

Ask HN: My kayak conundrum - wheresclark

I've got a problem I'm hoping some of you may have a solution for. I've got a sea kayak that I store in a shed near Sydney Harbour. What I want to do is rent it out to five or so people who can all chip in x amount of money each month and get access to my kayak whenever they like. The problem with this is controlling who gets access and when. I can easily build an online app where each person can check in and out when using the kayak so the others know when it's available or not. The shed it's stored in is padlocked and has other kayaks stored in there as well. What I'm hunting for is a padlock that you can  lock and unlock via a swipecard and that you can remotely give access (or deny access) via the internet. This may not be the best solution, and I am open to suggestions.<p>Does anybody know of a product that will let me give and control access to the kayak to various people depending on their online booking.<p>I imagine something like this already exists for car sharing services and other sharing companies, but I can't find the right solution anywhere.<p>Any help would be ridiculously appreciated.<p>Clark
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koopajah
Did you look at lockitron: <https://lockitron.com/preorder> ? I'm not exactly
sure it would fit your need but it seems close event if you might need an
extra app/website for people to "book" the kayak?

I think that's how some airbnb hosts give access to their flat without having
to meet you in person. At least I've seen it advertised during my last
research for an airbnb booking.

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wheresclark
Thanks koopajah. Lockitron may be the best solution out there. I was hoping
for a padlock that did pretty much the same thing, but with some tweaks I
might be able to make the lockitron work for my needs. Perhaps using it in a
metal box with a key to the shared kayak storage shed inside.

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Pwnguinz
You might get more views/replies if you prefixed your post with "Ask HN:".
Unfortunately, I can't offer any help in regards to your core question.

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wheresclark
Good tip. I've updated the heading now. Thanks.

