Best lock for dinghy and outboard?

[Cheechako]

I used vinyl coated cable. But cable is readily cut with bolt cutters. Hard large chain might suffice but it would be terrible to carry around. You just have to hope that most thieves don't have cutters I guess.

[chouliha]

Originally Posted by luckychucky

Locks keep honest people honest.

Yep I agree BUT if there is a choice the honest person will steal the easier choice. Unless you are in Costa Rica where they say "Theft is not a crime but a art form!". In some places you can see inflatables with the transom chain sawed out to get to the motor.

Certainly luck plays an important part.

We also lift the dink every night and sling it. Yet we had friends lose there slung dink in Mexico where a panga crept along side under the dink and cut the halyard.

You can only do so much

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I used vinyl coated cable. But cable is readily cut with bolt cutters. Hard large chain might suffice but it would be terrible to carry around. You just have to hope that most thieves don't have cutters I guess.

Yes, cause I have heard of Sawsall's being used to cut out the whole transom so they could make off with the motor, seems the motor is what they are after most of the time.
All I can do is make it a little harder for them, and hope they are too lazy I guess.

[Cheechako]

Yes, a pad lock will lock the motor to the transom but quite often they just break the motor fittings to get them off. Padlock works for the casual opportunity thief but not the pro.

[grahamb]

Having just had a tinnie and outboard stolen.......I now use s/s chain......and ex shroud wire (having once lost a mast overboard once I can verify how hard that is to cut with BIG boltcutters........and case hardened galvanised chain as well ( used on crane slings .....often given away after end of life).


but you can only try.......

[seabreez]

Originally Posted by wayne.b

===

What I do with our dinghy is to run a length of good quality stainless steel cable from one end of the dinghy to the other, starting with the outboard engine, continuing through the fuel tanks, out through the bow eye, and finally to a strong point on shore where it is padlocked. It doesn't have to be perfect but it needs to be highly visible and arguably better than the other dinghys on the same dock. We've never had a problem (knock on wood) even after two winters in the Carib and countless miles through the Bahamas and eastern US.

I second the motion. Make it visible that it is locked up!

[Jim Cate]

IMO, s/s cable of a suitable size is too easy to cut with tools that can be carried in the pocket. We have used galvo chain, 3/16 inch (or metric equiv.) for both security and for the dinghy anchor. We carry about 10 meters of this stuff, shackled to the anchor when we're cruising in the woop-woop, and padlocked to a welded eye, through the handles on the fuel tank and the motor and thence to some solid thing for security. It can of course be cut, but not so easily as similar sized cable, and it is very useful on the anchor, and it stows in a bucket quite compactly.

S/s chain would be nicer,but then someone would steal the chain!

Jim

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

S/s chain would be nicer,but then someone would steal the chain!

Jim

Jim, you'r so cynical.

[Seaslug Caravan]

This thread is hilarious.

Just spent 3 months of last summer in Sydney where everyone goes to great lengths to lock their dinghy/motor/tank/oars/anchor etc to the dinghy docks.

Never locked ours once. No problems. Its a second hand , well used, hard dingy that we row. I suspect most thieves want a motor with their boat as most don't know how to row.

So a big THANK YOU to all those cruisers out there with shiny motorised inflatable thingys for keeping the attention off our tender.

[doublewide]

Lifting on davits at night and locking with a heavy chain are great. Your smartest move was getting a 4-stroke. Not many people want to steal a 4-stroke. (we have one, too, so I'm making an observation, not disrespecting you.)

[Dulcesuenos]

Why waste money and energy on locks, just put "west marine " decals on the dinghy and a "Hangkai" decal on the engine and you'll never have to worry.

Sent from my STUDIO 5.5 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[seabreez]

Originally Posted by Dulcesuenos

Why waste money and energy on locks, just put "west marine " decals on the dinghy and a "Hangkai" decal on the engine and you'll never have to worry.

Sent from my STUDIO 5.5 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

OOOKAY... what is so special about "West Marine" decals and a "Hangkai" decal? I only asked because someone else is asking what this is..... yyyaaa!

[Dulcesuenos]

I was joking sorta I hear no one is stealing cheap Chinese outboards, or dinghies lol

Sent from my STUDIO 5.5 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[blueazimuth]

It's more than about the best lock - think the system through.
Think like the bad guy - how would you steal? Think engine lock,
s/s cable (or chain), dock lock - the bigger and more obvious, the
more likely it will detour the bad guy.
Think how you are going to use it? - On the dink? At the dinghy dock?
On the the ship's transom? In a locker? During off season storage?

1. There are excellent all s/s locking devices on the market. Spend the money.
2. Use a high quality stainless steel cable (not the plastic covered lifeline type
which sometimes has more plastic than stainless) Test cut it - if you can cut
it with your bolt cutters, so can the bad guy.
Chain, especially s/s chain, could be a good alternative to cable.
Test cut the chain. It's inexpensive, compared to the loss of dink and
motor, not to mention the agro.
3. Pass it through a transom lifting ring, the tank and anything else you don't
want to lose. Then the bow eye.
4. Use a high quality lock on the dock end - combination locks work well, but
difficult to see at night... I prefer a key.
5. *** the strongest part of any system is it's weakest link ***
6. And folks .....
Lift it. Lock it. Or lose it....

[LoudMusic]

Originally Posted by Dulcesuenos

Why waste money and energy on locks, just put "west marine " decals on the dinghy and a "Hangkai" decal on the engine and you'll never have to worry.

Sent from my STUDIO 5.5 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

It's the Chameleon XLE of dinghys

https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-l...meleon/2859849