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16-01-2020, 14:06
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#16
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Scotland
Boat: 42ft Moody Ketch
Posts: 643
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Re: Recommendation for cable to lock dinghy and engine?
Quote:
Originally Posted by hamburking
Chain is much easier to cut (and quicker) than cable. A thick chain, which would be too difficult to cut by hand with a pair of bolt cutters would be too heavy for convenience. IMHO, a cable is a good solution...as thick as you can tolerate. A thin cable can be cut with a good pair of pliers. Thicker cable needs a small hacksaw and about 2 minutes. Really thick cable is best. Personally, I use a KRYPTOCABLE which is thick, coated, and sold for locking expensive bicycles. And I lock it with a KRYPTONITE brand U-Lock.
Yes, a battery powered grinder will cut all of these. But they make a lot of noise and sparks...so thick means more time and greater chance of being caught.
Best defense is to have older, ugly, painted dinghy and outboard. This is why I can't have nice things.
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I will put this against your wire anytime against bolt cutters or angle grinder
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Master-Lock.../dp/B000AYH8MO
Also the size matters here a thief will walk past a heavy looking chain and go for the softer option with there bolt cutters up their Jumper
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16-01-2020, 14:13
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#17
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Portland, Oregon, USA
Boat: 31' Cape George Cutter
Posts: 3,270
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Re: Recommendation for cable to lock dinghy and engine?
Cables (not armored) are a joke - don't use for dinghies or bikes. Not only will an inexpensive cable cutter instantly and quietly cut through them, they will also yield in short order to a thief with a small pair of diagonal cutters "nibbling" through them. A cable won't even slow down a thief.
For when I lock my bikes to the rack on my car I use an armored cable. Not only are they resistant to diagonal cutters, they are too fat to fit in a cable cutter and tend to jam them. What I use: https://www.onguardlock.com/armoredcables
Regular chain can be cut with bolt cutters but hardened chain presents a more difficult challenge. I used 15' of C4 chain to lock my dinghy and motor.
Nothing will defend against a thief with a battery-powered grinder with a cut-off blade. If the dinghy is locked in an out-of-the-way spot then there will be nothing to stop the theft. In a public place thieves will be a bit more reluctant due to the noise attracting attention, but if they can cut through in a few seconds they may just do so and speed off. I have seen a locked dinghy stolen off the beach in front of a very busy outdoor cafe, with the owners watching - it happened too fast to stop.
I had a SS fitting made to fit through the pivot tube of my 15hp outboard, where a remote steering system can be mounted. One end has a hole for a padlock. Using 2 padlocks, one at the end of the chain to the outboard and one to one of the lifting points in the dinghy, and looping the chain around something fixed and back to the 2nd padlock, or even a 3rd padlock for an end loop, was my daily method.
Most importantly, at the end of the day: LIFT AND LOCK OR LOSE IT! Lifting alone, or locking alone, is not sufficient. Lift the boat clear of the water and chain it to the bulwarks or secure point.
Greg
Edit: Buy a set of high quality, keyed-alike padlocks. They are useful for securing all manner of things, and having a single key is a great convenience.
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16-01-2020, 17:01
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#19
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Currently cruising the eastern Caribbean
Boat: Lagoon 42, Minx
Posts: 332
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Re: Recommendation for cable to lock dinghy and engine?
The reality is that you only have to have a level of protection a step above what everyone else is using at the dinghy dock. If everyone at the dock is using 4 mm chain and you are using old 8 mms anchor chain, thief's are basically lazy and will go after the easier target. If you are in a country with lots of 2 stroke motorbikes, figure out how not only to lock the gas tank, but to lock the gas cap. So the 8 mm chain weighs a lot? ...... a heavy dirty chain beats coming back to the dinghy dock and finding an empty space where your dinghy was and definitely beats having to swim back to your boat and leaving your groceries on the dock.
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16-01-2020, 18:01
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#20
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 76
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Re: Recommendation for cable to lock dinghy and engine?
I like the locks that go over the motor clamps to deter motor theft. Several motors were stolen at my marina. they tried to get mine off but couldn't.
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20-01-2020, 09:33
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#21
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Boston
Boat: Cal 29(Boston) Nautitech 441(Grenada)
Posts: 110
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Re: Recommendation for cable to lock dinghy and engine?
Quote:
Originally Posted by hamburking
Chain is much easier to cut (and quicker) than cable. A thick chain, which would be too difficult to cut by hand with a pair of bolt cutters would be too heavy for convenience. IMHO, a cable is a good solution...as thick as you can tolerate. A thin cable can be cut with a good pair of pliers. Thicker cable needs a small hacksaw and about 2 minutes. Really thick cable is best. Personally, I use a KRYPTOCABLE which is thick, coated, and sold for locking expensive bicycles. And I lock it with a KRYPTONITE brand U-Lock.
Yes, a battery powered grinder will cut all of these. But they make a lot of noise and sparks...so thick means more time and greater chance of being caught.
Best defense is to have older, ugly, painted dinghy and outboard. This is why I can't have nice things.
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Fair but not fancy dingy, somewhat mediocre 6hp outboard looking a bit beat up and 3 meters of 10mm stainless chain and serious lock. I expect some day to come back and find my dinghy tied off and someone stole my $$ chain. Masterlock makes a decent OB lock which covers the toggles, but I had one rust badly after only a season. I found a similar lock for outboards in stainless (Dock-N-Loc) with a circular lock like they require for storage units. I use a cable and a second lock to secure the gas tank. At night I lift the dingy on Davits. So far it has worked OK. As mentioned above 3 meters of 10mm SS chain is very heavy but it helps distribute some weight to the bow LOL.
