Ignition keys - where do you keep (or hide) them?

We keep a set at home and a set very well hidden on a friends boat after we have on more than one occasion driven the 50 miles to the boat only to find we have left the keys at home. The hidden set bear no markings to identify our boat.
 
Keys left in the ignition are one of my pet hates.
I always remove them as soon as we stop.
even removed at the fuel pontoon.

I frequently bring the subject up when on board friends boats and I notice the keys left in.

I asked the question several years ago to a well known Insurance Company manager and he claimed they would consider the claim on its merits which surprised me but I expect considering it and paying out are not necessarily one and the same.

Keys are in my sailing bag which goes home with me or in my wifes handbag or if we are on a beach in a beach bag knotted in a freezer bag.
 
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hidden keys

Was in guernsey in august &whilst in Q E 2 marina a very nice Aquastar turned up(a 74)& i can tell you where they leave their keys if any one would like to know(strickly cash of coarse)but seriously a 2 million £ boat with the keys left in the most obvious place!!,my spares are very well hid on boat,regards mm1.
 
I always take 2 sets with me to the boat, 1 set for use and a spare (broke a key once hence spare with me) the yard have a set (keep boat on stack and store) and I have a set at home. I never leave keys in the ignition when not in use. Pretty well covered but then I am renowned for loosing all sorts of stuff including keys :rolleyes:

Funny thing is the only set I worry about are the ones locked up in the yard office. They must identify the keys with the boats some how either by a register or data base. Someone could break in and put the two together :eek: but then they would need to have access to a negative lift forklift as well :D

Martin
 
SWMBO and i both have keys for the patio doors and the lazarette on our house/general keyrings. The engine key is in a waterproof sailing bag that always goes home.

I could gain access to my own boat in about 20 seconds, without a key, i'll bet the same is true of almost every boat here. I could start the engines, without the keys, in something like two minutes, without causing any damage.

Being moored behind a lock, where the staff al know me is about as good as anti theft security gets.
 
On a saily boat, they are ALWAYS in the ignition when I am aboard - particularly when sailing - who knows when the engine may be required in a hurry? Could be MoB, risk of being run down, getting off the putty, wind failure in a tight spot (lots of narrow sounds with fast tides round our way).

Different if I leave her of course - but who needs keys anyway? Sails can't easily be locked. I could chain up the wheel I suppose, but most anti-theft devices cause far more inconvenience to the owner than they ever will to a thief who won't care what he smashes.
 
In car glovebox with spares at home. Keys are always left in whilst aboard, although when the engine has been finished with, the starter battery is switched off immediately.

The house battery would pop its main fuse (30A) if someone tried to start the motor with it.
 
If you have perkins/sabre or ford/sabre you only get a start-stop switch on the oem panel so no great security there, I guess you just have to make sure batterys are isolated.
But then how many boats are stolen through leaving keys in ignition? and as said already you can start most boats within minutes without keys.
Any one who has the old Lucas switches will know that all the keys are the same.
 
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