Just as most folks, I'd feel pretty awful if one of my boats were stolen. When I read about the misfortune of others here at PW who've lost out to thieves, I wish there were something I could do for them... more than keep my eyes peeled for the goods. My wife tells me that several boats have recently been stolen in Kittery Maine's "Kittery Trading Post" parking lot. KTP is one of the northeast's biggest seller of kayaks. The thieves simply cut the webbing and made off with the boats. It seems that sometimes they unbuckle the webbing to make passersby think they (the "unbucklers") are actual owners. My wife told me to 1) buy core locks for my Yakima racks, then 2) buy a twelve foot cable, run it through the seats and lock it to the racks. I trust her advice, but I wanted to ask if anybody else out there has additional words of wisdom. Sure, I know enough not to leave the boat unwatched for very long (under any circumstances). Also, no method is bound to thwart determined thieves. But anything I can do to slow down or discourage the "enemy" is worth considering. Thanks in advance for your help! Tom LeTourneau Wells, Maine *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
----- Original Message ----- From: "TomL" <tletourn_at_maine.rr.com> > My wife told me to 1) buy core locks for my Yakima racks, then 2) buy a > twelve foot cable, run it through the seats and lock it to the racks. I > trust her advice, but I wanted to ask if anybody else out there has > additional words of wisdom. Sure, I know enough not to leave the boat > unwatched for very long (under any circumstances). Also, no method is bound > to thwart determined thieves. But anything I can do to slow down or > discourage the "enemy" is worth considering. Locking racks can be stolen just as easily. I had someone steal just the rear rack of my Thule set and had the core locks. For more security, get something like the Surelock from Boulter of Earth that has the cable go into your car through the door (close it, of course!). It has a sliding device that will slide only in one direction. That you snug up on the inside of the door so that it cannot slide further. Wrap it around the seat or some other good sturdy attachment. When travelling with a folding kayak assembled on a car roof, I wrap that cable around a cross rib. If someone is that good that she can climb on top of the car and disassemble the foldable and leave just that crossrib, she can have it! :-) 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." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Monday, September 30, 2002, at 2:15:35 PM PST, TomL wrote: > My wife told me to 1) buy core locks for my Yakima racks, then 2) > buy a twelve foot cable, run it through the seats and lock it to the > racks. I trust her advice, but I wanted to ask if anybody else out > there has additional words of wisdom. Hi Tom, I do have the locking cores on my Yakima racks, and I also do this... I sometimes take both bicycle and boat on my car so that I can do a day of both riding and paddling. The Yakima bike rack I use does lock as well, so while I'm paddling, the bike is fine. When I'm cycling, I put a "Car Club" (the type for a steering wheel) across the cockpit (behind the seat assembly, across the beam), then I run a heavy duty bike lock cable around the Club and the crossbar of the rack (inboard of the towers of course! :-)). If someone really wanted to steal the boat, they'd have to damage it by cutting away the fiberglass where the seat attaches to the coaming. I couldn't find a long enough Club to fit lengthwise on the coaming, because my Caribou has a pretty long keyhole cockpit. I would probably have preferred to do it that way, but the way it is now is still pretty secure. The boat I'm building now will have an ocean cockpit, so I think it should be no problem finding a long enough Club to go lengthwise in it (a "Truck Club" perhaps). -- Melissa *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
At 02:56 PM 9/30/2002 -0700, Melissa Reese wrote: SNIP >I couldn't find a long enough Club to fit lengthwise on the coaming, >because my Caribou has a pretty long keyhole cockpit. I would >probably have preferred to do it that way, but the way it is now is >still pretty secure. The boat I'm building now will have an ocean >cockpit, so I think it should be no problem finding a long enough Club >to go lengthwise in it (a "Truck Club" perhaps). > >-- >Melissa Melissa, Since you're building a boat, would it be reasonable to incorporate an "eye" somewhere inside the cockpit? The eye would be attached to a rigid part of your boat and a cable or chain could be pad locked to it. By being inside the cockpit, the lock is out of sight and out of the weather (assuming you use a cockpit cover. Bill Leonhardt *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
