On the hook or at a marina?
The family and I lived in CR for a while and I'd have to say, while not as
violent, Ticos are second to only Nigerians as the most thieving bunch of
^&%$'s as I've ever personally seen.
While we were there, a cruiser ran aground and swam to the beach to find
help, by the time he got back (few hours) his lovely hosts were stripping
his boat.
Our house was literally a shack before we cleaned it and fixed it up enough
to move in. Whenever we wanted to head to the beach we had to hire a guard
to stay in the house to keep our fairly meager possessions from walking
away. We had a maid that watched the place during the day if we wanted to go
to town or work away from the house. Only reason to have on her on as she
did little else. This was in a small village, towns were much worse.
I'd go back as tourist, but not to live there.
If your boat is in a marina, an alarm is a damn good idea. On the hook? Kiss
it goodbye.
Some might think it's just the poor pulling this crap, but our San Jose
lawyer tried the same with us. OK, I know how much we love and respect
lawyers, but we were building a business that he could have fed off of for
years, and instead he tried to steal a few quick bucks. It's a common
mindset to forget about tomorrow and get what can now.
Of the gringos we knew around the Guanacaste beach towns, Arenal, and San
Jose, none would leave their place/possessions in the hands of a local for
any time at all. Might get by for a couple of weeks, but that would be it.
Most look for another gringo to house sit, and the rest just couldn't leave.
The major cause of all this was that the government rarely enforced the law,
and if a crime was committed against a gringo the authorities couldn't care
less.
I met a Evangelical family who seemed to be pretty good late in our stay,
but I was so burnt out by the locals by then I didn't trust anyone with
anything.
The locals have a custom when doing business called "mounting the gringo",
I'm sure you can figure it out.
I know, I'm ranting....
MMC

wrote in message
...
I forgot to mention the boat is in Costa Rica, and parrots, dogs,
alligators, etc are only good for a week or 2 - then they starve as no
one there all the time to feed them. Except maybe the crooks ?



On Fri, 28 Jul 2006 18:04:15 -0400, Larry wrote:

wrote in :

any recommendations ?


Call ADT, the alarm company. They have a cellular-based, central
monitored
alarm system they can install into your boat, just like into your home,
except for the cellular connectivity.

I bet you can get fire, flooding, intrusion, etc. professionally installed
with a monthly monitoring fee.

I say ADT because I have a friend who wanted a professional alarm system
installed in an armored car he uses in the mobile check cashing business.
I contacted ADT for him and they did a beautiful cellular-based
installation, even with 200 watt alarm sirens that make even approaching
the van impossible without ear protection. If his cashier needs the cops,
she presses a panic button and ADT answers just like OnStar does in GM
cars. The GPS in it tells them where she is and they dispatch help
directly to her location. When the van is unattended, the fire and
intrusion alarm system protects the van from vandals, thieves, etc.

I offered to add to the installation with my ignition-system-based
"chassis
protection system" that will put anyone on their knees when the alarm
sounds, but he declined....(c;

Call ADT in your city and talk to them about protecting the boat.....

http://www.adt.com/resi/products_ser...urity_systems/