Dinghy Security - Thoughts please

[barnakiel]

Plenty of options, some of them are:

- not to have one,
- have one that nobody else wants to have,
- have one that requires effort and skills to operate (a.k.a. rowing/sailing dinghy),
- sail where there is no dinghy theft,
- lock it,
- etc.

Have your pick.

b.

[wrwakefield]

Originally Posted by Bulawayo

Hi,
I have just spent a couple of hours looking at screw in inspection covers. A couple of questions to help me, please.
I am concerned at the loads imposed on a 9" plastic screw in lid. Did you have a fast moving dinghy? I am wondering about what happens in a choppy sea when the dinghy is slamming / bouncing into waves ? It would be rather inconvenient to have the hatch blow out. Perhaps a 6" circular hatch in the transom would be better but these do not seem, after my brief search, to exist.
What about the underside of the hatch? The underside of the lids and frames appear to have stiffening ribs - what happens to them when you drag the dinghy up a beach? I looked at the fuel /water tank fillers but a softwood bung or similar would quickly block that up. My dinghies (we have two) have aluminium hulls and they plane very easily so we need something pretty robust. Possibly the fuel / water fillers in the transom would work where they are not subject to load and also would not need their trunks cutting off. Makes me think that we should also remove the drain plug when beached.

I agree: 9" or even 6" might be a little large for this use. As I mentioned in my previous post, I used a 3" one that I had on hand when I did this years ago. It was a fiberglass dink and I never had a problem with structural integrity. Mine was installed so the finished side [top normally] of the inspection plate was on the outside of the hull so it was as flush as possible...

Good point on too small of a hole [e.g., fuel or water fill] being easily plugged. No matter what we do we are really trying to keep the honest people honest... Everything can be overcome by a motivated individual...

I haven't researched smaller aluminum inspection ports, but suspect they are out there.

I also agree it may be as effective low in the transom as in the hull for the purpose intended...

Good luck with your search for an ideal fitting.

Cheers!

[Heath68]

Originally Posted by wrwakefield

You didn't mention what kind of dinghy you have, so this may not apply for you: Years ago when I was cruising Mexico and Central America [with a different boat and dinghy than I have now...] I had a hard bottom dink. I installed a small diameter inspection port in the hull [below the waterline] that had a removable cover. I unscrewed the cap and put it in my pocket while ashore, and ran the locking cable through that hole to make sure anyone looking was aware of the hole in the hull.

Perhaps this could also be done low on the transom of an inflatable with good effect...? [Though I haven't modified one in this way...]

In case this is helpful.

I actually don't have one but before you shoot I was curious because I'd heard they go missing and I thought a forum was an ideal place to share ideas... I'm saving for a cat at the moment and am collecting ideas.. because mine was shot down in fantastic style
In edit I will add a thanks to the suggestions so far.. some are very unique and thoughtful and with so many people with the same problem a shared problem is (hopefully) a minimised one

[Bill Taylor]

This system served me well for several years in Mexico to prevent theft of the dinghy from the mother ship at night. Mount two cleats inside the dinghy stern, one on either side. Run a line from each cleat to a securing point forward on the same side, using enough line so at its highest point each line is 5 or 6 feet above the dinghy. Tie an overhand knot slightly astern of mid point in each line, leaving a loop. The loops should be side by side, positioned to lift the dinghy. Leave the lines lying on the dinghy floor when not in use.

Keep your main halyard secured to a lifeline or toe rail. To secure your dinghy, come along side and fasten the main halyard to the two loops in your dinghy lines. Clip your dinghy painter to the lifeline. (I would always have a snap hook on the end of the painter to quickly secure the dinghy.) You should then be able to step on the dinghy seat, grab a shroud and climb aboard. Winch the dinghy well out of the water. Take the painter, pull the dinghy toward the bow and tie if off. This keeps the dinghy from sliding back and forth or banging against the hull. I found that it rides very quietly and safely all night, even in a reasonable swell.

Sounds a bit complicated in writing but takes perhaps a minute and a half in practice. The overnight drying also stops marine growth on the dinghy bottom, a definite plus.

[wrwakefield]

Originally Posted by Heath68

I actually don't have one but before you shoot I was curious because I'd heard they go missing and I thought a forum was an ideal place to share ideas... I'm saving for a cat at the moment and am collecting ideas.. because mine was shot down in fantastic style
In edit I will add a thanks to the suggestions so far.. some are very unique and thoughtful and with so many people with the same problem a shared problem is (hopefully) a minimised one

No worries or shooting here...

Forums are for learning, contributing, and asking when information cannot be found elsewhere...

