I had a guy steal a boat motor, a Johnson 25 hp, off my boat years ago while on a solo camping trip in the White River swamp bottomlands. He came up quiet as a mouse and got if off my boat. I heard him banging it on the side of his boat as he was pulling it onboard with him. I went running over and he was about 30 feet from the bank and furiously trying to start his motor to take off. I'm on the bank asking him "Man, please don't run off with my motor!". I had a gun on me, but I'm not shooting any man over a boat motor. I did jump in my truck and head to one of the 3 boat landings that were a couple of miles up, just in case I could catch him, but he didn't come to the one I was sitting at. AR police were of no help, but I guess there wasn't much they could do anyway.
I hate a thief...