs to be intended for this.

Don't get me wrong, I wish none of this were necessary, but we don't live in that world...

Mike

An effective sign around here is

Smile! You're on TV!

agreed

I remember a sticker from when I was a kid "you toucha my truck, I breaka your face!" Worked for me...

is it still in Sarasota?

yup

and i'll be there oct 19th or so to get ready for buzzelli multihull rendesvouz

I was thinking this might be a good use for the old rubber fake vomit. Putting that on your trampoline might discourage anyone from sitting on it; but then again, it might encourage someone to add to it.