Safes on Boats

[psneeld]

Just borrowing "brother"....
My guess is find Howard"s shoes...find a cash stash....




Actually...after your families gracious hosting, Watfa's stupendous meal, your gag gifts and more....we shoud be adding to your stashes...not "borrowing" them....

 

[Bigsfish]

No problem Scott. We do enjoy Ft Pierce that we are happy to do what we do, besides I don’t cook so it’s easy for me. Watfa and Lena are the chefs.

If the cash was ever in Howard’s shoes who would want it?

 

[GFC]

Now we know to look for a safe on your boat... When are you not going to be aboard?

Dang, Dave, you missed it. I'm away from the boat once a summer but that day was the second Tuesday of the third week in July. I'll keep you posted for next summer.


Now we are going to be headed to AZ soon. When you some to the boat to find the safe would you please install my deicer pump if there's any ice on the water?

 

[Comodave]

Ok, thanks for the heads up.

 

[Shrew]

Shrew, when we go to the Bahamas for three months we have a decent mount of cash on board. It is only very recently that credit cards have been widely accepted in the bigger towns with a hefty surcharge - but still cash is favored.

When we went to the Chesapeake for two and a half months last year my wife also kept the small amount of jewelry that she took with her in the safe when she wasn't wearing it.

It was a legitimate question based on the scope proposed by the OP:

.. If traveling with cash or important papers (eg passports, etc) what do you do when away from boat with those valuables. Wife and I were just on Hilton Head island ........ this thought came to mind.

So the answer is really "Large Sums of cash when traveling internationally". (OP was discussing domestic travel).

Remember in the days before ATM's and Debit Cards, when you'd get traveler's cheques when traveling?

 

[menzies]

Remember in the days before ATM's and Debit Cards, when you'd get traveler's cheques when traveling?

We were in Africa last year - only place I have been in the last forever where they still took (actually I think the hotels preferred) travelers checks. When you tried to use dollars to change for local currency they had to be new or very recent notes, with no tears or ink markings on them. Even the Wells Fargo bank where I got my dollars for Africa told me they could not guarantee me clean, new notes!

 

[wkearney99]

We had a travel snafu trying to fly to Curacao from the States. Missed the connection through Aruba due to timezone changes and idiot counter personnel. NO available flights until FOUR days later. I hired a private plane. Made my decision to carry a bit more cash than usual seem like a wise plan.

So, yeah, when traveling, cash comes in pretty handy.

I recall a similar experience in South Africa regarding a teller being dismayed about not having fresh notes for me. Oh, right, counterfeiting... fortunately nobody took issue with the ones supplied.

 

[jleonard]

I have a boating friend who wraps his cash and wallet in aluminum foil and stores it in his freezer. Makes it look like a frozen stake (to him).

 

[O C Diver]

I don't have a safe, but there are so many hiding places on a boat, that it hardly seems necessary. A Pelican (or other manufacturer) dry box, could be easily mounted in a concealed location, keeping thing secure and dry.

Ted

I was thinking about this while driving to the boat yesterday. Without putting it in a drawer, closet or other normal storage area, I counted over 100 locations on my boat with concealed storage big enough for a 12" x 14" Pelican dry box. While some are less convenient to get in than others, it sure seems that most any 35'+ boat should have lots of hiding places. Sure hope I remember which one I put it in.

Ted

 

[Bacchus]

Now that's "cold cash"

I have a boating friend who wraps his cash and wallet in aluminum foil and stores it in his freezer. Makes it look like a frozen stake (to him).

 

[BandB]

It was a legitimate question based on the scope proposed by the OP:

So the answer is really "Large Sums of cash when traveling internationally". (OP was discussing domestic travel).

Remember in the days before ATM's and Debit Cards, when you'd get traveler's cheques when traveling?

Not only do I not get traveler's cheques, we generally do not accept them either. Only very rare cases.

As to domestic travel, a common issue one faces is price for fuel using cash vs. card. Say you're getting 600 gallons of fuel and the price difference is $36? What about 6000 gallons and $360? 2% surcharges seem most common. Even if I have the cash with me, I decided I was going to use a card to buy fuel and would accept any price difference. I get at least part of the difference back due to a credit card rebate but would anyway. Easier record keeping.

We use cash primarily for those occasions when we purchase something from someone who won't accept cards or checks. Most often it's art. There was a restaurant in Quebec City, a very fine one. As banks have raised ATM limits it's not quite as bad but even if your bank allows more, many machines will not. I remember once needing cash and went to a local bank and the ATM only allowed $300 per transaction, but daily limit reverted to your own bank, so I got $1500 by running my card through 5 times.

 

[denverd0n]

The problem is that no one on here (I assume) is a thief. We don't think like thieves think. Really, believe me, they look at things, and think about the world, differently than you and I. You imagine that you have found the perfect hiding place that no one would ever think to look? The thieves know about all of those places, and that's where they look first!

 

[jleonard]

Denver I think you hit the thief on the head with that

 

[menzies]

The problem is that no one on here (I assume) is a thief. We don't think like thieves think. Really, believe me, they look at things, and think about the world, differently than you and I. You imagine that you have found the perfect hiding place that no one would ever think to look? The thieves know about all of those places, and that's where they look first!

Based on my cruising style I am more worried about opportunistic stealing than I am "professional" thieves targeting the boat.

 

[Bigsfish]

denverd I disagree for a thief to know all the hiding place on boats over 40 feet they would have had to inspect all the boats and have a great memory. Recently I had my stabilizers serviced, the mechanic found a place on both sides I could hide a person of two. I never knew it was there. There are other places that are easy to get to if you know how and others that would require tools to get to.

