Security stuff

[PaulJ]

I have been looking at some of the options for securing the companionway, ie. washboards and sliding hatch. There are a lot of very strong looking padlocks and hasps on the market but I could find very little that is "Marine Grade". There are a few stainless padlocks available but most of the hasps and other fittings are of hardened steel which has either been plated (nickel?), galvanised or painted. Hardened steel is even harder to cut than Stainless and I am sure is as strong as it is possible to get so bearing in mind that it will be used in the relative shelter of the companionway under the sprayhood, what do you folks think.... If I use hardened steel fittings, will I just have a bit of rusty scrap in a year or two's time? What have other people used?

Paul.

 

[bruce]

just remember, the bigger the lock, the bigger the hole left behind by person breaking into your boat. would suggest a lock that will make them pass by and get the next boat with no lock. really, your lock is for insurance claims to demo that the boat was reasonably secure, not the tower jewel room. if they want in, and nobody is around, they will get in no matter what you try to do. infact, too much security will draw people to wonder why there is so much security, something very valuable must be inside...

 

[Ships_Cat]

Stainless steel hasps and staples should be available very readily and are listed by most (all?) chandlers.

For padlocks, the makers of the good quality brass bodied ones with hardened steel shackles supply ss shackles for them too (often as a retrofit). Any good locksmith will supply you with one of these padlocks and retrofit a ss shackle for you. Should you have several on the boat, he will also be able to key them all the same.

John

 

[Gunfleet]

Real SS padlocks are freely available in French but not usually UK chandlers. God knows why. It may not be that much of a disadvantage. When I asked a locksmith locally for one he said he wasn't keen on selling them because they were fragile to hammer blows! I merely pass the info on without claiming any knowledge of lock-smithery

 

[Ships_Cat]

That is interesting. I wonder if he was thinking of some of the shrouded shackle ones that look as if they are made of pressed out sheetmetal ss. I think the Abus disc ones may be an example I have looked at and wondered about. Draper make solid ss bodied padlocks which I would assume would be available somewhere in UK as I think they are UK based (but not sure).

But similarly to what you say, we see very few ss bodied padlocks here too - the common ones being the disc type shrouded shackle ones which do indeed look as if a few good hammer blows would see them apart.

John

 

[William_H]

I think SS hasp and staple will be adequate. As for padlock you can count on replacing every few years provided they get a bit of oil on the shackle. I would suggest you look at the strength of the wash boards. mine were kicked in some years back and the attachment and strength of the sliding hatch if you have one. They are looking for a weaknesws in the system not strength of any item. good luck will

 

[Metabarca]

[ QUOTE ]
Real SS padlocks are freely available in French but not usually UK chandlers. God knows why. It may not be that much of a disadvantage. When I asked a locksmith locally for one he said he wasn't keen on selling them because they were fragile to hammer blows! I merely pass the info on without claiming any knowledge of lock-smithery

[/ QUOTE ]

Funnily enough, SS padlocks are readily available here in Italy and they're specifically made for marine applications by... Yale!

 

[Gunfleet]

There is a technique for defeating SS locks, apparently, but I'm not going to post it. Interestingly the other thing the thing the locksmith said was it was only worth fitting locks to defeat casual thieves - more serious stuff just led the more serious thief to consider other ways into your boat which would simply cause damage. The washboard frame, as you suggested, can often be kicked out. I think I'm going to stop here. It's depressing.

 

[broadcaster]

We have fitted a Moody cabin lock which works quite well and is a good visual deterrent.

 

[iangrant]

Yale armoured weatherproof with hasp - but has been said some of these buggers go at the hatch with a chainsaw!

Ian

 

[PaulJ]

Gentlemen, many thanks for your thoughts. It is difficult to know where to draw the line between "impregnability" and damage caused if the bastard is going to get in anyway. I too have heard the trick that can be used on stainless padlocks so I feel inclined to go for hardened steel and just accept that it will need to be replaced from time to time.

Paul.