FAQ
Q. What is the V-Lock made of? How well does it tolerate the water, sun and temperature exposure typical of what my boat sees?
A. The original V-Lock base is made of powder coated aluminum. It holds up very well in a typical boating environment. Like anything metal on your boat it is recommended that salt water be rinsed off to minimize oxidation. The plastic or marine King StarBoard V-Lock is environmentally and UV stabilized to last in the harsh marine environment.
Q. How does the V-Lock base attach to my boat?
A. The V-Lock base can be attached to the boat with screws or be bolted through depending on your boat and the location where you wish to mount them. Some customers have has success with various toggle bolts and well nuts. For each base only 4 small holes are required. It is recommended that the holes be filled with a little silicone or other sealant of your choice and that you use stainless steel screws or bolts. If you wish to attach the V-Lock to a railing we have a square rail mount kit for pontoon boats.
Q. What are the dimensions of the V-Lock?
A. V-Lock Dimensions
Q. How do I attach the V-Lock insert to my accessory?
A. It depends on the accessory but basically the same way you would have attached the accessory directly to your boat without the V-Lock.
Q. How does the insert stay in the V-Lock base? Will it fall or bounce out with the movement of my boat?
A. For most applications the V-Lock design and gravity will keep the insert in the base. In cases where an upward force might apply the V-Lock includes a spring loaded pull-pin which latches the insert to the base.
Q. What types of devices are best suited for mounting with the V-Lock? (What devices is it not well suited for?)
A. Most any device or accessory that you would think of can be mounted using the V-Lock system.Here are some ideas to get you started. Avoid using the V-Lock for applications where an extreme force is necessary. Some examples where the V-Lock should not be used are; tow point, freeing a stuck anchor, lift point, etc.
Q. Do I have to remove the accessory or can it stay mounted to the V-Lock insert?
A. You can detach your accessory from the V-Lock insert if you wish (and put something else on that insert) but the idea is to be able to quickly attach, remove and replace various devices so really you should have as many V-Lock inserts as accessories to take full advantage of the quick interchangeability for which the V-Lock was created.
Q. Can I take out the spring loaded pull pin?
A. Yes, gravity does most of the work and the pin is just extra security. You can simply unscrew it if you need to and this is necessary for some applications that block access to the pull pin. A great example is the Life Raftwhere you could not get to the pull pin and the raft would end up sinking with the boat. If you have an application that vibrates excessively and need to lock it down tight you can use a Cap Screw. If you need one hand operation you can use a or ball plunger. Thread is 3/8 - 16 and length should be 1 inch.
Q. The V-Lock seems very solid but for recreational boating it almost seems too solid, could you make it lighter or thinner?
A. The V-Lock is being released to the general public primarily for recreational boating and it works well for this purpose even if some might think it is over engineered in strength and durability. There are two reasons for this, the first being that the last thing we want to hear from a customer is that a V-Lock failed and they suffer some kind of loss as a result. The second reason is that we have had interest from outside the marine industry in using the V-Lock in light industrial applications as well as marine related local, state and federal government agencies who are interested in the V-Lock for law enforcement and military application. The State Marine Patrol for the most part uses the same makes and models of boats as the general public and because of the gear that they have to have on board for any situation they might encounter, their space and flexibility requirements are even more demanding.
Q. Does my accessory or device have to be obtained from V-Lock to use with the V-Lock system?
A. No, you can use anything you can mount to a V-Lock insert. You can build your own as we did with several of our examples. Most of the examples shown on the Applications page of this site can be obtained from any marine store or manufacturers web site. We currently offer a few popular accessories in our store
I you have an accessory and need some advise on mounting it please email info@v-lock.com and we will try our best to help you.
Q. What are the different kinds of inserts, and what are the insert sizes?
A. Currently there are several types of inserts.
Flat or bent at 90 degrees with a 6" square mounting surface, aluminum.
Long 4 inch inserts flat or bent
Flat insert with a 4" mounting surface, starboard.
** If you need an insert that is a different size or bent at a particular angle please email info@v-lock.com. Please note that this option can take a long time and be very expensive unless you want 50+ of them.
Q. How come no one has thought of this before?
A. There are mounting brackets that are gravity fed slot kinds of designs that might come with some piece of gear you buy for your boat. The problem is that it is almost always exclusively for that piece of gear. The concept here is that it is one mounting system for many, many applications, while also being simple and durable.
Q. This is awesome, can I make my own V-Locks?
A. The V-Lock is protected under US Patent 7-172-164.
Q. Where can I buy a V-Lock?
A. Right here at our store.