Before reading on, please take a moment to fill out this week’s survey so we can share your knowledge and experiences with the Cruising Compass family. Thanks.
How many weeks do you expect to be aboard your boat in 2026?
Many thanks to all readers who took the time to repoly to the last survey on dinghy locks. Of those who replied, 59% do regularly lock their dinhies and outboards when docking or at night in an anchorage. The most common locking systems use 3/8-inch stainless cables with paddle locks on the outboard and at the mooring cleat. Several readers used stainless steel chain instead of cable because “it is harder to cut with bolt cutters.” Several readers use a bicycle lock on the outboard secured to a D-ring with either cable or chain with paddle locks when moored. Several readers commented that their outboards are permanently locked to the dinghy’s transom and cable or chain with locks are used for the fuel tanks and dinghy in “sketchy areas”.
Typical of the 41% who do not regularly lock their dinghies, one reader noted: “We cruise in the North Channel on the Great Lake. Perhaps at one time, a dinghy or some contents went amiss but if it ever happened, it is extremely rare.” And another commented: “No need in the out islands of the Bahamas.”