>My wife told me to 1) buy core locks for my Yakima racks, then 2) buy a >twelve foot cable, run it through the seats and lock it to the racks. I >trust her advice, but I wanted to ask if anybody else out there has >additional words of wisdom. I purchased one of these: http://www.tieyak.com/ --- really nothing more than two plastic coated cable loops (same material as a bicycle cable lock) that are placed over the ends of the kayak, wrapped around the roof rack or run through the car's door openings and then locked together. They seem to fit a wide range of kayaks (I've used them on a CD Storm and P&H Capella). You can buy the set of cables (no lock included) on the above web site or on Ebay (http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?Command=GetResult&query=kayak+lock). They are $40 on the web site, or about $20 on Ebay (these prices include the S&H). No affiliation -- just a satisfied customer. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Mon, Sep 30, 2002 at 05:15:35PM -0400, TomL wrote: < .. snip .. > > My wife tells me that several boats have recently been stolen in Kittery > Maine's "Kittery Trading Post" parking lot. KTP is one of the northeast's > biggest seller of kayaks. The thieves simply cut the webbing and made off > with the boats. It seems that sometimes they unbuckle the webbing to make > passersby think they (the "unbucklers") are actual owners. < .. snip .. > > But anything I can do to slow down or discourage the "enemy" is > worth considering. A mix of suggestions, some serious, others less so: 1) Leave a large dog in the car (preferably one that looks more ferocious than he/she really is). If well behaved, leave the windows down far enough for the pup to exit if determined. Convince them that anyone taking a boat other than you and yours is bad, and you're all set. If not so well behaved, leave the window cracked wide enough to be sure they have plenty of air, and then sit back and listen to a *real* car alarm when someone tries to spend time de-boating your vehicle. 2) On a more serious note, if you use front and rear tie-downs, replace the rope with cable, complete with loops at the ends. And then instead of tying it to your bow/stern and under-car hooks, pad-lock the darned thing. It's success would depend somewhat on how sturdy the attachment point is on the bow and stern of the boat, but it would actually work on many I've seen. 3) And finally, take the approach of many a city dweller and college student who rides their bike and has to park and lock it in various open locations. Make it (the boat that is) as absolutely ugly as possible. People don't steal ugly bikes (although they've been known to spot the nice parts on the ugly frame) as often as nice ones. The same is likely to go for boats too. And on a quite serious note, find out if your boats are covered by your insurance (car, home owner's, or renters) against left when taken from your vehicle. Car contents can be covered, in the event of break-in or theft of vehicle. I make this suggestion because you might not wish to do anything more elaborate than using lock cores in combination with a Yakima/Thule cable. As someone (Ralph Diaz, I believe) pointed out, the determined thief will win in the end anyway. It might be better to let them have the boats if they want to work at it, whilst not destroying the vehicle in the process. Chalk it up to the descent of society, replace your boats with the insurance $$$, and realize it won't be an everyday experience. Having seen firsthand what thieves can do when stealing car-topped bikes, by taking rack and all, the damage to be repaired on the vehicle can be downright scary. Just some random late-night musings ... -.- jwd *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Tom is snipped: but I wanted to ask if anybody else out there has additional words of wisdom... But anything I can do to slow down or discourage the "enemy" is worth considering. Check out www.kayaklocks.com. They have a new product that replaces the straps and is a locking device. I have not seen this device live, but in some dealings with the company on an earlier product I was impressed with the attitude: You order and receive the product, then when you are satisfied you pay for it!! Where else do you find someone who does business like that? Any business? Brian Blankinship No affiliation, previous customer, yada yada *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Tom, Instead of a small bike lock cable or if you are into DIY mode, the cable usually available at the hardware stores, use a contractor cable lock. The big box hardware stores sell them, I think its the Kryptonite brand. They have plastic coated cables with built in locks. The cables are really thick, 1/2 inch or so. Or to put it another way, even the largest bolt cutters in the same hardware store cannot get around the cable. At best they can nibble away at the cable. So it forces the thief to use a hacksaw. The Kryptonite cables are designed to stop theft on worksites where access to tools that can cut cables are plentiful.... I put a bar across the kayaks cockpit, lock it, and then run the Kryptonite cable around the bar and some point on the vehicle. It might be the racks or the car racks depending on the vehicle. Not full proof but enough to make the thief stop and think. Hopefully think to move on... 8-) Later, Dan McCarty *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I don't know if there is anything you can actually do to thief proof your kayaks. I figure the best I can do is to try and make it as inconvenient as hell for the thief to take my boats. Since I had my favorite boat stolen some time back I have started storing my boats without the hatch covers, which are locked up inside. I figure that if the boat is stolen it will not be really useful with two gaping holes in the deck. And I would hope that I could contact the local dealers to be on the lookout for anyone looking to buy hatch covers for the particular make and model of boat in question. Hopefully I will never have to put this method to the test. Scott So.Cal. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