 

[denverd0n]

The opportunistic thieves who steal from boats, have probably been living around boats most of their lives.


I'm just saying that I have a good friend who is a police detective. He tells me that practically every time he investigates a home burglary, the first thing he hears from the homeowner is, "I can't believe he stole that! I had it hidden SO WELL!"


His advice is, never fool yourself into thinking that you can possibly hide something so well that a thief won't find it. They will look in places that no "normal" person would ever even consider looking.


I'm just passing along that advice.

 

[wkearney99]

His advice is, never fool yourself into thinking that you can possibly hide something so well that a thief won't find it. They will look in places that no "normal" person would ever even consider looking.

Well, uh, I've hidden things myself, accidentally, such that I have to go back to my e-mail to double-check if I'd actually ordered it or not. Took me two damned days to find a woodworking router I'd misplaced.

It's always in the last place you look. Because that's when you stop looking.

 

[Bud]

We have one of those lockable fireproof boxes on board mostly for our handgun to keep it out of the hands of grandkids. But we do end up using it for other valueables too. The fire proof part just adds weight that would make it more difficult for a theif to carry off the boat and down the dock. It is hidden but my family all know where it is so if I am not aboard they can access it. Where if we had a hidding spot it might change periodically and not be as family freindly. It does bring some comfort knowing our stuff is locked up.

 

[psneeld]

it's not so much that a thief CAN'T find the hiding space...it may be how long it takes to eventually get there, what has to be moved, do you need tools, etc...etc...



a short slow down is gonna slow down an opportunistic theif...


in my experience....a boater thief usually targets special items on boats easy to get to and get off plus fence/sell easily....or know that cash is aboard and usually casually observes the crew if they can to see if expensive items or cash are easily nabbed.

 

[koliver]

NO safe on the boat.
If we had one, it would contain only Her stuff.

We have one at home and another in the Motorhome. Both contain only Her stuff. If anything of mine that would fit in the safe, that She thinks should be there, She put it in, not me.

 

[Bigsfish]

My experience tells me that most homeowners and homes have similar places or ideas where to hide stuff. Boats are not finished off inside like houses so they have far more places to hide stuff that average thief would never know existed. A 34’ boat I built had a hidden compartment in it, I asked a couple of coasties who searched vessels for drugs to search my boat (they were friends and were told not to destroy anything). They looked but never found the place, these were in the days where a hidden compartment was highly illegal (not sure that still exists, Scott my know).
Point is there are far more places to hid stuff in a boat in my opinion.

 

[HenryD]

When we bought our boat, it had a safe already installed on it. The cabinetry has been built to take into account the safe. We have some papers in it but if it was not on the boat, they would likely just be in the filing cabinet.

 

[live2fish]

We installed a small safe that holds cash and relevant documents. It stays locked unless we need to get into it. Great peace of mind. We always lock the boat if we are going to be out of sight for any length of time. You can get a small safe that will bolt or lag bolt in place and generally in a location that would take a lot of time and effort to get into it. A good investment in our view.

 

[Jay_ski_sail]

Like others I hide things.

I do not lock the boat when I just to to lunch or the store. I have a intruder alarm that will sound some really loud sirens. Step into the cockpit, or enter through the pilothouse, either way it goes off.

The alarm arms itself automatically when I leave, disarms upon my return and of course also sends out a notification to my cell phone, as well as recording the intruder and uploading that to the cloud.

Kevin, Can you share the make and model of your system? Need something like it for my trawler.

 

[MJ Weenz]

Maybe a bit of a different approach; I have a safe for my defensive devices for authorities satisfaction. Once past local authorities it is empty, many good, convenient places to store “valuables”. I feel a safe is more of a diversion then anything.

Our primary “security” come from diversion. We have our bank issue us a couple of credit cards that we immediately deactivate and have replaced. The worthless cards are then lightly hidden in a convenient drawer or locker. And we leave the boat unlocked. Had a card come up missing once at Treasure Cay, nothing else bothered. YMMV.
Mike

 

[ProMaritime]

A safe in an obvious location, or location where it can easily be found is an invitation to have your boat ripped apart with a crow bar. Real stupid. The others who have responded here know that and have offered good suggestions.

 

[Mako]

I agree that a safe is best as a diversion. Not too obvious but still easy to find. Put a couple hundred bucks and some fake jewelry in it.

 

[menzies]

A safe in an obvious location, or location where it can easily be found is an invitation to have your boat ripped apart with a crow bar. Real stupid. The others who have responded here know that and have offered good suggestions.

So with that argument you must also feel that having a safe in your home is also a waste if time and stupid?

 

[kthoennes]

Last weekend I replaced a couple vent thru hulls. Have to remove the salon couch cushion, unscrew four access panel screws, move aside the blower ducts and three hoses, and then you'll find a large space big enough to stash a small body. Turns out I left a really nice LED work lamp in there, sealed it right up without thinking. Still debating whether to pull everything apart again to retrieve it. Yep, lots of hiding places.

 

[psneeld]

Ultimately if you lose anything of value, and you want to recover it or file insurance, you need to file a police report.


At that point you will be asked about security.


In my experience, if your boat wasn't locked and you around...you may have troubles with insurance....something to check



While a safe may not be required, it may still be a good idea and that access to it/removal of it may not require damage to the boat. Then again, if what you have in there is more valuable than the likely damage to the boat...isn't that still sort of a win as my insurance then will pay for both.