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Engine Colors Help Nab Thief

When we last reported on outboard motor thefts in Alameda in 2014, the Sightings article offered a popular deterrence tip from cruisers: paint your motor a distinctive color. Turned out that was pretty good advice. On March 6 distinctive engine markings played a role in the arrest of 42-year-old Alameda resident Thomas Waterman for the theft of two outboards from Barney Howard’s Outboard Motor Shop on Kennedy Street in Oakland.

What led the police to Waterman? Howard spotted Waterman’s sailboat and a skiff going down the Alameda/Oakland Estuary and noticed that the outboards sported a mishmash of colors that looked a lot like the refurbished motors stolen from his shop a few weeks earlier. He called the Oakland police, who picked up Waterman and found seven more motors in his possession.

In addition to being booked on receiving or concealing stolen property, Waterman was also booked for possession of a controlled substance. Bail was set at $25,000.

Does your outboard have a distinctive paint job as a deterrent to thieves? If so, we’d love to see of photo of it. Email here.

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After 83 days at sea, circumnavigating doublehanders Bernard Stamm of Switzerland and Frenchman Jean Le Cam still appear to be friends.
No Passion Without Risk. They got that right. And this woman obviously likes a man who is willing to take risks.