Need a safe on the boat

[Deano]

Any ideas for a good discrete one in a salt atmosphere? It doesn’t have to be big.

 

[menzies]

There was a good thread on exactly this recently. Do a search on safes.

 

[PM]

There are so many places on my boat where things/valuables can be hidden I don't bother with a safe. Why point the thieves in a direction of valuables?

The P.O. of my boat took a lazy way to combat a stale odor on the boat. He bought a big sack of cedar chips and put them behind the drawers under the bed. When I finished vacuuming them up I got to thinking about all the hiding spaces on a boat. I know for a fact that I could hide enough stuff to fill several huge steamer trunks on my boat.

An immigration official or a person skilled in finding contraband might find most of my spots, if they knew boats, but a casual thief in a hurry wouldn't find any of them.

pete

 

[FlyWright]

Here you go...

https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s62/safes-boats-46538.html

 

[MYTraveler]

An immigration official or a person skilled in finding contraband might find most of my spots, if they knew boats, but a casual thief in a hurry wouldn't find any of them.

pete

I am familiar with a boat (not mine, much more of a "yacht") that routinely carries firearms (rifles, so not easily concealed) aboard while in Mexican and other foreign (to US) waters in which guns are highly illegal. They put their guns behind a false panel in the engine room, with what looks like lots of high voltage wiring in front of it (subtly marked "peligro" with a lightning bolt symbol). They said no one ever wants to poke around in there, but with the guns, they have about $15K in cash (small bills, so it looks like more than it is), the theory being that if someone does see it they will take the cash and keep their mouths shut).

I would also suggest two safs, one (much easier to find than the other) being a decoy safe. But I have not yet implemented that -- I only have one safe. The truth is, if a thief were to take my reels and stidd chairs, I would probably have to file BK. I would rather that they take the safe.

Reminds me of the time that my wife's credit card got stolen. The thing is the thief spent less than she did, so I never reported it.

 

[rsn48]

I am two minds for a safe, in fact I looked at one today. Back in the day when I was a younger bunny, I had to park on the street. I don't know why I did it, but I locked the glove compartment (remember when you could do that) with nothing really in it. Well the car was broken into and the glove compartment forced open and nothing was taken as there wasn't really anything there. But the damage during my early poverty days, was expensive to repair.

I think a safe screams - valuables - even though the only thing you might keep in it is a passport or something like that.

 

[T210DRVR]

I am familiar with a boat (not mine, much more of a "yacht") that routinely carries firearms (rifles, so not easily concealed) aboard while in Mexican and other foreign (to US) waters in which guns are highly illegal. They put their guns behind a false panel in the engine room, with what looks like lots of high voltage wiring in front of it (subtly marked "peligro" with a lightning bolt symbol). They said no one ever wants to poke around in there, but with the guns, they have about $15K in cash (small bills, so it looks like more than it is), the theory being that if someone does see it they will take the cash and keep their mouths shut).

I would also suggest two safs, one (much easier to find than the other) being a decoy safe. But I have not yet implemented that -- I only have one safe. The truth is, if a thief were to take my reels and stidd chairs, I would probably have to file BK. I would rather that they take the safe.

Reminds me of the time that my wife's credit card got stolen. The thing is the thief spent less than she did, so I never reported it.

Mexico is pretty anal about guns and drugs. Yeah, I know a lot of that stuff moves through their country. The chances of getting caught are pretty low. If you get caught with either they are likely to lock you away. You might catch a little slack with a long gun, but semi-automatics like an AK-47 will assure a long stay in a prison.

I used to carry a machete in Mexico but now they are illegal for tourists to carry. Everyone is free to make their own choice, but I wouldn’t crew on a boat with guns or drugs.

 

[jleonard]

Just put your valuables in with your spare impeller...no one will ever find them even you. LOL

A friend used to wrap his wallet with aluminum foil and put it in the freezer whenever he left his boat for a dinghy ride, etc.

 

[caltexflanc]

We had a small fireproof safe on board courtesy of the PO, which we kept in a compartment under the MSR bed. We out stuff in there to protect against fire more than anything. Thing is, if fire got down there the boat was on the bottom so the stuff would have to be retrieved during salvage. On boats, thieves will grab things like electronics and fishing gear first. Incidents of someone thoroughly ransacking and pillaging a boat are extremely rare. We wouldn't have put one in if it wasn't there already.

 

[mvweebles]

Thieves and burglars in Central America/Mexico are keen to just rip-out a safe and deal with opening at their leisure. It will attract attention so might be better as a decoy, though don't mount it too securely. When traveling in Mexico, especially Yucatan where most people are of Maya decent and quite short, I lock the safe but store my PC/Passport/Tablet in a high cabinet (common).

When I was delivering yachts 20+ years ago, I would often carry very large sums of cash on international deliveries. I always found a place in the engine room somewhere. I suppose if you really wanted to get tricky, you could rig a false water pressure tank or water heater.

Peter

 

[Island Cessna]

Best “safe” I’ve seen was an empty canister style bypass filter complete with hoses terminated in an invisible spot behind the manifold.

 

[wpc691]

Just seal your valuables in a Ziplock bag and put that in your engine room in the same place I put my 5/16 nut driver...wherever that is.

 

[FF]

Thieves are usually in a hurry , leave cash where it can be found easily , and they wont take the fire axe to the woodwork.