Best way to lock an outboard on a transom?

[spirit]

I gather that outboard-stealing is a prevalent pastime...
What's the best way to secure an outboard motor on a boat's transom?

Channel lock on the outboard clamps?
Through bolts with purposely damaged nuts?
Cable locks through the engine and lifting eyes.
Give up and hope that insurance will pay?
Is there more?

[Woxbox]

I can tell you what not to do. We put one of these on our dinghy. It's a Master Lock unit that slides over the clamps. After one season (Chesapeake Bay mostly) I had to drill out the lock to get it off.

Second year, tried again with a new lock. This time I bought a slightly different lock that had rubber plug to cover the hole. Also, I oiled it up good inside. Still had to drill it off after one season.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31h%2B79cbaaL._SS500_.jpg

[Paul Pless]

Still had your motor though, right?;)

[Woxbox]

True, but now we've gone a year without a lock, and the motor is still there.

I stopped by an old-timey locksmith with a display of "solid brass" padlocks in his store. I told him my problem, and his answer was "I can't help you."

[Paul Pless]

Maybe use a bolt with an unusual head. Take a look through McMastercar's website for what's available. Reverse Torx perhaps.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Torx_driver_secure.png

[willmarsh3]

I used the Masterlock when I had the Catalina on the Chesapeake. I did not like having to cut it off after the season either but there was nothing better. Also the plastic coated C channel was on its way to being corroded and would not have lasted another year anyway. It'd take an easy 20 minutes with a Dremel to remove after the boat was hauled out for the winter. I regarded it as a $20/year insurance premium and did it that way for the 6 years that I owned the Catalina.

I suppose one could weld the bolts shut if they had an arc welder and then cut it off at the end of the year but that would be another expense.

[jgmarine]

You will need to by a "completely brass" bodied lock......Not sure if the Salt isn't the real issue here??
A Good commercial lock store/supplier can put you on course!

Jack

[2MeterTroll]

take the bloody outboard off the transom and stow it like it was designed for.
the things where not made to sit out in the weather all the time; hence the handles.

[john welsford]

If the thief is really determined, and has time to do the job there is very little you can do about it, I have heard of a chainsaw being used to cut the motor and mount out of the transom but thats extreme.
What does work though in 99% of cases is making a visual statement that this motor is going to be hard work to remove, most thieves are not into hard work which is why they are involved in that profession.
One of the better deterrents are the cable locks that the Harley Davidson shops sell, I am told that they are weatherproof, cant be cut through with any conventional tools such as hacksaw or boltcutters and and see that they can be threaded around the motor in such a way that they dont interfere with operation.
These are commonly used on boat trailers when the rig is left in the boatramp carpark, ( another good idea guys) and if you think about it the Harleys are a real target for the "midnight spares" people so there has been some real research gone into the product.
I'd fill the lock with Inox or CRC Marine ( Not wd 40) every now and again, I do this maybe twice a season with the lock on my boat trailer hitch and even though its not an "all weather" grade lock, and has been dunked in the salty pretty regularly its no problem even though more than a decade old.

John Welsford


I gather that outboard-stealing is a prevalent pastime...
What's the best way to secure an outboard motor on a boat's transom?

Channel lock on the outboard clamps?
Through bolts with purposely damaged nuts?
Cable locks through the engine and lifting eyes.
Give up and hope that insurance will pay?
Is there more?

[spirit]

I assume you mean:
http://www.planetharley.com/Harley_Davidson_Cable_Lock_p/46088-98.htm
which is what I had in mind...
Do you run the cable through lifting eyes or what?
(I have also used these to lock the trailer wheels.)

[D Happ]

http://ace.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p953316dt.jpg

How about an alarm?
http://www.usboatsupplies.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=USBS&Category_Code=FAI

[john welsford]

I assume you mean:
http://www.planetharley.com/Harley_Davidson_Cable_Lock_p/46088-98.htm
which is what I had in mind...
Do you run the cable through lifting eyes or what?
(I have also used these to lock the trailer wheels.)

Thats the one, Mine was taken twice around the shaft between the power head and the bracket, then through a hole in a bulkhead close by, It doubled as a security line that prevented the motor being lost should the motor bracket clamps unwind so did dual duty.
Lasted for years rust wise, that INOX is good stuff.
John Welsford