A surfboard lock is a device or a mechanism for securing a surfboard

Surfboard

A surfboard is an elongated platform used in the sport of surfing. Surfboards are relatively light, but are strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding a breaking wave...

 to prevent theft

Theft

In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...

 or loss. Typically surfboard locks attach to some part of the surfboard, such as the leash plug or center fin box slot. Alternately, some lock

Lock (device)

A lock is a mechanical or electronic fastening device that is released by a physical object or secret information , or combination of more than one of these....

ing devices clamp or strap around the surfboard. Once the board is secured, the locking device attaches to some hard point like a vehicle

Vehicle

A vehicle is a device that is designed or used to transport people or cargo. Most often vehicles are manufactured, such as bicycles, cars, motorcycles, trains, ships, boats, and aircraft....

 or a non-movable object.

Many surfboard locks use wire rope

Wire rope

thumb|Steel wire rope Wire rope is a type of rope which consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a helix. Initially wrought iron wires were used, but today steel is the main material used for wire ropes....

 or wire cable to make the connection from the interface point on the surfboard to the securing object.

Some surfboards do not have a leash plug, or a fin box or both. Therefore based upon the design of the surfboard one or more locking devices may or may not work.

A lashing device is a rope

Rope

A rope is a length of fibres, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength...

, wire cable, or strap

Strap

A strap, sometimes also called strop, is an elongated flap or ribbon, usually of fabric or leather.Thin straps are used as part of clothing or baggage, or bedding such as a sleeping bag. See for example spaghetti strap, shoulder strap...

 which wraps around the board and essentially ties it up with some sort of locking device. A simple low cost way to do this is to wrap chain

Chain

A chain is a sequence of connected links.Chain may also refer to:Chain may refer to:* Necklace - a jewelry which is worn around the neck* Mail , a type of armor made of interlocking chain links...

 around the surfboard and secure it with a lock. Board clamping devices are large mechanical pencil

Mechanical pencil

A mechanical pencil or a propelling pencil is a pencil with a replaceable and mechanically extendable solid pigment core called a lead . It is designed such that the lead can be extended as its point is worn away...

s that wrap around the board and like the lashing product secure the board by kissing it. Many times these clamp

Clamp (tool)

A clamp is a fastening device to hold or secure objects tightly together to prevent movement or separation through the application of inward pressure...

ing devices can be hard mounted in a truck bed or on the roof of a car to act as a carrying rack. Mechanical attachments to the board hardpoints such as the leash plug and fin box vary widely in their configuration but are generally some sort of attaching mechanism which grabs onto or into the board and then secured with a lock.