LockPit

David Lloyd

New Member
I have been looking for a better method of storing my spars and such and I have seen these on the net and fancy one but not sure if they are any good / particularly helpful. I think these are not stocked in the UK but will be in US on a family holiday in April and will buy there if recommended. Any views on the good bad and ugly features of the LockPit most welcome.
 
I have one, it is OK. With the pro rig the center spar rests on the deck cleats. This is not ideal when towing your boat, but not a issue stored in the yard. If you are in an area where theft is a problem it offers some protection. The mast sections can still be slid out. I have never kept anything in the cockpit, but a board bag will fit (barely). I purchased it thinking it would be an easy way to secure my spars to the boat during storage and trailering. I hardly use it anymore because theft is not an issue where I store my laser and I don't like trailering the boat with the lockpit because of the way the center spar rests on the cleats. Another disadvantage (for me at least) is that it is bulky and difficult to store in my pickup truck while I am sailing. On the plus side the construction quality is good. Mine is three years old and still works like new.
 
I have one each for both of my boats. I also had one for my previous boat so I find them pretty handy (total sample size of 3). Maybe they have modified the design some since the new rigging came out since I haven't had any problem with the center spar hitting the centerboard cleat (but it is close). If I was concerned about it bumping while trailering I could put some padding between them.

When I use the included rubber piece for the top section the I haven't found that the spars slide out -- if they can be slid out then it would take a more motivated thief than I would be (easier to move on to the next boat). If you take your vang off and put the bottom section so the gooseneck is in the right spot there isn't a good way to get it out. Because of the fittings, the boom also won't come out.

Now theft isn't a big problem where I'm at so it's not a big deal either way. I mainly use the Lockpit because it gives me a great way to store all the relevant parts so I don't have to schlep them back and forth (especially the spars!). Because it is designed to hold the blades and tiller on the underside I don't use the blade bag with it. I don't keep a sail or anything else in the cockpit because it probably wouldn't dry. One advantage is that with the LockPit on and my cover on, rainwater doesn't pool on the cover. It is bulky but I don't have much problem storing it in my pickup when sailing even if I'm in an area where I don't want to leave it in the bed. Yeah, it fills up the cab along with my clothes, boat cover and other junk but I'm not it it so who cares?

My beefs with the LockPit:
I remember when they first came out something like 10 years ago and cost close to $100. The one I just bought ended up being closer to $300 with sales tax & shipping. Inflation sucks. Ditto for sales tax.

The diameter of the padlock hole is a little too small for the lock I like to use but it takes less than five minutes to drill it out.

9 times out of 10 when I finish putting my boat away and am ready to walk away I just notice that I left my bailer open. D'oh! Not really the Lockpit's fault and I've gotten pretty good at lifting the corner of the cover, unlocking it and then lifting it up just enough to reach in and close bailer.

So I'm pretty content with mine and recommend them if you want to get one.
 

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