Good luck with your quest!

[KadeyKrogen38]

A friend who cruised and lived aboard for almost 35 years, says to always secure with chain. It makes a lot of noise against the hull if someone is trying to take, cut or generally mess with the dingy or motor.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by KadeyKrogen38

A friend who cruised and lived aboard for almost 35 years, says to always secure with chain. It makes a lot of noise against the hull if someone is trying to take, cut or generally mess with the dingy or motor.

+A1...

[leftbrainstuff]

Originally Posted by darylat8750

If leaving my dinghy where I won't be able to see it I sometimes throw a bicycle chain/lock on it. Depending on the "neighborhood". But my biggest weapon in the fight to save my dinghy is to have the rattiest dinghy on the dock. My Yamaha 15 is always the nastiest looking on on the float but it starts first pull. When remote I usually lift the dinghy out of the water instead of leaving it just secured by a line.

Have the poorest / saddest looking dinghy. A well maintained dink doesnt have to look good. It just has to run good.

A decent lock helps too. We also lock our outboard at full lock.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[smarquis]

Just a thought on using the inspection ports (which I think are a great idea) in the transom. This likely would not work as well as in the hull given that as soon as the dingy gets underway, it would operate as a drain for any water that had come in. Further, with any type of inflatable, I also doubt that sufficient water would come in to significantly hinder performance (unless the thief is rowing the boat). Just my 2 cents, and thanks to everyone for all of the insightful ideas.

[ObsessionSTJ]

We have a pretty ratty dinghy but when not at our home anchorage we generally lock up if we are somewhere we are not familiar. It costs too much to replace even a rough dinghy. We also bolt and lock our engine to the transom and put a cable and lock from the transom to the dock. It may be overkill but I don't want to get back to my dinghy at night and not have my dinghy waiting there for me.
www.mountainsandseashore.blogspot.com


Happy Sailing,
Camile
s/v Obsession

[zboss]

Originally Posted by boatman61

$h1tttttttt... was it far to swim when you jumped out..??


Sorry.. to good to pass...

hahhahah

[Bulawayo]

Originally Posted by smarquis

Just a thought on using the inspection ports (which I think are a great idea) in the transom. This likely would not work as well as in the hull given that as soon as the dingy gets underway, it would operate as a drain for any water that had come in. Further, with any type of inflatable, I also doubt that sufficient water would come in to significantly hinder performance (unless the thief is rowing the boat). Just my 2 cents, and thanks to everyone for all of the insightful ideas.

Yeah, good point. But to mount in the hull itself has many issues as it would need to be mounted from the underside on a fast dinghy. To remove it would then mean tipping the dinghy over?
The other issue is that this only works when the dinghy is out of the water. At present we have two very distintive aluminium 'RIB' dinghies with brightly painted (yellow) outboard motors. We use 'U' bolts through the transom and through the anchor well bulkheads with the outboard motors and fuel tanks locked to these and to the dock. I am still seeking a better solution.

[Wanderlust]

Padlocks and cables will only have minimal protection against prepared thieves. I was disillusioned when I needed to hacksaw through my reasonably sized stainless padlock (8mm). With a new hacksaw blade it only took 30-40 seconds. Nevertheless, that's better than nothing, and the thief may try elsewhere.

A couple of years ago I was sleeping aboard my boat in a crowded bay of moored boats when a thief tried to steal my RIB with 15HP outboard. It was well secured on the davits but not locked, and would have made a bit of noise and taken time to lower it. Fortunately the movement of the boat when the thief came aboard woke me up and I was able to disturb him before he got very far. He dived overboard and swam away.

My solution to security? I was hoping to get more ideas here. So far my choices would be:

1. always hoist out of the water at night
2. make it less desirable
3. make it tedious or difficult to remove in the darkness
4. make it noisy to detach so you will hear it if sleeping onboard (light chain that will rattle?)
5. have an alarm connected to bright lighting - triggered by movement and a link that gets disconnected when untying it.

A removable inspection port would be good for a beached dinghy. Just make sure the tide doesn't come in.

[zeehag]

double an dtriple lock dink to boat. make it so folks have to board your boat to get dink.
i have walker bay noone wants to steal and no engine outboard..lol.. havent lost any dink since i started this adventure 4 yrs ago.

[JPA Cate]

Ultimately, it depends on how well prepared the thieves are. We have never had a chaiined-up dinghy stolen, but did have one stolen that was just tied up. This is in cruising in the South Pacific only, since 1990. We use the Boatman61 method, but with somewhat longer galvanized chain.

Ann