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TAMPA — Florida continues to lead the nation in boat thefts, with more than twice as many watercraft thefts as No. 2 California, says the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
And Tampa was one of Florida's four top cities for boat theft, the report says. The others are Miami, Hialeah and Fort Lauderdale in South Florida.
About 1,400 thefts, or 24% of the nation's boat thefts, were reported in Florida in 2012. The other four top states for thefts were California, 605; Texas, 403; Washington, 214; and North Carolina, 184.
Nationally, there were 5,870 watercraft thefts, down 3% from 2011. Nearly half occurred between May and August.
The Jet Ski category was first for thefts, followed by the runabout, utility, cruiser and sailboat. The Yamaha Jet Ski was the top choice of thieves.
The top five manufacturers for watercraft thefts are Yamaha, Bombardier Corp., Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing, Tracker Marine and Alumacraft Boat Co.
'¨On average, there were 16 watercraft thefts per day, 112 per week, or 489 per month in 2012. Most thefts were reported on Fridays and the fewest on Thursdays.
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