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By Greg Bartlett

Summer is almost here, and many of us are looking forward to the chance to go down to the lake and take some time off. Whether you want to fish, swim, just enjoy some time out on the water, or simply escape from school or the office, your boat is looking increasingly appealing.

Miami Marina

However, you may not be the only one interested in your boat. Sometimes other people would like to borrow it – temporarily or permanently – without asking permission. If that happens, then you’ll show up at the lake one day and find yourself standing on the shore with no way to get out into the refreshing waters unless you want to swim.

But you can avoid this predicament. Many boat owners are using GPS devices to ensure the safety of their boats. GPS devices can not only track your boat, but can also alert you any time it is taken. So if your teenager borrows the boat and gets lost out on the water, it won’t be hard to find the way back, and you can know where your boat was taken while your teenager had it.

Perhaps more importantly, if your boat is taken without your permission, you can be notified instantly. Many GPS devices allow you to arm the system whenever you leave so that if the boat is moved without the system being disarmed, you will receive a phone call or text message and can alert authorities to the theft of your boat.

For instance, one man from Nebraska owned a boat which he kept in Florida. When two men tried to steal his $500,000 boat last October, his GPS system called his home in Nebraska the moment the boat was moved from its dock. Police were able to apprehend the thieves red-handed and recover the boat within a few hours. Even though the owner was nowhere near his boat, the phone call he received still enabled him to alert authorities so that his boat was restored and the men who stole it locked up for grand larceny.

Whether your boat is worth $500,000 or not, you want to protect it. It’s not just a boat, it’s a chance to enjoy the lake and relax during your holiday. Protect your investment and your vacation by installing GPS tracking devices in your boat. That way you can ensure that this summer when you go down to the lake, you won’t be stranded on shore.