I have never(knock on hardwood) had any problems with people taking things from my boat.but i have RV parking along side the house and a six foot fence on all sides.But most of my neighbors know that i will take the culprit by the horns, so to speak. Before the fence was completed, did have a guy run accross my property which i ran down and got ahold of, while walking him back to my house, the cops showed up and arrested him, Turns out he was an escaped felon trying to steal cars and split when the cops busted his cronies.Told him right off the bat, "If you get out of line with me, I'll throw you around like a rag doll"
Sure i was lucky, he did have a knife on him, but i was also armed, which he never saw.If anything would have gone down, my story would have been (self defense).