Has anyone tried these?
They look great.
I suspect only one would hold a canoe to a rack (though two would take twice as much time to get through).
Also, do the Lasso cables fit canoes?
Thanks.
No, but Seakayaker Mag
did a short test of these and several other similar products a couple of issues ago. Apparently they work as advertized.
Jim
they work fine
I have some and several paddling friends have them too. They come in different color ends: blue (for skis) green (for low profile kayaks) yellow for anything else.
The green ones are just a tad too short for a kayak on cradles and therefore the yellow one must be purchased.
Unfortunately the yellow ones are then way too long and a fair bit of “tail” is left.
The Stainless stell cable would be hard to cut even with cable cutters since you still have the nylon strap to cut.
Two tools will be needed to cut through the straps: a cable cutter and a sharp knife.
Don’t loose the keys or much drama to be had at put in! 
it has happened.
After a while the straps do get a bit of kind in some areas (internal cable) but still function perfectly.
Gnarlydog
No they don’t
I did some testing on a couple of pairs of these straps and they didn’t hold up nearly as well as I had thought they would.
I cut the cables (cable and strap) easily with a pair of tin snips – really easy. With a little bit of effort, I cut through the cable and strap with a pair of ordinary household scissors. I also smacked the lock mechanism with a hammer and it broke easily, enabling the strap to be released. I did the hammer test 4 times on four different locks and each time the lock failed.
I can appreciate your friends being sold on these straps because at first look, I thought they were a good measure of security as well. Ask your buddies if you can take a pair of tin snips to them – or if you can hit the lock mechanism with a baseball sized rock. Bear in mind that most people who buy these straps are not going to do any destructive testing on them because they’re not cheap, but a nefarious type is not going to think twice about ruining your expensive straps to get the boat that he wants.
I would use these if I’m parking on a busy street where people are walking by and there’s not a high risk of theft – just the appearance of them makes the boat look secure. But if I want to make my boat tougher to steal, I’ll use something else.
Dan
http://www.westcoastpaddler.com
$75 at REI for the middle length. Wow.
And they aren’t all that? Fogehtaboutet . . . . .
YoS
Lasso
locks work on my solo Wenonah. Have used it on the rack as well as at a put in (tree)
Take one for the team . . .
Thanks for destroying yours. I am one of the ones who wouldn’t spend $70 and then try cutting them, so I just have to believe what I am told.
I picked up a pair to try, but I guess I will back it up with some cable if I can find a good length.
Thanks again.
well, nothing is really theft proof
Westcoastpaddler, I am very greatful for your input on the “thoughness” (or lack of it) of the supposedly theft deterrent lockable straps.
Looks like that you were not just satisfied with the marketing blurb and did your own test.
Thank you for letting us know that the straps are actually only “child proof”.
However a decent thief will destroy just about anything if he wants it.
By the way, what is your method of securing your kayak?
Correct, but with scissors or a rock?
Very true – anything can be stolen by a determined thief. But I’d say that a product designed to secure something that is compromised easily with scissors or a rock is not adequate.
I purchase a lot of different outdoor products and am very particular about what I buy. I’m not hard on my gear but I expect it to do what it claims to do and unfortunately, in this case I don’t think this product lives up to it’s claims. The price of this product alone indicated to me that it should perform much better.
When I need to secure my boats on my vehicle I use Lasso locks attached to my locked Yakima rack setup. I’ve also got a home-made locking cable system that I often use (very similar to the Lasso cables except that I use padlocks).
fwiw: I work in the paddlesports industry in a shop that sells SPT tie downs – when people ask what lock systems we carry I do show them the SPT cables and I do tell them what I said in my post above – that they might be adequate in a busy area where there’s a lower risk of theft but there are more secure options – often at a lesser cost.
Dan
http://www.westcoastpaddler.com
Securing kayak to car rack
I use a heavy duty bicycle cable with an integrated lock. Like the other options, nothing’s 100% safe, but running it through seat mount/brace and out around the roof rack makes a would-be thief think twice. I am building a couple AT 14s and plan to install a U-bolt, or something similar, in the aft bulkhead for an additional securing point. We have traveled with our Loon 138T on the roof, stopped overnight at motels, and have had no problems. (I do try to get a room where I can park the car right outside the window.) The bicycle cables are much more reasonable in price than the over-priced product under discussion - plus people are familiar with how secure a good bicycle cable can be . . . and it’s not easy to climb up on a vehicle and look into the kayak to see how it is secured by the cable.