Padlocks - Code or Key?

[noelex 77]

The aim is to make your boat more formidable to break into than the surrounding boats.

This is not hard to do. Most boats are very easy to enter when locked. The weakness is not usually the padlock, but items such as the plastic lock on hatches.

In most parts of the world boats need very little security, but there are areas where additional security is beneficial.

[FlyingScot]

We use combo locks from Abus.

We buy them here. Always quick service.
https://www.taylorsecurity.com/combi...-180ib/50hb63/
Love the locks, they are one of the better ones, before stepping up to a more professional grade.

Throw away all your masterlocks. They are junk.

A big downfall with combo locks with four digits, is that a bored person can start running through every combo. I've done it. I do groups of 1000 until you hit the magic number. No damage and not much skill. Just time.

Of course a grinder will go through most locks in a minute, but that will make a lot of noise.

I think the best strategy is to have stuff no one wants to steal, but I don't ever seem to want to live like this.

[CarinaPDX]

I have a set of keyed-alike chrome-plated brass Abus padlocks for general use, in a medium size. I also have a set of smaller keyed-alike brass Abus padlocks for use when a smaller one is needed. These have required little or no maintenance, over decades. I also have Abus bike locks; they are a quality brand (as opposed to Master).

I once used a magnetically-keyed Punchlock padlock, which worked great until I slipped and lost it overboard. It is apparently no longer made.

A padlock should never be used to lock the companionway: it is trivial to pry it off with a large screwdriver in a single movement, breaking the hasp. And it can't be locked from the inside, something you will occasionally appreciate. (I was boarded at anchor once and woke up when the intruder tried to push the hatch open and hit the bolt. I wouldn't have wanted to have to fight the two of them off.) Personally I have used a Miwa dead bolt, as one might use for a house or office, for three decades (including 15 years cruising in salt water). It uses a magnetic key, and while a knowledgeable thief equipped with specialist tools could pick it (all locks can be picked) in practice that is never going to happen. The rarity of the lock means that no one is prepared for it. Breaking into a reinforced companionway secured with a dead bolt is very difficult. The mechanism that actually moves the bolt is plated steel and requires an occasional lube; the lock mechanism is sealed and just continues to work. I would definitely buy this again.

Greg

[OS2Dude]

We ended up going with a combination lock. PRO: No key needed. CON: Can be a pain at night if you don't have a light. Remember: Locks only keep honest people that way. If someone really wants into your boat, there are plenty of ways to gain access.

[wsmurdoch]

We have been through two sets of keyed alike brass Master locks which eventually failed due to corrosion of the plated steel shackle. I used Master Sesamee combination locks for a replacement until we came back from a long night in St Michaels, and in the pitched black darkness not one of my brother, his wife, my wife, nor I could not see the numbers on the wheels. A bit woosy from a long night ashore, we found ourselves locked out. (This was before cell phone flashlights.) I worked in a chemical company for 31 years which used Wilson Bohannan general purpose padlocks as safety lockout locks. https://www.padlocks.com/pdfs/product-catalog.pdf They are solid, well made, USA manufactured padlocks. I bought a box of their similar keyed alike brass body stainless shackle locks from McMaster-Carr. They are on both of my sailboats locking hatches and lockers and locking the dinghy when needed. So far, so good. A key to everything is in my pocket and another key is secreted on the boat. If some family male gets married, I may buy him a dozen as a wedding present. In time he will thank me.

[George_SD]

Originally Posted by FlyingScot

We use combo locks from Abus.

We buy them here. Always quick service.
https://www.taylorsecurity.com/combi...-180ib/50hb63/
Love the locks, they are one of the better ones, before stepping up to a more professional grade.

Throw away all your masterlocks. They are junk.

A big downfall with combo locks with four digits, is that a bored person can start running through every combo. I've done it. I do groups of 1000 until you hit the magic number. No damage and not much skill. Just time.

Of course a grinder will go through most locks in a minute, but that will make a lot of noise.

I think the best strategy is to have stuff no one wants to steal, but I don't ever seem to want to live like this.

Many combo locks can be bypassed and you don't even care for what the combination is, so one doesn't even need to decode (takes a bit of time) or use destructive methods.

[FuzzyFeat]

Once knew a artist boater that painted a lock and hasp on his hatch board.(trompe l'oeil Fooled my eye). It deterred any passing thief and a determined one would quickly see the ruse and enter without damaging the boat.