Unsolved Boat Trailer Tampering Warning - Tasmanian fishers call for CCTV monitoring

[Kurve]

"With that situation, the brakes failed, and as soon as I put my foot on the brake I realised I had no trailer brakes with the extra weight on the back."

Fishers across Tasmania are warning it is only a matter of time before someone is killed or seriously hurt after repeatedly finding their boats, trailers and vehicles tampered with.

In the last fortnight, several fishers across the state have had their vehicles and boat trailers sabotaged in some way, an issue they say has arisen before and is becoming more common.





North-west fisher Todd Bakes was driving back from a fishing trip last weekend in Burnie when his vehicle and trailer started bumping violently.

"I pulled over, and saw that two wheels on the left side — one on the trailer and one on the car — had almost come off," he said.

"Someone had loosened the bolts from the wheel hub.

"Luckily I stopped before the wheels came completely off, but it could have been a lot worse."

Mr Bakes raised his concerns on social media, which went viral with tens of thousands of views and hundreds of shares, with people from across Australia sharing similar experiences.

Mr Bakes is one of several fishers who have told the ABC their vehicles and trailers had been sabotaged in recent weeks.

Greg 'Tubby' Quinn, president of the Game Fishing Club in St Helens, found his brake callipers had been disabled two weeks ago when he was on his way to Eaglehawk Neck.

"It's only a matter of time before someone is badly hurt or killed," he said.

"It could have meant my vehicle, my 10-metre boat, would have gone through someone's house.

"I've filed a police report [and] it is an issue that we hear about every couple of weeks, it's a big problem.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-06/tas-boat-trailer-wheels-loosened-tampering-warning/10204096

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

A vegan or vegans if it's happening all over the state perhaps?

When I was living in Canberra in the late 90s, there was a spate of people with 4wd that had winches on them. The winch cables were being run under the car and wrapped around the towbar. The winches were then activated and the chassis of the vehicles were being severely bent.

 

[Kurve]

A vegan or vegans if it's happening all over the state perhaps?

When I was living in Canberra in the late 90s, there was a spate of people with 4wd that had winches on them. The winch cables were being run under the car and wrapped around the towbar. The winches were then activated and the chassis of the vehicles were being severely bent.

I think some of the tampering is on trailers in competition. It's nasty, not a lot of thought given to the possible consequences (you hope) like this guy said his boat could have come off and killed someone.