theft protection

What are some ways to lock my kayak to my roof carrier. I think I have to mount an eye hook or something similar. Any suggestions.

Cable around the seat
and around your rack

Ditto

Ditto

Ditto
Chjeers,

JackL

Stopping thieves
Try this, I have been using it for a while and it seems to do the trick. ( I Still have my boats!!! ).



http://www.aswatersports.co.uk/detail.aspx?ID=345

Tie Yak
We use http://www.tieyak.com/



We make sure the cable runs through boath the Yakima and factory racks.



As with most systems it is a deterrant. It isn’t a guarantee that your boats won’t get stolen.

Lasso
My wife and I have been using the Lasso security cables with our two Wilderness Systems Tempest Pro kayaks, and we are satisfied with the results. I would recommend them. www.LassoSecurityCables.com

Adrian

Security cable sold by Current Designs
I use the security cable sold by Current Designs. The cable has a loop at each end that’s large enough to fit over the bow and stern of the kayak, but small enough to not fit around the cockpit. The cable between the loops wraps around the crossbars of th rack. The crossbars and rack towers are locked.



http://www.cdkayak.com/cdkayak/gear/accessories4.asp

The same
This is the same Lasso Security Cable that I mentioned above.

That’s right
It’s only a deterrent. Last summer, I went paddling on a friday night after work, and left the boat on the car overnight in my driveway, with the security cable on it.



We went paddling in Rhode Island the next day, and I didn’t bother to take the cable off the boat. I grabbed the wrong set of car keys in the AM…and when we were 80 miles from home at the launch, I couldn’t unlock my boat.



So…after getting chewed out by my better half for being a dolt, I went to a hardware store down the street from the launch, and bought a pair of $10 bolt cutters. They walked right through the cable (A name brand one) like it wasn’t even there. I take the bolt cutters on long trips now, just in case.



The point of locking your boat up is to stop amateurs and people acting on a whim ---- nothing will stop a pro.



Wayne

Bike Lock
I use a cable bike lock with a combination through the seat rails and around the rack. It seems to work very effectively (boat hasn’t been stolen yet)as it takes little space and the lock coils nicely up when I am not using it.



The bike lock I am using is long enough to do two boats as well. I do a lot of travelling and it is a great comfort when I am staying in a hotel. I know that they will have to really make an effort to keep the boat locked up.



Mike

Better than nothing
West Marine sells a stainless heavy duty U bolt with rubber on the bottom. Impex and Mariner both use U bolts. I mount them on the stern back just enough so you cant hit your head laying back. The bolts are $8.95. As far as cutting the cable goes we use our graphite sheathed bike locks which are nice and short and very hard to cut through. Like others have said its not fullproof.

Chuck

Insurance…
Does anybody know if there is a way to get a kayak insured?

Free bolt cutters!
So someone who breaks into your car can get a nice set of bolt cutters and your boat!-).



I use a combination lock.

Watercraft insurance
Yes. Ask your insurance agent about a boat policy. Many homeowners insurance policies will cover the loss of watercraft from a home up to a maximum amount, e.g., $1,000. If your boat is worth more than that and you want additional coverage, you’ll have to pay for it. And it’s my understanding that most homeowners policies and auto insurance policies will not cover the loss of watercraft while being transported or used on the water. You’d generally need a separate boat policy to cover loss in those situations.

My peculiar method…
Others have mentioned that whatever we can do is at best a deterrent against theft, as a very determined thief will almost always find a way. Luckily for us, most opportunistic thieves are somewhat lazy, so even if our methods are not 100%, if it looks like a bit too much trouble, our boats will be okay.



I use a rather convoluted method, which pretty much guarantees that the only way a thief will get away with my boats is to damage them (eek!). This may seem counterintuitive (and it’s certainly a sad idea from my point of view!), but if a thief really wants a boat that can be used or sold, they might think twice about taking something they’ll have to repair. So…



I place a “car club” across the rear of the cockpit coaming, behind the hip plates. Then, I wrap a very heavy duty bike “cable lock” around that (almost an inch thick, made of interlocking “solid sections” of hardened steel; very much like the heavy duty motorcycle locks), and then around the cross bar of my locked Yakima rack. It would take some time to even get through the bike lock, and even if that was successful, the only way to remove the “club” from the cockpit would be to destroy at least one of the hip plates.



Still though, it’s disturbing to even consider the idea that a fellow paddler might wish to steal someone else’s boat, but life is sometimes too strange to fathom.



Melissa

Melissa’s method seems good, but…

– Last Updated: Apr-01-06 5:29 AM EST –

..I'm not a thief and even I can figure a way around your technique: break all your windows, blow torch the four supports for your vehicle roof, and lift off the entire roof of your vehicle, Yakima, "The Club", boat, cables and all.

Sheesh, Melissa... although yours beats a bike chain lock, it's an easy opportunistic impulse steal for anyone with an acetylene torch and even a feeble imagination.

I’d like to make that point too
You guys are saying the same thing, over and over again. It’s like deja vu. Please! It’s both redundant AND repetitious. Quit saying the same thing over and over again.

There goes
my superglue idea