The auger anchor
sounds like the best and easiest method to me. I’ve used them for various construction / landscaping projects, and can vouch for their strength. They are, after all, what is used to support utility poles!
not bad
but puddlefish has the winning post
No vehicle at the moment…
Since I don’t have a car right now, I can’t leave the boat chained to one. I certainly know other folks who do that though… 
m
I just can’t bring myself to do that…
– Last Updated: Nov-23-07 5:12 PM EST –
I have thought about the likelihood of it getting stolen, and I do worry about its safety. I have lived in big cities before (even though I am in a smallish city now) and I know how thieves and vandals can observe behavior over time before going after a target. I can't afford to get a place with a garage because I am an adult who's chosen to go to college full time. Even though I know that, as you say, even in a discreet area my kayak will eventually be noticed, it is really the best option at the moment.
One nice thing is that there are only forty units in the building -- it is not a large faceless complex. I have already met and talked with a few long-time residents, and I am only in the application process so far! So knowing my neighbors will be easier than elsewhere, if not so easy as in a house.
Another nice thing is that this apartment is two blocks from a big lake, so getting the kayak to water is no problem whatsoever, even though I don't have a car for at least another few months.
Other storage options include:
1 - Renting space at a local kayak shop that's on the water, storing the boat, putting in and taking out there.
2 - Seeing if the University boat club offers discount near-water storage for students.
3 - Storing it in my sister's garage about ten miles away, which makes the problem of not having a car an issue again, because she does not living within walking distance of water.
I am certainly open to these as options and may pursue them anyhow, but in the mean time, I prefer to be able to store my kayak near me AND the water and save a little money in the process. We'll see. If I notice anything strange, I will probably look at storing my boat elsewhere. Besides, I MAY still be able to get my boat into my apartment itself, but I don't know. Narrow hallways and all.
m
earth anchors
Nice idea! I’ll have to look into that.
nice!
Good idea. More trouble initially, but very secure.
Thanks
m
Nice idea!
Good stuff… relatively quick and easy, no damage to building…
Thanks!
m
Thanks everyone!
– Last Updated: Nov-23-07 5:22 PM EST –
Great ideas, everyone. I will look into earth anchors, various forms of in-ground eye-bolts, and different security cables and locks. I also appreciate the input about covers and storing hatch covers, etc. If folks have really good or bad stories about any specific cables, locks, or boat bags, feel free to pipe up or email me with recommendations.
If anyone has any other suggestions, let me know!
Thanks again,
m
Don’t do it!
the fastest way to get it stolen is to bolt the building to a yak…trust me…you’ll come home and the yak will be there wrapped in cable or chain an’ yep…the BUILDING will be gone…!
laughing
Funny stuff, man!
rent a ground floor apt
Rent a ground floor apartment with windows that open.
or:
Paint your boat yellow with dark brown splotches. The thieves may think its a rotting banana.
bill
(qcc cult member {grins})
1x19 SS Rigging Cable…
…with swaged eyes, especially in the larger sizes, is an absolute bear to cut. A really good padlock helps. Nothing, however, stops the determined professional thief if he/she has the tools, working time and can make some noise. We concentrate on makng them take time, bring tools and/or make noise. One school of thought says all that became obsolete when the cordelss disc grinder was invented.
Agreed.
But I would at least keep the hull inside too.
Yellow boat
grin My boat IS yellow, so it already looks like a banana! It has eyes though, like a Greek or Chinese boat, so it may be a kinda scary banana…
I honestly hadn’t thought about bringing it in through the window… that MAY just work. I’ll have to try it.
Thanks!
M
Great gear suggestion!
Thank you! I realize the determined thief can get anything they want, but I’ll do my damnedest to make it hard for them and noticeable for everyone around!
Good advice on the particular cable and such. Thanks!
M
You all need to think outside the box.
Connect some chains to make a super long chain and wrap it around the entire building and then Masterlock it to your yak. Done!
I’d like to see some thrifty thief try to wiggle that chain over the top of the building to get it off; he’d have to be the Jolly Green Giant. And even then he’d have to steal your 50 lb kayak along with about 800 lbs of chain.
I’d say you’d be pretty safe with this idea.
Just make sure your landlord doesn’t trip over the chain as it crosses the building’s front entrance…can you see the look on his face as he limps around corner of the building with his freshly skun knees, only to see your cheap plastic kayak on the other end. Ay carumba!
(easy solution to that too: dig a trench under the front sidewalk and thread the chain under there so no one trips on it or sees it)
If you are the second floor…
you can do the same…just a tad more problematic but usually doable! I’ve seen many pics of folks who have built kayaks in multi-floor units and have lowered their yak out through the window.
Let us know what works for you?
Good luck,
Bob
can you hang it?
Do you have space enough inside to hang it? And if not, is there a shared common storage with enough space to do so? I’ve got my boat hanging inside right now and after a few weeks I hardly notice it anymore.
So how did you like the Apostle Islands?
Lots of space to hang…
I have lots of space to store it in the apartment, whether it is on the floor or hoisted up to the ceiling, it is purely an issue of whether I can physically get the boat INTO the apartment.
Right now, the plan is to over-winter the boat in my sister’s garage (too far from the water for my tastes, but fine for winter when the lakes are frozen). It also gives my landlord more time to install bolt loops, which they are happy to do. I’ll definitely let everyone know how it turns out and what works.
The Apostle Islands are great. The paddling is wonderful, and they’re all so picturesque! Also, my Dad is a geologist, so there is a lot of interesting earth and rock formations to enjoy and send him photos of… grin
M
Awesome! (nt)