Someone tried to steal my kayak.

Glad you had it locked!!  Any a-hole with a truck or empty roof rack can get your boat switched to "their boat" in 2-3 min without some form of locking deterrent.

I always (90%+) lock my kayaks down to the rack (also locked in place) or the truck when not in use or visible.  If i go into stores or what ever for a long time, I always recheck my straps when I return to the vehicle.  I have several times found them loose.  In Fresno, I even had a guy run off with one strap after he loosened the other strap before discovering a cable through a scupper....bastard.  I carry spare straps too...

Below is my favorite type of cable, 10 feet of woven 3/8" aircraft cable with a thick nylon coating and a nearly indestructible combination lock makes it a cinch to use and nearly impossible to remove without the combination.

Though nothing is thief proof, This seems more than enough and has worked for me   

I buy coated cable and make end loops with those hammer down cable clamps. That way I can make them custom length and they are cheap. I use a little master lock for each yak. I am always nervous about my gear when staying at motels in the less than reputable locations, like Marina Del Ray. 

  hahaha, like you have ever stayed in a reputable place!

  Less then $5 apiece, I wonder if you can plug two together to make them longer. They are all keyed the same.
 http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/masterlock-6-cable-locks-3-pk.aspx?a=479065

I'll take the hoodie 

I scratched my Drivers license in hidden spot inside my yaks. 
I read an article at craiglist about a yak owner who got burglarized in Sausalito.  He tracked the down the SOB thief through an ad in craiglist.  He called the local police but the cop couldn't do anything because the owner did not register his kayak with the manufacturer. 
The cop said a picture with his mods wasn't enough.  The owner ended up paying the thief to get his own kayak back.  The SOB thief said he bought it for cash from a kayak wholesaler.

This is ridiculous. I'd go completely ballistic. Like straight to the police chief and city counsel ballistic.

I hate thieves. So, so much.

Herer's my old post: http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,24999.msg263805.html#msg263805


I had two Ocean Kayak "Scupper Pro TW" sit on top kayaks stolen from the dingy rack at basin 4 in Clipper yacht harbor in Sausalito, on Sunday, June 20th. The chain was evidently cut. I filed a police report and handed out some flyers with a recent photo of the kids on both kayaks at Ayala Cove. On a heads up from the staff at Sea Trek Kayak rentals in Sausalito (Thank you Mitch, a great company) I saw an add on craigslist in the Sacramento area that had been posted Friday around 1:00 (since deleted). Two Scupper pros for sale, one of which looked like one of mine. I drove up that evening to Sacramento with a friend from my dive club (Thank you Curt, long drive). Sure enough there were my two kayaks and two more scupper pros for sale. I talked to the guy and told him two of them were mine and the police were called. He wasn't hostile, actually cooperative and pleasant and just seemed disgusted with the whole thing. On the phone he had told me that he was out of work and needed to sell his kayaks. Now he said that he had gotten them from a guy who claimed that he was liquidating a kayak rental business. Because I didn't have the serial numbers of the kayaks or my drivers license number etched on the boats, the police couldn't let me just take the boats despite custom details that I could point to on the boats and my photo. I ended up paying the guy two thirds of what he claimed he had paid for the kayaks or $300 ( I suspect this is what he actually paid). The main point here is that the two other boats, a light blue (teal I believe its referred to) classic scupper pro (two hatches) and a dark blue Scupper Pro TW both evidently came from the same source. Feel free to e-mail me for more info. Thanks again to Sea Trek Kayaks, the staff at Clipper yacht harbor, the Sausalito PD, the Rancho Cordova PD and the Barbary Coast Divers.

I scratched my Drivers license in hidden spot inside my yaks. 
I read an article at craiglist about a yak owner who got burglarized in Sausalito.  He tracked the down the SOB thief through an ad in craiglist.  He called the local police but the cop couldn't do anything because the owner did not register his kayak with the manufacturer. 
The cop said a picture with his mods wasn't enough.  The owner ended up paying the thief to get his own kayak back.  The SOB thief said he bought it for cash from a kayak wholesaler.

