Unit 3 Lesson 8 Composition--Argument Amy Boren

Your dingy and your outboard are very important. Together they are your life line to the rest of the world. This is your car, your way to get groceries, explore, and visit with friends. It is the best way to get off of your boat and stay dry. There is a question of whether or not cruisers should raise their dingy up at night or leave it in the water. I think that all cruisers should put their dingy up at night to help prevent theft. You can do a lot of fun activities with your dingy including fishing, dingy surfing or taking your dingy out sailing, but all of these you couldn't do if you didn't have a dingy or an outboard motor.

Dingy thefts can happen during the day and have, but mostly happen at night. The thief is usually after the motor on the back of the dingy. They will cut the rope attaching your dingy to your boat, let the dingy drift away, then take the motor off of the dingy. The people who take the dingys have cable
cutters and will cut through the cable. So, if you thought a steel cable was safe, think again. In places like estuaries where there is a current, accidents can happen. Ropes do come untied and it is not always theft, but this is not often the case.

One of the ways to protect your dingy and motor is to raise it out of the water at least five feet. Some boats have dingy davits, but if you don't you should still raise the dingy up by attaching it to a halyard
and pulling it up alongside you boat. Another way to protect your dingy and outboard motor is to paint the motor cover with some bright colors and add some reflectors. A painted motor cover will help prevent theft because the thief would rather have a nice shiny new motor. It is easier for the thief to sell an unpainted or unmarked up one. Another way to protect your outboard is to always lock it to the dingy.

Two years ago nine dingys were stolen from Barra Navidad lagoon. All of the dingys that were stolen were recovered but they had no outboards on them. Some places that use to be safe are not safe
anymore. You should take the serial number of the engine just in case it gets stolen you might have a slight chance getting it back. It is very difficult to find a new outboard in Mexico. Outboards are expensive and there are higher import taxes in Mexico. The dingy is not much without an outboard but
you can still use it.

Instead of the drama of losing your dingy of the hassle of getting another one, I believe all of the cruisers should just lock their outboards to the dingy and pull the dingy up at night. With that, hopefully there will not be as many dingy or outboard thefts.