Laser security

[AndyG]

As a soon-to-be owner of a Laser, I will have to lock the boat up at the dinghy park for the first time this weekend. There is a chain running along the front of the Laser berths to lock onto, as well as another chain or pole at the back. Can anyone recommend security measures?

I am thinking that a square link chain through the dagger board casing might work, but not sure what size (plastic covered) chain will pass through this and coated square chains long enough for the job seem to be very expensive and not widely available. Alternatively, I could get one of those long plastic-covered Kryptonite cables for this, but I know that these can be cut quite easily. I guess a combination lock will complete the setup so that I don't need to carry keys while sailing.

My priority is really to thwart the casual thief or vandal from moving it rather than make it Fort Knox, but it needs to be able to withstand cheap cutters. Anyone got any thoughts on practical and cost-effective solutions?

 

[torrid]

My college sailing club had a small fenced-in yard that was at the local lake. It is amazing how much interest a drunken redneck will take in something behind a locked gate which they would otherwise ignore. I remember one Laser that was used for the Naval ROTC that someone took and drug behind a pick-up truck as a sled.

We had a fleet of Dolphin Sr.'s which we used to teach classes. We ran chains through the bow-eyes and padlocked them to the storage frame. Never had much trouble. However, the Laser boweye is pretty small and easily broken off. Running something through the centerbooard trunk would definitely be more secure.

 

[AndyG]

You hit the nail on the head there, Torrid. My issue is really one of mindless idiots rather than theft - it would take a very dedicated thief to take boats from our club given that its a raised reservoir that requires using a (locked) power winch to get boats down from their berths (at least if you want it to still be a boat when it reaches the bottom!). My club did have an incident a few years back where local vandals lifted boats over the water gates surrounding the reservoir, threw them down the bank and then used them for rafts on the reservoir. Major damage to several boats. As long as my boat and trolley are locked down, it should do the job. I've gone ahead and bought a coated cable to run through the dagger board slot and a variety of locks. I guess I'll be able to rig something up for now and see how it looks. The weak link is probably the provided chain to bind onto, so I don't suppose it makes any sense to go heavy duty around what is practically a steel neck chain.

 

[Sailorchick]

Don't really worry about it, boat is behind a small fence and locked gate and then tied down with rope. Would be easy to move but never had any issues.

Ironically at a past club that was surrounded by high security fencing and supposedly very secure we used to get lots of incidents. I arrived at the lake one day to find the safety crew had just retrieved mine and a few others boats from the far side of the lake when some idiots have pushed them all in sometime earlier!

Sometimes I think the more secure we make it the more tempting it is to certain people who wouldn't otherwise bother.

 

[Voodoo 158546]

Hey,
" cctv in operation" stickers / plaques go a long way to instill senses in the foolish.
Couple of stickers = couple of dollars

 

[monkey_feet]

don't talk so fast Sailorchick! I have been sailing at my club for many many years, and a couple years ago, I had a Laser stolen off our rack and put out in the lake. Just so happens that we had a massive storm moving in and it blew the boat up on the damn (rocks). Boat destroyed!

I now keep my boats on the rack with a cable through the centerboard trunk!

 

[AndyG]

To report back, my boat is now secured with a marine-grade combi lock and chain, with a Kryptonite cable running through the dagger board casing. Seems to be as secure as it could be without locking it in a garage. If someone really wanted to take it, they could, but that's pretty much true of anything. I expect a scumbag would look down the line for a Laser that's less well protected and pass on mine. No need to outrun the bear, just the other guy...