Miami area thieves target big outboards
 

This from the Soundings Trade Only site, just a heads up for the So. Fla. crew!


Miami area thieves target big outboards

Police in Florida’s Miami-Dade and Pinecrest region are investigating a string of boat thefts in which the thieves are hooking up trucks to trailered boats in broad daylight and driving away.

Detectives say at least five boats have been stolen in South Miami-Dade since July — two from Pinecrest in the last week, according to a report in this morning’s Miami Herald.

“My guess is that it’s a ring looking for boats with outboard motors,” Pinecrest police chief John Hohensee was quoted as saying.

Police say the thieves are targeting 25- to 34-foot boats with Yamaha or Mercury engines with ratings of 200 hp or more. The engines range in value from $15,000 to $20,000 each, the paper reports.

“They don’t really care about the size of the boat,” Detective Robert Gonzalez of the Miami-Dade Police Kendall District told the Herald. “It’s the engines they’re after. They’re probably re-rigging them on their own boats or selling them.”