Cornwall boat theft leads tech expert to launch new marine security product range
by SeaSight 28 Jul 17:25 BST
The stolen Ribeye A683 © SeaSight
A new suite of marine security products - under the brand SeaSight - has launched this month, offering layered protection for leisure vessels through physical deterrents, real-time tracking, and covert location monitoring.
Developed by veteran IT and systems specialist Tony Cantrill - a passionate boat owner whose own Ribeye was stolen from a Cornish harbour just 12 months ago - the range was created to challenge what he describes as a "dangerous myth" among boat owners: that theft doesn't happen.
Mr Cantrill has developed a suite of self-install security products designed specifically for small and mid-sized leisure vessels. His own boat - a brand-new Ribeye A683 - had only been on the water for 23 days when it vanished from a swing mooring in St Mawes on the 28th July 2024 under the cover of darkness.
SeaSight has launched with three core products: Secure - a marine-grade lock and cable; Shield - a connected onboard tracking and alarm unit; and Stealth - a concealed, self-powered device for covert location updates. The systems combine physical deterrents with real-time GPS alerts and covert location intelligence, offering layered protection tailored for boats kept at moorings, marinas or coastal anchorages.
The theft of Mr Cantrill's own vessel in 2024 exposed major gaps in the market. He said: "People assumed I'd just forgotten where I'd moored it. Some suggested it had drifted. But I knew that wasn't the case - smaller boats do get stolen and there is a growing concern that criminals are using them for covert drug transfers and other illegal activities, so much so that the investigation escalated to involve the marine police, Border Force, Project Kraken, and local officers - and was also logged with Interpol by my insurer.
"It's just not something leisure boaters want to think about - until it happens."
The experience left him determined to develop practical, boat-specific systems that could prevent others from going through the same loss. He began researching what was available - and quickly found that almost nothing on the market was built for the marine environment.
Shield is the system's connected core. Once installed, it detects unauthorised motion and alerts the boat owner via a mobile app, enabling remote actions such as activating an alarm, flashing lights or immobilising the boat. Crucially, Shield includes a proprietary mooring sensor - a buoy developed by SeaSight - that monitors whether the vessel has parted from its mooring. This unique marine-specific feature can detect both theft and mooring line failure, and complements Shield's broader capabilities, including ignition sensing, geofencing, tow alerts, tamper detection, power monitoring and more.
Stealth is a battery-powered, concealed tracking unit designed to operate independently of the boat's power or primary systems. Installed discreetly within the vessel, it transmits secure location data every 24 hours - even in the event of tampering or power loss - providing persistent tracking when visibility matters most.
Secure is a robust padlock and five-metre marine-grade cable developed with ABUS, designed to physically secure boats to dock fixtures or anchor points. It requires no connectivity and serves as a visual deterrent against theft.
All three systems are self-installed and can be used independently or as a package, with Shield and Stealth working in combination with the SeaSight mobile app. The products are now available via SeaSight's website and through marine lifestyle retailer Tack & Jibe.
Mr Cantrill hopes the launch will help raise awareness among boat owners - many of whom assume theft is something that happens to someone else. "Nobody expects their boat to be stolen," he said. "But it happens - and having lived through it, I wouldn't wish it on anyone. That experience is what drove me to build a solution that's accessible, practical, and built for real-world conditions."