Legal to padlock vessel to public landing

[TackSeason]

Betsy DeVos’ 163 ft boat was untied in 2018 by some kids. Crew was sleeping aboard. Only a few thousand dollars worth of damage. This happened in Ohio.
A bike chain probably would have helped?

[Midnight Son]

Originally Posted by TackSeason

Betsy DeVos’ 163 ft boat was untied in 2018 by some kids. Crew was sleeping aboard. Only a few thousand dollars worth of damage. This happened in Ohio.
A bike chain probably would have helped?

Darned.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by TackSeason

Betsy DeVos’ 163 ft boat was untied in 2018 by some kids. Crew was sleeping aboard. Only a few thousand dollars worth of damage. This happened in Ohio.
A bike chain probably would have helped?

More often, a bike chain would likely stop someone from adjusting your line to save your boat from rubbing on concrete or getting caught in a fire, but proceed, governor.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by boat driver

padlocking inflatable dingy to dock is common in many public access points. But I agree that making a bight to the pile and back to the boat will reduce accidental untieing.
If kids are untieing at night or daytime, then finding a better neighborhood would be my suggestion.

Partially because if you get caught doing that, you get charged with mischief, theft, or vandalism.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Capt. Steve1

USA fort walton bch. FL Legal to padlock (w/ thick bike lock cable) vessel to public landing
I would like to dock then lock up my 23’vessel cruiser to the public dock.

There there a lot of marines/ waterfront restaurants ect. on opposite side of ICW coast guard patrols this area regularly and they stay in close proximity.

Mainly to prevent kids from releasing rope dock lines where the unattended vessel could drift off.

There’s a publics food store about 2 city blocks away for the occasion when provisions run short. T

To be an A-hole was it a question or a description of your boat. Tie off to a dingy dock for a couple of hours probably wouldn't be a problem even though it's not a dingy. Sounds like paranoia if only a couple of hours.

[billgewater]

Tie your boat up where there are others, particularly live - aboards. That is the best form of security. Don't hide it away up a creek. It may be stripped bare within a week.

[CarlF]

One of the great things about cruising is that thefts and mischief are far less than ashore. In 40 years of cruising I have never had a theft or vandalism to my boat. Yes, I've been lucky but there are many like me. Ashore in forty years I've had car thefts and house break-ins about a dozen times.

I know hundreds of cruisers and have never had someone say their lines were untied.

And of the thousands of people on this board, you also apparently don't have anyone who's had their lines untied - or even heard of a case except maybe for Betsy's boat -- and that's not a random crime.

Instead of worrying about something that won't happen - double check the things that really happen at docks - fire from bad electrical systems or overloaded shore power, poor knot tying, seacock or hose failures, inadequate or frayed lines, old dock cleats that pull out, failure to check the depth or consider the tide, old bilge pumps or switches that fail, not watching for thunderstorms.

I bet I could get 100 stories about each of these from the folks on this board - but none for lines being untied.

[dennismenace111]

So you're going to block the boat ramp with your padlocked vessel? Ill call the police or the entity who manages that ramp and have your boat moved if you're blocking the ramp so that it can't be used!

[Mike Banks]

I used to have eight to ten feet of chain on my permanent dock lines--a nuisance I know--but it stopped BASTARDS from cutting me adrift as happened to others in the area. One sailing vessel and several dinghys were set adrift, usually the lines were cut not just untied--so that the owner if they managed to retrieve their property would know it was a malicious act. There were at the time no surveillance cameras--but now there are.

I must say that my boat was not moored on any public berth for which there was a one hour time limit in my area. There was no time limit or charge for using any of the steps and landings. Here one could and should padlock one's dinghy and outboard while shopping.


A couple of turns around a bollard or shackle welded pin shackle on the wharf and a security padlock was all it took. The potential trouble-makers could not reach far enough off the wharf to reach the rope spliced to the chain to cut it--and the chain weight kept the ropes nicely taut.

Certainly it is not likely someone will set you adrift, or undo your outboard and let it sink--but it certainly happens.

[GILow]

I think locking the boat would actually attract the wrong sort of attention. The sort that says “Hmmmm, I wonder what is so valuable on that boat that they feel the need to lock it up...?”

[jmschmidt]

Originally Posted by Chotu

No. Don’t do that. Nobody is going to untie your dock lines. That’s just not how it works. And if you are extremely concerned about that, run the line from your boat, do a cleat, and then run the end of it back onto your boat.

I don't know about that. A guy I knew back in the day (when telephones were attached by wires) was asleep onboard when a disgruntled girl friend came by at night and untied his dock lines. When he woke up in the morning he realized the only thing still holding him to the dock was his telephone line.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by jmschmidt

I don't know about that. A guy I knew back in the day (when telephones were attached by wires) was asleep onboard when a disgruntled girl friend came by at night and untied his dock lines. When he woke up in the morning he realized the only thing still holding him to the dock was his telephone line.

Cool story, but he’s talking about strangers. It doesn’t happen. Especially in the couple hours it takes him to go get provisions. Plus, his boat should be impounded if people find it like that.

[waterman46]

Every car in every public parking lot is locked all the time. Not much difference for the public dock, for short periods, unless of course there is a sign prohibiting the lockup.

Many public docks have signs prohibiting overnight stays, and/or a specific time the dock will close to the public, or a maximum length of stay, such as two hours.

I have been to dinghy docks where there is a full time attendant (who collects the fee each time) and he said specifically to not lock the dinghy, in case they have to move it to make room for more.

[Svsumurun]

Originally Posted by TackSeason

Betsy DeVos’ 163 ft boat was untied in 2018 by some kids. Crew was sleeping aboard. Only a few thousand dollars worth of damage. This happened in Ohio.
A bike chain probably would have helped?

Something about that story stinks .. Huron boat basin isn't big enough for a 163' boat , unless it was tied out in the river ( which isn't really a dock ) and I've never seen anyone tied out there ( not that you couldn't I guess) .

[darylat8750]

While on The Loop a few years ago we heard about someplace on a river (the Ohio I think, maybe the Tennessee) where on some docks near the downtown of a city untieing cruisers boats became something of a "thing to do" for homeless and kids. With the river current it was a real problem.