Make Your Own Surfboard Lock

It is unfortunate in today's climate that surfboard thefts are all to common (Just have a read of Chad1279's story over on the forum about his stolen surfboard ). Having a lock for your board will go some way to decreasing your chances of having your stick stolen from your vehicle if you have to leave it unattended. There are commercial versions available - check the related links for more info.

One way of locking a board, is to lock the fin box to something (like a car). The idea is that a thief can't steal the board without breaking the fin box, or cutting the locking mechanism. Many board thefts are done by opportunists on the spur of the moment and therefore, in most cases, the thief will move on to another board rather than risk discovery taking the time to steal yours. All you have to do is make your board less of a temptation than others nearby.

Now we know the why its on with the how. Here are the ingredients:

• 2 pieces of metal (our example used metal brackets that were lying around)
• One long linked padlock
• One Security cable
• A Vice
• A Hammer
• A Metal File
• A Drill

Board Lock Construction

The lock system works like this: An L shaped piece and a straight piece of metal are inserted into the fin box. The pieces can then be secured together with a lock such that they cannot be removed from the fin box without removing the lock or damaging the fin box. Note the cross-section diagram below to see what we are trying to achieve.

The L shaped piece loops under the fin box, the straight piece is then slotted in to make sure the L shape cannot be removed.

Making the Metal Locking Pieces

First make the L shaped piece:

• Clamp the end of one of your pieces of metal in a vice.
• Ensure that the length of the metal in the vice was equal to the depth of the side slot in the fin box (this part makes the bottom of the L shape).
• Hammered the part that sticks out above the vice until it makes an angle of 90 degrees with the part in the vice.
• Some filing may be required to ensure the L shape fits correctly in the fin box.

Next Drill The Holes for the Lock:

• Measure out where to drill the hole on both pieces of metal. Ensure that the holes leave enough room for the padlock to be looped through once the locking pieces have been fitted to the board. If you drill the holes too near the bottom of the L shape you will not be able to fit the lock.
• Drill one whole through each piece of metal.
  (Please note: The lower holes were already present on the pieces of metal used in the example pictures above -- they are irrelevant when it comes to the operation of the locking system -- only one set of holes are needed.)

Once the holes are drilled you are done. Making the lock is pretty straight forward and will hopefully ensure that your board remains with it's rightful owner - YOU!

Next, find out how to Install your Surfboard Lock >>

Article Source:

This how to article has been modified from its original, published on the California Surftrip Safari blog, and was brought to our attention by Banana over on the forum. Any questions about making or installing the lock

Al at Calsurftrip took his inspiration from the commercial lock produced by Waveequation.com