Practical Boat Owner - Weatherproof Padlocks Tested

We recently supplied a selection of padlocks to Practical Boat Owner magazine for independent testing. Each lock was labelled as “weatherproof” and all were available through UK chandlers and hardware suppliers. On the surface, you might assume that any weatherproof padlock would be suitable for use on a boat — but the results showed a very different story.

Weatherproof vs Marine Grade

Many padlocks marketed as weatherproof are designed for general outdoor use: sheds, gates, garages and storage. These locks can cope with rain and humidity, but they are not engineered to handle saltwater. Salty environments cause corrosion far faster, and non-marine padlocks often seize, rust or fail long before expected.

A marine grade padlock uses materials and coatings that protect both the exterior and internal mechanisms from salt, moisture and grit. This prevents the lock from seizing up when used on boats, marinas or coastal locations.

Why Closed Shackle Designs Perform Better

One key finding from the testing was that padlocks with a closed shackle design performed far better than open shackle padlocks. A closed shackle padlock, such as the ABUS Diskus, shields most of the shackle from bolt cutters and saws. This makes it much harder to attack and is particularly valuable on moorings and pontoons where opportunistic theft is common.