Overnight Travel with a Kayak on Car/Truck

What's the conventional wisdom on how to keep your boat safe when travelling and you have to spend the night in a hotel? Do you try to find motels with easy access so you can bring the kayak into the room? Or are there effective ways to lock the boat down to the car? (I know any half-determined theif could likely have your roof rack and boat off the car in minutes). Or is it all a matter of trying to stay in "good" areas and having faith? Any ideas would be appreciated.

 

 


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RE: Overnight Travel with a Kayak on Car/Truck

doh! 2 seconds after I posted this I saw a similar, current thread: 

 

http://www.clcboats.com/forum/clcforum/thread/5582.html

 

I say don't reply to this one; let's keep the good ideas and feedback going in the exisiting thread. 

RE: Overnight Travel with a Kayak on Car/Truck

Last year, travleing to Florida, we stopped one night.  I parked right in front of our room on the first floor, and backed my truck in.  I made sure I parked so that there was a car on either side, which I usually don't do.  I did a quick check around before going to bed, and noticed someone hanging around the back of the restaurant next door, and called the front desk and told them.  the said they would call the police and ask them to check the area out.  I had two 'yaks and two bikes and really didn't want to unload and reload them. It is a matter of staying in lit areas and hoping for the best.  Locks and cables just slow a thief down, doesn't really prevent the theft by a determined person.

RE: Overnight Travel with a Kayak on Car/Truck

If I unhook my boat (Wherry) I use a coupler lock that covers the socket for the ball.  I also have two long kayak locks that allow me to wrap the boat, passing through the rowing frame, and then around the trailer axle.  Search for "Lasso Security Cable" kayak lock on www.wayfair.com.  A thief would need to unbolt the rowing frame from the boat and slip the boat out backwards off the trailer to take it.  He/she would probably make so much noise doing this that it would be pretty obvious that they were stealing it.  The Lasso cable is also easy to use to lock kayaks and most anything else to a roof rack.  Of course you need to have the rack locked to the vehicle.  If I leave the trailer attached to my vehicle, I do the same thing with the Lasso, but then I use locking pins on the ball release and on the receiver pin.  I take my oars and other equipment into the hotel room.  It's probably all overkill because it is doubtful that the average thief even knows what to do with a Wherry.  They would certainly be too lazy to go row it!!

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