The best theft proof method of safekeeping your kayak in car transit is to have it inside your trunk out of sight. I know of only one theft of a folding kayak from inside a car. It happened about a dozen years ago. The fellow had a VW Westphalia bus parked on a Greenwich Village NYC street and left his Feathercraft K-1 bag in plain sight inside the passenger area. The thief was going after an interesting looking bag, not a kayak. I bet it wound up being tossed a few blocks later. ralph diaz *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
From: "TomL" <tletourn_at_maine.rr.com> > My wife told me to 1) buy core locks for my Yakima racks, They do work to slow the theives down - a determined thief will get them regardless. > then 2) buy a > twelve foot cable, run it through the seats and lock it to the racks. As Ralph says - lock it to the vehicle, not the rack. I added a stainless steel U-bolt to the rear deck of my Ellesmere and run the cable thru that (my Solstice has similar supplied from the factory). I then run it down and lock the cable to the big ring welded to the underside of my Civic. Two loops around one kayak or one loop around one kayak and pass thru a second kayak does it - the cable fits almost exactly - no slack and no stretch. This cable will also slow them down. You'd need a pretty heavy cable to prevent them from cutting it. Mike *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Please don't use the Kyptonite or any other brand of cables to secure your kayaks. When they stole our kayak two weeks ago the cables were cut as if they were made of butter. It must have taken them seconds to steal the boat. All the ropes and straps were cut with a razor. Judging by the cut marks the cables offered no deterent at all. If I hadn't been so sold on their reliability due to the advertising hype, I would have been more vigilant or at least have tried chain. I was looking at what looks like 3/8 inch (case hardened?) chain at Home Depot this week. I was a little disheartened when I saw what I think was the simple chain cutter next to the chain to cut it to a custom length for the customers. If it is that easy to cut in the store it must be easier for a thief. I would use it for our next boats if I knew it was more secure, even putting a plastic sleeve over it to prevent scratching. I'm going to have to do some research first. Its best to sleep with your boats. We had been bringing the boat into our condo every night, but on Labor Day night there were too many people at the pool, and I figured someone might complain if we brought the boat past them. There were also a lot of out-of- towners on the streets, including the thieves. I also have to contact my insurance agent again. I told him last week to insure the trailer for $1000. I just realised I have a $1000 deductible. I am hoping that I can have a lower deductible for the declared items. Is there insurance you can buy specifically for kayaks? On the Internet there is a British company that sells it but not in the USA. For my Amateur radio gear the ARRL (American Radio Relay League) sponsors insurance. Its like a $50 deductible. You declare the replacement value of the item you want insured (say a $2000 radio). If its stolen you get the declared value minus the $50. I would think this would be a great way for say the ACA to get more members. I checked their web site and I saw no mention of insurance. I would definitely join if I could get reasonable insurance for my kayaks. I was hopeful that eventually my Coho would be found and end up somewhere in the USA. Someone just told me the reality of the situation. They said the boat was probably in the Caribbean by now along with thousands of other stolen kayaks. I hadn't realized that being in Corpus Christi so close to the border that most of the stolen boats probably go south and not north. I don't know if this is true. I would think customs might see the boats and ask qustions at the border, but I don't know. Regards, Steve Pituch ________________________________________________________________ Sent via the EV1 webmail system at mail.ev1.net *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
PaddleWise_at_paddlewise.net writes: Re: [Paddlewise] Thief-proofing methods? I looked on Ebay, and for about $15 to $20 you can pick up either of two cable locking systems for boats. Being a DIYS'er - and because I have two boats on the top of my car - I walked into my shop and made a copy of these systems with coated 1/8th inch aircraft cable. Yes, It can be cut. Heck, if I can make the cable it can be "unmade." I haven't used them yet. If I'm happy with the results, I'll beef it up to 1/4" cable. 1/4" cable is not as easy to get through - even for me. Now, how do *you* do this? I liked the idea of buying a cable at the hardware store, but that will cost you. Built cables are not cheap. One thing I'd do is have a talk with the maintenance people at your work or school. Working with cable is a pretty common thing. It is very likely you know someone who does this. A six-pack of beer can go along way. Oh wait, here's an idea....just leave a six pack on your car next to the boat. Most thieves will go for the easy score. By the time they finish the beer, they won't care about the boat. Happy paddling, John One favorite paddling moment.... After most of a day paddling around the rock islands of Palau, we stopped for a snorkel. In about 15 minutes, in 2 feet of water, one guy found a seahorse for us to check out ... that was a pretty cool day. