PROTECTING YOUR LOVED ONES

As paddlers we often rely on the hope that non-kayaking folk won't realise the value of our prized possessions and will therefore keep their hands to themselves. 

Unfortunately  we seem to be hearing more and more stories of specialised boat thieves slashing roof rack straps, getting out the bolt cutters and making off with your loved ones. The sad truth is that someone who really wants to steal your kayaks is probably going to succeed, but there are things we can do to make these people's lives as difficult as possible. 

Here's a review of the dual-pronged approach that I go for…

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A  LOCK  TO  DETER  THEIVES

This is the first and most important prong. It helps you sleep easy at night, or go for a more leisurely toilet break at the service station, safe in the knowledge that you've done all you can to protect your loved ones.

At £13.25 (at the time of writing), with free UK postage, I really cannot fault the Oxford OF178 GP motorcycle chain lock. The chain itself is made from 8mm hardened steel square chain links and is 1.5m in length. This makes it much more resistant to bolt cutters than a standard cable lock, and means that it is plenty long enough to pass through a  grab handle and lock to a roof rack. The chain also has a built-in cover to protect your car and comes with four keys which you can scatter far and wide!

The end of the lock is approximately 3cm in diameter. This fits under all of my grab handles with room to spare but won't fit under all rescue points. Fortunately, if you buy the lock from Amazon you can send it back easily and for no extra charge.

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A  Lock  To  Satisfy  The  Insurers

The second prong does little to actually protect your loved ones from theft, but is much more likely to satisfy the insurance companies. The details of each insurance policy will differ, but most policies, including the BCU Towergate insurance, will specify that your equipment is only covered if securely locked to the roof of a motor vehicle. 

The Rackguard Lockwire costs about £20 and satisfies this condition.

One end of the wire has a ball on it, whilst the other end has a loop. If you pass the ball under a grab handle, through the loop and then shut the boot on it, your boat will be locked to the car, rather than just the roof rack.

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If people really want to steal our kayaks, they are probably going to manage it sooner or later. The main idea is to make your own kayaks harder to steal than anyone else's ;-) By using both of these methods together, I am comfortable that my loved ones are both secured and insured. Happy days.

Thanks so much to Wave Sport for all of their support.