Padlocking your boat to the mooring - do you?

[dylanwinter]

on another thread Seajet mentioned padlocking his boat to the mooring

do you?

my first thought is that it is more likely that some-one in authority or a well meaning fellow sailor might need to move the boat than a scrote set it loose?

Just wondered



however, I have yet to leave any of my boats somewhere that there are more scrotes than sailors

Dylan

 

[prv]

Never occurred to me to padlock the boat to the pontoon, and we (the yard generally, not my parents and I) have had problems of theft in the past. The people who come to nick bits of electronics etc they can sell on, wouldn't know what to do with a whole boat.

Pete

 

[dk]

I wouldn't think it a good idea. If my boat caught fire I'd want the authorities to be able to move her away from other folk's boats - and vice-versa. D

 

[Giblets]

I believe that Seajet may have been referring to an old incident at the top of Langstone Harbour where some scrotes got on board a boat on a drying mooring and released the strop to the mooring buoy. When the tide came back in said boat drifted away. Not too sure if it was damaged or caused damage to other nearby boats though.

So a precaution against vandalism rather that out and out theft.

 

[michael_w]

When I had a swinging mooring I always locked the dinghy on.

 

[jerrytug]

Lock and chain to the buoy if I leave her for more than an hour. But I always chain her to the buoy anyway so I don't need to care about chafe etc.
Otherwise,anybody passing could slash the rope for fun and I would lose my home and the insurance might not pay out.
Chain every time!

Edited to add: If a 'person in authority' or whoever wanted to move my boat,they couldn't,without very good bolt croppers. They can move another one if they really feel the need,just not mine!

 

[ChrisE]

on another thread Seajet mentioned padlocking his boat to the mooring

do you?

my first thought is that it is more likely that some-one in authority or a well meaning fellow sailor might need to move the boat than a scrote set it loose?

Just wondered



however, I have yet to leave any of my boats somewhere that there are more scrotes than sailors

Dylan

It has never occured to me, sheesh next we'll be putting wheel clamps on our cars when we leave them in supermarket car parks.

And I speak as one:
a. whose boat lives on a swinging mooring and the boat two moorings up was nicked and sailed to the Channel Islands where the scrotes were nicked.
b. had his fishing boat, on another swinging mooring, broken into in the same river.

I take the view that if someone wants to nick the boat they'll come prepared to do it. In the FC I belong to guys have had their engines chainsawed off their transoms, that from a locked compound where the theives rammed the fence and towed the boats away to do the deed.

The good news is that the scrotes who did my boat and tohse of my FC members have all been nicked. The ones who did my fisihing boat are still paying me compensation 5 years after the crime ....

 

[Fantasie 19]

I believe that Seajet may have been referring to an old incident at the top of Langstone Harbour where some scrotes got on board a boat on a drying mooring and released the strop to the mooring buoy. When the tide came back in said boat drifted away. Not too sure if it was damaged or caused damage to other nearby boats though.

So a precaution against vandalism rather that out and out theft.

A number of us in the same club (including me) do the same thing as a result of that incident.... so "yes" I do while I'm on my mooring.... if I'm away for more than one tide I also lock the tender..... wouldn't bother in a marina though......

It has never occured to me, sheesh next we'll be putting wheel clamps on our cars when we leave them in supermarket car parks.

Do you leave your car unlocked though?? Same thing surely?

 

[Applescruffs]

I always lock my mooring to the boat..........only because it's worth more !

 

[fireball]

It kind of depends how accessible your vessel is - if you're drying out and can walk to it from the shore then I can see a reason to be more security concious - "miscreant lads" could easily walk out & mess around with no pre-planning and no real idea of what they're doing. If you're away from shore then anyone getting to your mooring must get there first - and that means taking another vessel or swimming - likely hood of tampering is far less.

Its not quite the same as leaving your car unlocked - more a case of leaving it in neutral and the handbrake off with just chocks around a wheel to hold it in place.

 

[Rigger Mortice]

On the few occasions that I've left my inflatabubble on the mooring I have locked it. I've thought about locking the boat but have never done so and, touch wood, have never had a problem.

 

[uxb]

I dont even lock the house never mind the boat.

I wouldn't even consider living somewhere I felt in danger of theft and certainly wouldn't leave a boat there.

I feel sorry for those that have to.

 

[Fantasie 19]

I dont even lock the house never mind the boat.

I wouldn't even consider living somewhere I felt in danger of theft and certainly wouldn't leave a boat there.

I feel sorry for those that have to.

Not a matter of theft, but vandalism... modern malaise I'm afraid.... difficult to get away from and if a padlock saves a lot of unpleasantness, and gives peace of mind why not say I...

 

[Giblets]

I dont even lock the house never mind the boat.

I wouldn't even consider living somewhere I felt in danger of theft and certainly wouldn't leave a boat there.

I feel sorry for those that have to.

Not all of us are lucky enough to live in such an idyllic place as you obviously do!

 

[ChrisE]

Now padlocking dinghies to moorings, double sheesh.

I must be extremely lucky in that 20 years I've not locked up and never had a problem. I have had a problem with dinghies padlocked to pontoons on short ropes meaning that the dinghy stops the rest of us parking up.

 

[Seajet]

As Giblets and Fantasie 19 have mentioned, there was an incident at our club when a boat ( much more accessible than mine ) was broken into, vandalised and set adrift; she was badly damaged.

Long before that I'd taken to padlocking my mooring, thinking it's crazy to leave ones' pride and joy just secured by a looped chain any druggie vandal can take off for a laugh.

I do leave the anchor accessible for those who know the boat in case she should break the mooring and I'm not there, no reason why she should as it's heavy grade but I will always remember the October 1987 Hurricane with a lot of boats driven ashore.

At Wareham Quay years ago it was a common habit for louts to set visiting boats adrift so I used chain and a lock; as far as I know the great police ( and tourist board ) response sorted that out but it was another lesson.

On my rigid tender I have a long stainless wire spliced on so that I can lock her if nipping ashore to the club; it wouldn't stop a pro thief for a minute but will stop the casual yob, which is the enemy most of us face - this happens at a lot of places throughout the Solent and elsewhere , and our club is in an expensive area with plenty of CCTV.

I had my inflatable stolen from Studland Bay once when on holiday, and after the hassle that caused I just aim to be one step ahead of the scrotes.

 

[Sailingsaves]

When I had a boat on a remote swinging mooring, I padlocked the chain around samson post after someone cut it loose (for weird fun?).
Was always oiling that padlock.

 

[uxb]

Not all of us are lucky enough to live in such an idyllic place as you obviously do!

I know!

I am thankful every day!

 

[chinita]

I have had a problem with dinghies padlocked to pontoons on short ropes meaning that the dinghy stops the rest of us parking up.

Don't be so selfish! Add your own padlock to double the poor chaps security.

 

[Searush]

Padlocking to a mooring ain't going to affect vandals or break ins.

Daft I call it, I wouldn't do it, just as I don't like being locked in overnight in my daughter's house because the door can be opened from the outside if it isn't key locked. I'd want to be able to cast a mooring off in a hurry in case of problems, just as I would like to be able to open the front door & run out if the house was on fire,

There's security & there's making things worse.