Kayak storage question

I came up with a new question as I am looking into what yak to buy (hoping to gather more info at the Paddle Fest at Vancouver Lake on the 28th with Polepole).  I have found I don't really have room for a yak in the garage even if I hang it from the ceiling.  How bad is it on the life expectancy if I make a rack/craddle with a roof on it and it lives outside? 

Also, the talk about fishing the Oregon/WA coast sounds awesome, but I'm wondering what people to do to secure their yaks while I assume some stay in a hotel for the night?  I have a Thule cradle system for my truck but there is no real locking device.  Any locking racks that someone would suggest?  I realize nothing is theif proof, but some more than just needed a knife to cut my nylon strapping would make me feel a bit better?

I hope to make a decision soon and be on the water by May!  We'll see.

On Locking-

A cable/lock set up is what you need; Yakima makes one and I think there are some others. You want something that will run through your scupper and around your rack. For my row boat and canoes I have a homemade cable with crimped eyes; it runs through handles or rails on the boats. Such a cable, custom-made to wrap around your boat and racks, in a big figure-eight, might work.

On storage-

UV rays and heat are your problems here; if you can protect your boat from those, you should be OK.

Thanks Pisco

I figured there had to be a way to keep the tweakers away from the yaks.  Not sure why they would want one but they seem to still anything not locked down. 

I don't think UV would be much of an issue because it would have a roof on it and I'm probable going to build it in a wooded area of my yard.  I' more concerned about the freezing we get a few weeks out of the year.

Thanks again

There has been a lot of info published on the longevity of plastic kayaks left outside.  UV rays are known to deteriorate the plastic, although most kayaks use a UV inhibitor to prolong the life of kayaks.  I don't have the exact numbers off hand, but I recall them being on the order of many, many years.  What I mean by this is that even if left out in the sun, I believe the longevity to still be longer than the useful life of a kayak.  I'll see if I can dig up the numbers.  I do store some kayaks outside, but I make sure to either store then in the shade or have some sort of cover for them to keep them out of direct sunlight.

Some people also use 303 Aerospace Protectant on their kayaks(http://www.303products.com/tech/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=428&CFID=3236900&CFTOKEN=69164597).  I have not tried this personally, but have read some decent reviews on it's usage.  If nothing else, it helps prevent color fade.

Regarding locking a kayak.  I typically use a bike cable through a scupper hole to lock a kayak to my racks on my vehicle.

-Allen

On the wetside of the mountains, the tweakers are probably a bigger problem than the UVs, eh?