A similar event happened to us right after we moved into our new home in rancho, cordova. I honestly think i left the car open and didnt lock it, but woke up the next morning and was about to leave fishing, and noticed my lady's car door slight open! WTF! I go to check it out, and the car was a freakin mess! Apparently, some dumb shit was looking for anything valueable  but really only got got away with the spare change she had in the car! THE IDIOT ALSO LEFT HIS SWEATHER N THE CAR! Thats how i know it was a freakin tweaker! But yea I agree, those thick coated cables work great. What works really well is those python locks! I got one and love it. I dont even need to use straps cause the python lock is able to be pulled down tight against my yak and ladder rack!

I'd make a flyer to the effect of:

Found!
Blue Hooded Sweater
 
(Insert Picture of blue hooded sweater)

The sweater was left on my truck while the owner of it was trying to steal the kayak off the Top of my truck.  He was able to get the straps off but was stiffled by my trusty cable lock.  After realizing he was ill equipped to steal my kayak he rushed off, leaving his blue sweater behind. If you know the owner of this sweater please punch him in the face for trying to steal my kayak then refer him down to the salvation army where I donated the blue hooded sweater. 



Then plaster em all over the place.




 

I'd make a flyer to the effect of:

Found!
Blue Hooded Sweater
 
(Insert Picture of blue hooded sweater)

The sweater was left on my truck while the owner of it was trying to steal the kayak off the Top of my truck.  He was able to get the straps off but was stiffled by my trusty cable lock.  After realizing he was ill equipped to steal my kayak he rushed off, leaving his blue sweater behind. If you know the owner of this sweater please punch him in the face for trying to steal my kayak then refer him down to the salvation army where I donated the blue hooded sweater. 



Then plaster em all over the place.




 

 

  Less then $5 apiece, I wonder if you can plug two together to make them longer. They are all keyed the same.
 http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/masterlock-6-cable-locks-3-pk.aspx?a=479065

Those thin cables can be cut in a matter of seconds with a decent pair of cable cutters. Something like this, fits in a pocket and will do the trick in about 10 seconds if you have the muscle: http://agsstainless.com/cart/images/hw_cable_cutters_600.jpg I use these at work all of the time and it goes thru 1/4" braided steel like butter.

A better choice is the cable rockfish posted above. I should know...a few years ago I got all the way up to a little lake in off Hwy. 50 and realized that I'd left the keys to my cable lock at home (same as rockfish posted). Had to drive to a hardware store in Truckee to get a cable cutter...tried the little one first and quit after 5 minutes, went back inside and paid $80 for the mongo size cable cutter. Which btw did the job in seconds...any cable is better than nothing, but none of them are invincible.

I often go out of my way to hide the lock when I lock up my yak's.  I figure since I dont have that good of a lock, but have a motorcycle cable to lock them with, that I better not let them find out im using a cheapo lock they can cut easier than my cable.  So i try and keep it inside the vehicle or up inside the yak, at a minimum out of eyesight, figuring it may be what helps someone pass on taking a crack at my lock.  However reality is you could steal my whole rack right off the truck, kayaks and all.  I can pretty much pick any lock Thule or Yakima makes (they are cheap).

Good to hear you still got your yak. f*ckers!

i hope that Hoodie held extra significant value to the wanna be thief.

I'd make a flyer to the effect of:

Found!
Blue Hooded Sweater
 
(Insert Picture of blue hooded sweater)

The sweater was left on my truck while the owner of it was trying to steal the kayak off the Top of my truck.  He was able to get the straps off but was stiffled by my trusty cable lock.  After realizing he was ill equipped to steal my kayak he rushed off, leaving his blue sweater behind. If you know the owner of this sweater please punch him in the face for trying to steal my kayak then refer him down to the salvation army where I donated the blue hooded sweater. 



Then plaster em all over the place.

Hey  I change my mind about the hoodie. You can keep it.

I use two forms of protection for my babys

I buy coated cable and make end loops with those hammer down cable clamps. That way I can make them custom length and they are cheap. I use a little master lock for each yak. I am always nervous about my gear when staying at motels in the less than reputable locations, like Marina Del Ray. 

I have those exact locks. They can be hooked together. They are keyed the same. They seem to pretty strong. I have a spare key hidden in my truck in case I leave keys at home. Anything can be broken though.
  hahaha, like you have ever stayed in a reputable place!

  Less then $5 apiece, I wonder if you can plug two together to make them longer. They are all keyed the same.
 http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/masterlock-6-cable-locks-3-pk.aspx?a=479065

  I can pretty much pick any lock Thule or Yakima makes (they are cheap).

I think we all know where to look for the next stolen yak...

jk 

-FF