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20-01-2020, 10:22
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#22
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: ABC's
Boat: Prout Snowgoose 35
Posts: 1,756
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Re: Recommendation for cable to lock dinghy and engine?
Quote:
Originally Posted by tarian
I will put this against your wire anytime against bolt cutters or angle grinder
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Master-Lock.../dp/B000AYH8MO
Also the size matters here a thief will walk past a heavy looking chain and go for the softer option with there bolt cutters up their Jumper
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What are you going to do with just 3 feet? You can chose to lock the dinghy (with it tight against the dock pissing people off), or the engine.
I thing anything less than 5-10 meters depending on wether it is looped or not, is probably not enough to lock your engine, fuel tank, and eventually the dinghy to the dock and still have enough length to allow other boats to come and go, or for tides etc..
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20-01-2020, 11:34
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#23
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Boston
Boat: Cal 29(Boston) Nautitech 441(Grenada)
Posts: 110
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Re: Recommendation for cable to lock dinghy and engine?
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikedefieslife
What are you going to do with just 3 feet? You can chose to lock the dinghy (with it tight against the dock pissing people off), or the engine.
I thing anything less than 5-10 meters depending on wether it is looped or not, is probably not enough to lock your engine, fuel tank, and eventually the dinghy to the dock and still have enough length to allow other boats to come and go, or for tides etc..
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3 meters (not feet) which is padlocked at the bow. 10 meters of chain might be great for anchoring.
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20-01-2020, 11:37
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#24
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: ABC's
Boat: Prout Snowgoose 35
Posts: 1,756
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Re: Recommendation for cable to lock dinghy and engine?
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptRehab
3 meters (not feet) which is padlocked at the bow. 10 meters of chain might be great for anchoring.
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This was actually my thought. That if I got stainless chain (I believe it's a little harder to cut), It could double up as part of the dinghy anchor rode and just permanently live in the dinghy.
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20-01-2020, 12:05
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#25
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2016
Boat: Wauquiez Pretorien 35
Posts: 439
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Re: Recommendation for cable to lock dinghy and engine?
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptRehab
3 meters (not feet) which is padlocked at the bow. 10 meters of chain might be great for anchoring.
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But the Amazon ad says 3 feet...
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20-01-2020, 12:33
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#26
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Boston
Boat: Cal 29(Boston) Nautitech 441(Grenada)
Posts: 110
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Re: Recommendation for cable to lock dinghy and engine?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Souzag818
But the Amazon ad says 3 feet...
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I see. The quote for the amazon link embedded in my reply was 3 feet. I use 3meters of stainless 10mm in the Caribbean. I must say if someone used a 3 foot chain to connect the dinghy to a fixed dock at high tide with in Boston, the scene would be most amusing at low tide!
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20-01-2020, 12:56
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#27
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Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Carrabelle, Florida
Boat: Fiberglas shattering 44' steel trawler
Posts: 6,083
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Re: Recommendation for cable to lock dinghy and engine?
There's a competition going on on our southern border to determine which battery powered DeWalt saw with which readily available blade can go through Mr. Trump's "perfect wall" the fastest. They've got it down to a few minutes, last I heard. Tool design is way ahead of security design at present. All of that means that the thread of "make it inconvenient and he'll go elsewhere" is the central point. Pile on the locks, chains, and cables. The dinghy with the most impressive setup among those at the municipal dock remains there the longest. Fluorescent spray paint helps.
__________________
Never let anything mechanical know that you are in a hurry.
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20-01-2020, 13:19
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#28
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Boston
Boat: Cal 29(Boston) Nautitech 441(Grenada)
Posts: 110
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Re: Recommendation for cable to lock dinghy and engine?
Quote:
Originally Posted by tkeithlu
There's a competition going on on our southern border to determine which battery powered DeWalt saw with which readily available blade can go through Mr. Trump's "perfect wall" the fastest. They've got it down to a few minutes, last I heard. Tool design is way ahead of security design at present. All of that means that the thread of "make it inconvenient and he'll go elsewhere" is the central point. Pile on the locks, chains, and cables. The dinghy with the most impressive setup among those at the municipal dock remains there the longest. Fluorescent spray paint helps.
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True but location counts. The guy with the saw cutting the chain on the dock while the restaurant/bar patrons complain about the noise might find it was not the best decision he ever made. If you leave it in a remote spot overnight. Well don’t count on it being there in the morning
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21-01-2020, 16:47
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#29
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Panama
Boat: Norseman 447
Posts: 1,626
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Re: Recommendation for cable to lock dinghy and engine?
Tkeithlu is right. Around the yacht club, lost keys are a constant problem. I haven’t yet seen a cable, chain or lock that my Milwaukee angle grinder won’t cut through in less than 30 seconds. Sure, the 1” chain on the moorings takes longer but I doubt you’ll try that on your dinghy.
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24-01-2020, 07:13
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#30
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: South Carolina
Boat: Philip Rhodes Custom 71'
Posts: 190
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Re: Recommendation for cable to lock dinghy and engine?
Two tricks we use.
1. on our new inflatable we added 6 repair patches plus smears of paint and glue. Make it look like crap so they will steal someone elses'.
2. Check out this neat product.
__________________
Ann-Marie Foster
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