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Check out the Stolen Kayaks section of our website. It has lots of advice for avoiding kayak thefts as well as a list of stolen kayaks from around the country for the last ten years or so. If anyone has had a kayak stolen and it is not on this list just E-mail me as much of the information requested as you can and I will add your kayak to the list. Matt Broze http://www.marinerkayaks.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Steve, The Kryptonite or Chain for that matter are not perfect solutions. There are none regarding security. But there are methods that will slow down or totally deter a thief. I know of a way, or at least think I do 8-), on how to defeat the Kryptonite cables but I ain't telling. Did you have the THICK cables or the thin ones? If the cable will fit into the jaws of the bolt cutters that are available in the same store with the locks it ain't good enough. Regarding chains. Well there are chains and then there are chains. There is cheap chain that you can cut real easy and there is Grade 70 Transport chain. Bigger chain does not mean its stronger by the way. I have some "small" Grade 70 chain that is much stronger than some "larger" chain. I can't remember the size of the chain but its around 1/2 inch Grade 70 chain that I bought to use to secure a gate. It took the store owner a good 10 minutes to cut the chain off the spool. It was not easy with the tools in the store.... There is chain and then there is CHAIN! 8-) On the other hand who wants 50 pounds of chain securing their yak to the vehicle? I know I don't want to! 8-) I still think the large Kryptonite cables are the best solution that I have seen or heard. None are perfect.... Sorry to hear about your kayak being stolen. Later, Dan *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
wrote, I haven't used them yet. If I'm happy with the results, I'll beef it up to 1/4" cable. 1/4" cable is not as easy to get through - even for me. Now, how do *you* do this? I liked the idea of buying a cable at the hardware store, but that will cost you. Built cables are not cheap. One thing I'd do is have a talk with the maintenance people at your work or school. Working with cable is a pretty common thing. It is very likely you know someone who does this. A six-pack of beer can go along way. Oh wait, here's an idea....just leave a six pack on your car next to the boat. Most thieves will go for the easy score. By the time they finish the beer, they won't care about the boat. At least buy the large diameter cable. I used to work with this 1/4"stuff and it takes as long as 2 seconds to cut through, counting the time it takes to pull my cable cutter from my tool belt. 3/8"or 9/16" takes much longer, perhaps 2.025 seconds and so is much more secure. Visually, yes it is, and believe me half of all thieves are in the dark about cable cutters. Half aren't. Just hope you get the dummy that will try to cut your cable with side cutters. Cables do work at restaurants and short stops enough to justify their use though. As for home mades, it's not difficult with some simple tools. A cable cutter, $ 15.00, swages, cable of course, and a hammer & cold chisel. The hammer & chisel are if you don't happen to have a swaging tool in your kit, $ 100.00+. Make sure the chisel is med. size and just hammer away at the swages at 3 or 4 places across the width; both sides. Instant swages. Remember you're not securing a main mast here; this works for it's intended purpose. After that you're ready for the 6 pack. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
>> Is there insurance you can buy specifically for kayaks? On the Internet there is a British company that sells it but not in the USA. << Have you talked to your insurance agent about a lower deductible? My wife and I insure our kayaks for about $20 a year each with State Farm. Chuck Holst *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
:-) There ya go. I once heard a story that people from other states when traveling abroad would say, "I'm from the US" while us nutso Texans, we say "I'm from Texas" :-) As I have read over and over, people like Chuck can insure a kayak for $20, but when we inquired in Texas it had to be insured the same as a '18 foot boat, a motor boat, they didn't know how to insure it as anything else. It ended up costing us about $130 a boat, which just wasn't worth it. Or maybe we didn't call enough insurance companies. Has anyone found good rates in Texas? Are there any national ways to insure a boat that are not state dependent? I think it would be great if the ACA, BCU or someone would sponsor a national plan. Jen *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Sorry to hear about your stolen kayak. My dad, now a retired journeyman machinist, was once trained as a locksmith, use to say, "locks only keep honest people honest". No matter the method, a determined criminal, will find a way to defeat any security lock you can devise. I am partial to a case hardened chain, though the cables are convenient and light, they are easily cut. As pointed out, anywhere you buy bulk chain or cable will have a hand held tool that cuts it in less then a minute. here is what I did, with my dads help, when