Re: [Paddlewise] Locking up a kayak

M. Lenon wrote:
> 
> Jim,
> 
> I share your concerns. Two "high end" fiberglass sea kayaks would cost over
> $5000 to replace.
> 
> As kayaking becomes increasingly popular, many folks faced with the high
> initial startup costs will "consider" theft a viable option. SNIPPED

> Protecting kayaks against theft seems akin to protecting bicycles. I doubt
> there's any "locking" system that is more than a deterent; worth using, of
> course, but hardly likely to prevent theft if the perps are prepared. SNIPPED

Any locking system is just a deterrent not an absolute.  When I cartop
my boats, I lock 'em when I know I am stopping for a pitstop or quick
shopping stop.  The professional thieves are not following my mini-van. 
The locking devices (cable and lock) are to prevent the opportunistic
thief.  The latter is equally dangerous.

I say so because, like it or not, sea kayaking has become quite popular
most everywhere.  More and more people know the value of those things
sitting up on a car roof and probably have tried one or two at some shop
where they learned about the cost.  This opportunistic shopping has been
happening a long time.  The first kayaks that I know were stolen around
here was about 10 years.  Two paddlers on the way to a rendez-vous with
a group of us for a camping weekend showed up without their boats.  They
stopped at a diner in Brooklyn for coffee.  Their kayaks were just
strapped down.  20 minutes later all that was left were the cut webbing
straps.  Some opportunistic types drove by, saw them, sliced them with a
knife and probably threw em into the back of a pickup truck.  A cable
would have likely stopped them...bolt cutters are more obvious than a
small knife.

I cartop boats out of laziness.  I keep several stored assembled here in
the city.  My main motivation is not to save the assembly time but
rather that I can just walk or subway to my foldables with little or no
gear to carry and go paddle.  If I decide to go somewhere else by car
then I take them assembled since that is the way they stay for long
periods.  In point of fact for me, the time factor would favor using
unassembled kayaks stored at home.

Here is the math (starting from the point when the car is pulled up in
front of my brownstone; I am leaving out packing gear into boat and
taking it out as that is a constant whether using a folded or assembled
boat):

A) Folded Kayak 
1. Load folded kayak bags into car: 1 minute

2. Assemble boat at launch site:  15 minutes
    (I won't own one that takes more than that)

3. Knock down boat:  10 minutes

4. Unload boat at home: 1 minute

Total with unassembled boat: 27 minutes

B) Using An Assembled Kayak
1. Drive to storage spot: 5 to 20 minutes

2. Unlock boat and carry to car:  3 minutes

3. Tie boat on roof rack (permanently attached)
     using cross straps, bow/stern tiedowns:  7 minutes

4. Take boat off rack at launch site:  3 minutes

5. Place boat on rack after paddle trip:  7 minutes

6. Drive out of way to storage spot: 5 to 20 minutes

7. Take boat off roof rack at storage spot: 3 minutes

7. Put boat away in storage slot: 3 minutes

   Total with assembled boat: 36 to 66 minutes

I generally am always a bit ahead with an unassembled kayak.  If one
were leaving from home with boat stored in garage or backyard, the time
with an assembled boat would be around 25 minutes (I have added just a
minute each way to take in and out of garage) as opposed to the 27
minutes with an unassembled one.  In this case there would be a small
savings.  BUT, a couple of psychological beneficial points:

1.  In transit, with the boat in the back of my van or in the trunk of a
car, I would have a lot of peace of mind about potential professional
and opportunistic thieves.  Instead of worrying about parking in high
visibility spots and re checking cables, etc.,  I have little concern.

2.  While this may seem perverse, assembling a kayak prior to paddling
provides a satisfying transitional state of mind between whatever goes
on in one's land life to wonderous experience awaiting out on the
water.  Something similar happens in reverse when knocking down the
boat...your mind wanders to the time on the water as you slowly evolve
back to a land creature.  This may sound like B.S. but I am not the only
one who has sensed that ritualistic slowing down of time and savoring
the feeling of anticipation while enjoying the satisfaction of seeing a
boat emerge before your very eyes from parts and pieces flowing from a
sack.  I have never seen it fail to intrigue a passerby and I always
marvel at the miracle myself though I probably have witnessed this birth
process several thousand times.

There is however a mental price tag too:

1.  You don't get that wonderful alleviation and euphoria upon returning
to your car and seeing that the boat is still on the roof safe and
sound.  You know that feeling, I bet. :-)

2.  In transit, you don't get the satisfaction of seeing fellow car
travelers looking up at that sleek thing on your car roof in admiration
and sometimes awe.  Shoot, your damn boat is in a bag inside your car
and no one knows that the person at the wheel is a bold seafarer and not
some doting, aging gent or lady!  :-)

ralph diaz



-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter
PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024
Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com
"Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag."
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