Recommendation for cable to lock dinghy and engine?

[samoorelex]

Hi All,
I'm looking for a 15' or so cable to lock my dinghy up.
I'd like a SS covered cable.
Any recommendations would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Sam

[Franziska]

Cheapest solution?

Get an old shroud or forestay of a Dinghy.

Costs near to nothing.

Stainless, long enough, hard enough to cut for a drive by thief....

[JPA Cate]

Buy the coated lifeline material, two thimbles, and use your Nico Press tool to swage on the eyes. (Buy extra length to accommodate the eyes.) Most rigging shops will have everything to make you up what you want, if you are not equipped to to them yourself.

Depending on where you're planning to go, and what your setup is, you might want to use chain instead. It can help if you can secure o/b, fuel tank, and dinghy. "Secure" in this case, being a relative term: it's more like encouraging a bad guy to pick someone else's dinghy.

Ann

[nhschneider]

We used this and never had a problem: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Lock-C...420&psc=1&th=1

Fair winds and calm seas.

[chrisr]

we use a bicycle cable lock...simple...convenient

ours is about 2m long, but if you need longer you can 'top & tail' two cables

cheers,

[Chotu]

I use oversize galvanized chain through everything and through the cleat at the dock. Florida. 3rd world state

[Dennis.G]

Originally Posted by nhschneider

We used this and never had a problem: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Lock-C...420&psc=1&th=1

Fair winds and calm seas.

I also have this cable in 15' length. Works well. Couple of issues; some corrosion has developed (but under plastic covering), and the swage fitting is too fat to fit through a lot of stuff including most cleat eyes.

I also bought some bulk stainless cable at Home Depot and pressed on some of my own fittings. This is lighter and ends can be fed through smaller holes including most dock cleats that have an eye on them.

[sailnautilus]

Cable is fine in US. Outside of US, hardened stainless chain is essential. Lock motor on transom with bar lock, run chain thru outboard lock, through handle on gas tank, through large through-bolted padeye on front of dinghy. Use a massive padlock...keep your dinghy and outboard safe!

[jen1722terry]

We echo the other posters on the cable being OK for most US ports, but hard SS chain in other areas (we carry both, but the cable is easier to use).

Our dink motor is the popular Honda 2.3. The transom screws have eyelets on the end to allow some grip for tightening. A long-shank Master waterproof lock with rubber case cover and hardened shank just fits through the eyelets and cable loops, to make it quite challenging to steal just the motor or the whole kit. We even lock the dink to our davits when we're away from the boat.

We will sometimes cable-lock our dink to a mooring bouy if we're not needing it for a daysail, depending on the neighborhood

Also, we've added a lot of large, painted identifiers to the dink and also painted the motor cover and shaft to make it ugly and easy to spot.

I've always felt that, if you make a theft more difficult and time-consuming, the thief will just move on to the next dink.

Cheers!

Jenn and Terry

[GWilly]

I’ve used a bike lock as well. Cheap and easy. Kind of a no brainer.

[mikedefieslife]

what lengths of cables and chains are you using, considering that in some places you'll want at least 2m of slack to allow other boats to get to the dock, or to even get yours close to the dock.

[tarian]

Agreed with above posters on chain outside the US , plenty of cabled boats being cut by small heavy cutters by thiefs that know they will be locked,
Also a battery angle grinder will cut through in seconds, seems the scoundrels in the Islands know this and have invested in some equipment.
After having my 15 hp stole of my rib, I use 10cm boron Hardened steel (motor bike security chain), and a lock that Tarzan would baulk at .
Once bitten never again

[anacapaisland42]

Paint it bright orange
Bill

Originally Posted by samoorelex

Hi All,
I'm looking for a 15' or so cable to lock my dinghy up.
I'd like a SS covered cable.
Any recommendations would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Sam

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Depending on where you're planning to go, and what your setup is, you might want to use chain instead. It can help if you can secure o/b, fuel tank, and dinghy. "Secure" in this case, being a relative term: it's more like encouraging a bad guy to pick someone else's dinghy.

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.

[RickG]

Originally Posted by nhschneider

We used this and never had a problem: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Lock-C...420&psc=1&th=1

Fair winds and calm seas.

We're using the same on our big dink with Abco 55/40 bronze locks. It's good enough in the Virgin Islands. I'm considering theft proof stainless chain when we go down island.

Cheers, RickG