New kayak and thinking of ways to keep her safe

With the explosion of new users since Covid hit and the sparsity of new and used boats on the market, it’s no wonder that kayak thefts are up. When professional thieves started hitting the parking lots in state and county parks and boat ramps here in Florida, we knew we needed more than a bicycle lock. We started by watching a lot of YouTube videos – some put out by police departments, like this one – on how easy cables are to cut and locks to be broken. Of course, the big D-locks like the Hiplok D1000, won’t work on a kayak without some sort of cable. And why would a thief attack the strongest point when he could attack a weaker one.?

So, after a lot of video watching and talking to people we realized that no ONE strategy was going to work. To keep our kayaks relatively safe from theft we need to employ multiple strategies.

At home they are locked inside a garage unless being worked on.

Our names and phone numbers are printed on a USCG “If Found” sticker. One sticker is visible on the stern bulkhead. The other sticker is hidden in a non-visible location in the boat.

The kayak HIN# are also registered with the local police department. (Many police departments have programs for registering bicycles, boats, ATVs, etc.)

In parks and campgrounds we never leave the kayak unattended – someone is always within sight of the kayaks.

In restaurants we request a table where we can view the kayaks from a window and will wait until we can get one or we go to a drive-thru and eat in the car.

When traveling we stay in motels where we can:
1. in cheap motels we park the truck/trailer right outside our door and run a cable from kayaks to trailer/truck to motel pillar; or
2. park in direct sight of the clerk at the desk of the hotel lobby

Thread your cable through your kayak security loop if possible, or through an integral part of the kayak. If thieves have to cut thru the kayak molded handle, seat, scupper, etc. the kayak suffers in resale or pawn value.

Start with a steel cable and lock, then double it up. Two kayaks on the car top, trailer or pickup – use two cables, intertwine them in multiple locations, two locks. It’ll take the thief 3 times as long to defeat all the cables and unthread the cables.

Get an inexpensive, extremely loud, motorcycle motion sensor alarm. Place inside a hatch or in the cockpit with the cover on then activate. If the kayak is moved (there are multiple sensitivity settings so a car driving by doesn’t set it off but being picked up will) the alarm goes off – and it is LOUD – and the activation fob also goes off. Here’s one we use: https://www.amazon.com/Anti-Theft-Motorcycle-Security-Wireless-Vibration/dp/B091GR2NK9?ref_=ast_sto_dp

Final area of interest: After the theft

Insurance in case it is stolen. Generally, for non-motorized vessels, theft and damage whether your boat is at home, on the water, or in transit, are covered under the personal property coverage on your homeowners or renters insurance policy. This coverage applies whether you are at home or away. Also, in addition to a deductible, there generally is a $1500 limit for watercraft. If you have expensive boats or several boats, talk to your ins. agent. For a little extra, it is quite common to attach riders to your home insurance to cover specific items like small boats, cameras, fine jewelry, etc. You negotiate those riders with your ins. agent to specify separate deductibles, the terms of replacement cost, etc. There are also separate riders available on your auto insurance policy and special marine insurance although they tend to be more expensive.

And, GPS tracking devices are getting better. A joke only a few years ago, tracking devices have amped up as thefts have become more common. They are smaller, easier to hide, and have a longer range than just a few years ago. We haven’t used one yet and the technology changes quickly, so no links, just a thought for you to check out.

So far, we’ve avoided having anything stolen, but I have friends who have not been as lucky. We’d be interested in any other ideas people can come up with.