in grade school: Buy as heavy a chain you want to carry at the hardware store at your desired length and then harden it yourself. If you have a source of heat like a torch with a large burner head, or access to a high temp. oven as used in firing clay or other crafts, it is easy to do. You simply heat the chain up to a uniform dull red color, and drop the heated chain in a metal bucket full of motor oil (used oil works fine). The oil quenches the metal faster than water because it does not boil off the surface. I then used a old bicycle inner tube to protect the chain so it will not scratch my bike. The hand held cutters would not likely cut a chain after it is hardened this way. I have never had a bike stolen when I used this chain. Almost everyone I know had a bike stolen at one time or another growing up in the Los Angles/Long Beach area, including my wife, even when they diligently locked it up with chains or cables. Somewhere in my garage I still have this chain, and heavy as it is, it has never been cut. Peter *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
From: "Peter Chopelas" <pac_at_premier1.net> Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Thief-proofing methods? > My dad, now a retired journeyman > machinist, was once trained as a locksmith, use to say, "locks only keep > honest people honest". ==================================== Your hardened chain solution sounds like a good way to go. What would be your recommendation for the accompanying lock to keep it from being the proverbial "weak link"? Something that is bolt-cutter proof and pick resistant? Thanks, Bill *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Take a look at your local Harley dealer for some heavy duty chains and locks. Bill Chitty wrote: > From: "Peter Chopelas" <pac_at_premier1.net> > Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Thief-proofing methods? > > > >>My dad, now a retired journeyman >>machinist, was once trained as a locksmith, use to say, "locks only keep >>honest people honest". > > ==================================== > Your hardened chain solution sounds like a good way to go. What would be > your recommendation for the accompanying lock to keep it from being the > proverbial "weak link"? Something that is bolt-cutter proof and pick > resistant? -- Jan Mason td376_at_mail.anonymizer.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Bill wrote: > Your hardened chain solution sounds like a good way to go. What would be > your recommendation for the accompanying lock to keep it from being the > proverbial "weak link"? Something that is bolt-cutter proof and pick > resistant? > My personal preference is a lock with hardened locking loop, again, the largest you want to carry. My favorite is those round locks with almost a continuous loop of hardened steel that you have to crank around using the key to the slot in the steel loops. I do not remember who manufactures these. Most of the heavy security locks use pretty good key/cylinder/tumbler designs, though none are pick proof. One of the most difficult to pick I think is the type with the cylinder-like key. Though I personally would not fret too much over the lock type, most thieves do not want to take the time to actually pick a lock. It draws too much attention too them since even the simpler of the heavy duty locks takes some time and skill to open without a key. They will choose to steal items that can be taken by quickly cutting a chain or cable with hand operated bolt cutters, or items left unlocked altogether. I spent some time studying my dad's locksmith manuals, mostly out of curiosity, but also in case I ever had to get a lock open when I did not have a key. Once you know how the internal mechanisms work, it this not that difficult to devise a way to defeat it with a few simple hand tools. But it does take a bit of time, some inventiveness, and most of all patients. These are all things thieves generally do not have in abundance, otherwise they would make a better living with a stable income doing legitimate work. [it is perhaps a mistaken romantic idea that there are criminals that live lives of luxury by stealing]. So I think the object of any security system, be it for bikes or kayaks, or your home and car, is to make it appear not worth the effort for a criminal to make you his victim. Troublesome locks, large dogs, exposure to arrest, and camouflaging your valuables to appear not very valuable, all go a long way to make criminal look elsewhere. I routinely drive old vehicles that I seldom wash, and when I carry tools or surveying equipment I make sure they are out of direct sight under an ugly old blanket or tarp if I leave it parked. I have never had anything stolen this way. Yet I know people in the construction trades that always drive shinny new trucks, and can count on having all their tools stolen about once a year, and have several thousand dollars worth of damage to their new trucks done in the process of the break-in. They just consider this a routine cost of doing business, but I have never had that problem. New vehicles full of shiny new tool boxes are huge criminal magnates. Best to leave the new trucks at home, and drive a $300 rust bucket back and forth to a jobsite, then to provide a steady stream if income to the criminal's drug dealers at your expense. Peter *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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