Whether you’re headed to a tournament, vacation, or even a day trip of fishing, it’s essential to keep your boat and equipment always secure. It’s especially true if you’re carrying hundreds, if not thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment on board.

While working with professional anglers in the past, along with our own experience, we garnered eight great ideas about keeping your bass boat safe at all times – here they are.

An Eight Point Secure Your Bass Boat Checklist

Before Your Trip

1. Make sure your boat insurance is up to date.
   Your insurance should cover not only the boat but also all the contents on the vessel and the trailer. If you have recently purchased a new boat and new equipment, send an email or stop by your agent’s office to share with them the changes.
2. Inventory all your equipment.
   Put together an Excel spreadsheet of all your equipment, including its make, model, and the date you purchased it. Take a photo of the more expensive stuff (that will be covered under insurance). Send the spreadsheet and photos to your agent and keep a copy on the cloud.
3. While inventorying, label your gear.
   Write your name and phone number on every piece of tackle and electronic gear in waterproof ink. Throw away broken equipment: sell or giveaway your duplicate gear. Check our list about the top 10 things you should have on your boat to ensure you aren’t missing critical equipment.
4. Inspect your boat and trailer.
   A day or so before your trip, check the trailer lights, turn signals, and tire pressure. Please make sure they are all in the best working order. Once the boat is on the trailer, ensure it’s snug against the jack stand roller. Inspect, and potentially replace the transom-tie down straps if they are too worn.
5. When booking your hotel or motel, make sure they have adequate parking for your truck and trailer.
   You’ll also want to check on lighting and onsite security. The last thing you’ll want after a long day on the water to come back to the venue to find you need to park your boat in a remote, unlit part of the parking lot. Also, get recommendations from other fishers who have stayed or are staying in your area.

When on The Water

You finally arrived and launched your boat in the water. It’s still important to be vigilant about security. Here are more tips by bass anglers.

6. If you must leave your boat for a short time, ask someone to watch it.
   It doesn’t matter if you have to use the restroom, return an urgent call, or get something out of your car; leaving your boat for 10-15 minutes is enough time for a thief to steal your equipment. Find a friend and establish a buddy system, so you can trade off watching each other’s boats when you need it.
7. Get in the habit of locking up your compartments.
   With The Key Captain, you can remotely lock and unlock all compartments from 50-100 feet away with your waterproof key fob. With our flushed locking system, you won’t trip on the locks as you’re fish on the deck of the boat.

Before Heading to the Hotel or Motel

8. Cover your boat with a tight-fitting tarp.
   Adding one more layer for potential thieves to get through can be a real deterrent to stopping them.

Sarasota Quality Products Can Help Secure Your Bass Boat

With the press of a button, our time saving remote control system can lock and unlock compartment latches, turn on and off deck and cabin lights, and trim up and down your boat engine while trailering. Call us today at 440-899-9820 to learn more about our Key Captain and catalog of products.