Surfers may seem like a pretty laid-back bunch, but that doesn't mean there aren't any surfboard thieves amongst their ranks. The surfinlock was designed with that fact in mind, as it allows surfers to lock their boards up like bikes.
Invented by German surfer/engineer Florian Lohmann, the surfinlock is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign.
To use it, you start by removing one of the fins from the underside of your board, and inserting the marine-grade stainless steel surfinlock mechanism in the now-empty fin plug. You then slide a bracket on top of that mechanism over to one side – so it blocks access to the plug's mounting screw – and insert an included 8-mm braided steel locking cable through a hole in that bracket. The other end of the cable is looped around a nearby immovable object, such as a sign post or vehicle roof rack.
Finally, you insert a cylindrical combination lock onto a steel shaft on the end of the cable. As long as that lock is in place, the cable can't be pulled back out through the hole in the board-mounted mechanism. Additionally, the mechanism can't be removed from the board until the cable is pulled out, due the sliding bracket blocking access to the fin plug screw.
The system can also be used with third-party cables and padlocks, with the shackle of the lock being passed through both the hole in the mechanism and the looped end of the cable.
Lohmann is offering the surfinlock in two models, for Futures and FCS plug formats. An extension for the Futures version includes a built-in wax comb and bottle opener – that extension is also included with the FCS version, so buyers of that model don't miss out on the extra features.
Should you be interested, a pledge of €24 (about US$25) will get you the surfinlock mechanism on its own, while €42 ($44) is required for a complete setup that includes the cable and lock – assuming everything goes according to plan, that is. The estimated retail prices are €40 and €70 ($42 and $73), respectively.
The surfinlock is demonstrated in the video below.
Sources: Kickstarter, surfinlock