locking up the dinghy

I used to make stainless cables for locking dinghies. I’d use Nicropress sleeves to put a thimble in one end of a length of 1/4” stainless 7 X 19. Then i’d slide clear vinyl hose over it and install a thimble in the other end. The advantage is you can make it any length you need and it’s lighter than chain. It’s hard to cut 1/4” stainless cable with cheap bolt cutters. The vinyl hose is large enough in diameter that the thief will have to cut it off before he can get cutters on the cable.

Stainless chain is much harder to cut than regular chain. There is special harden chain that is probably harder to cut than stainless but it seems to be cad plated and will probably rust pretty quick.

foggysail said:

Ted—- you must remember the SEAGULL outboard! They were also safe from theft.

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Unless someone needed a light anchor.

I always counted on our Seagull to quite at the worst of times. It never disappointed.

Froggy_130 said:

I’m guessing you all haven’t heard of the market in very expensive stolen racing bikes. Some pretty exotic cable type locks are regularly cut off in short order by bike thieves, using battery powered angle grinders with metal cutting abrasive wheels. And you thought the expression “gone in 60 seconds” came from a Nicolas Cage flick.

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Nothing is going to stop every theft. I watched a locksmith pick one of those "Club" steering wheel locks in about ten seconds! Talk about a letdown.

Our dinghy protection method is a combination of the,
1) don't make it look too valuable, theory (stickers on outboard, wooden, gray painted oars, and our boat is cosmetically challenged), and
2) a fifteen foot vinyl coated 3/8 inch steel cable which we run from the motor through an eyebolt (Boston Whaler 11) in the dinghy, through the gas can handle, through large eyebolts screwed and 5200'd into the ends of the dinghy and then chained to a large immovable object on shore or dock, or to the boat at anchor, with a heavy duty, corrosion resistant, lock on each end.

Never lost anything so far.

Larry M said:

The engine, dinghy and gas can are all locked together. We have 4, SS, Master Locks that are all keyed the same. I had a combination lock before but in the dark it was a pia.

The cable we bought at Ace Hardware for ~$20. It’s 15’ by 3/8”. The eyes are big enough you can thread one through the other.

We also removed the Tohatsu factory decals and added a few of our own. So far, in 20 years we’ve never lost a dingy or outboard.

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We do ours similar to Larry only use one of those round storage unit locks a little harder to cut also use a lock alarm

at our home marina it is not used at all though

Multiple references to 5200 securing and/or hindering hardware removal. Everytime I use the stuff it reminds me of the Debeers line ”A Diamond is forever", oh yeah well 5200 is a pretty firm commitment.

With a pair of wire cutters, and a little patience a regular 3/8th bike cable can be cut in about 10 minutes......

Benthic2 said:

With a pair of wire cutters, and a little patience a regular 3/8th bike cable can be cut in about 10 minutes......

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Sure, never the less it is a deterrent especially when there is nearby unlocked, easier to steal stuff available.

Benthic2 said:

With a pair of wire cutters, and a little patience a regular 3/8th bike cable can be cut in about 10 minutes......

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We had a pair of cutters when I worked at a power line company one summer, that would cut two inch thick steel guy wire cable like it was butter.

There is no deterrent that works with every criminal. But, playing the odds, almost anything that makes the average thief go to any trouble at all makes them move on to easier targets.

If they weren't that lazy, they would have a job instead in the first place.

foggysail said:

Kind words just will not prevent dinghy theft. You never know who is in need of YOUR dinghy besides yourself until it is gone. Today’s dinghy along with an outboard can cost thousands of dollars and. there is no need to leave it unprotected. Those of you who do not lock in my opinion are just playing a waiting game.

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I agree with you. That's why I have insurance. Although I have never locked the dinghy, I have avoided sketchy docks and put the boat up on the dinghy dock at night if at anchor in a sketchy area. That said, if someone steals my dinghy, unless they are smart/lucky enough to keep my radio off, I can get an DSC automatic position reply quite easily.

MYTraveler said:

I agree with you. That's why I have insurance. Although I have never locked the dinghy, I have avoided sketchy docks and put the boat up on the dinghy dock at night if at anchor in a sketchy area. That said, if someone steals my dinghy, unless they are smart/lucky enough to keep my radio off, I can get an DSC automatic position reply quite easily.

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Another problem in the English speaking eastern Caribbean is the police attitude that just because you found your stolen dinghy doesn't mean you can have it back. While it is contrary to the written law there have been times when the police have taken the position that it is a civil, not criminal matter, if the person in possession of the dinghy states that he bought the dinghy/outboard from a third party (usually for cash and doesn't remember who the seller was). Try wading your way through the court system in one of these countries.

Bay Pelican said:

Another problem in the English speaking eastern Caribbean is the police attitude that just because you found your stolen dinghy doesn't mean you can have it back. While it is contrary to the written law there have been times when the police have taken the position that it is a civil, not criminal matter, if the person in possession of the dinghy states that he bought the dinghy/outboard from a third party (usually for cash and doesn't remember who the seller was). Try wading your way through the court system in one of these countries.

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Usually, those attitudes adjust readily to the introduction of gratuities, in my experience.