Personal overnight security

[Spudwynk]

I'm going to be solo liveaboard boater for a few weeks for the first time. When onboard at night, our hatch does not lock because its not on rails and is lifted over the stern doors.

 

There is one bracket on the underside of the hatch we could attach something to but nothing close by - step handles and door handles are the closest

 

I'm keen to be secured in the boat at night so I don't worry but mindful not to be locked in, in case of emergency

 

Any suggestions? 

 

Second photo to follow in comments

Additional photo

[Nightwatch]

A length of stout timber wedged between hatch surround and that metal ‘thing’ on the underside of the hatch.

[LadyG]

Not sure if I can advise you, others will be along soon.

I moor up early to assess if it's going to attract scrotes ie kids 

I usually moor up near others. 

My rear sliding hatch is very noisy, it appears to be padlocked, I can lock it from inside, easy to open in emergency.

My front doors are bolted inside, also Yale, plus big noisy chain over the internal handles 

I'm going to get battery PIR light for front.

[Bod]

Whats on the outside of the doors?

 

Bod

[mrsmelly]

My advice is get a big dog, one with a woof, not a squeek. Big dogs are by far the best bit of kit on any liveaboard boat. Scumbags are invariably cowards and just the growl of a big dog and they run off like little girls.

[Chewbacka]

To prevent the hatch being lifted - fit an eye bolt about half way up the door frame on either side, then a chain with the a shackle at either end and one in the middle to the eye plate in the hatch. In safe areas you might not bother, otherwise it just 3 shackles - 2 in an emergency as you can leave the chain dangling.

[rusty69]

46 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

My advice is get a big dog, one with a woof, not a squeek. Big dogs are by far the best bit of kit on any liveaboard boat. Scumbags are invariably cowards and just the growl of a big dog and they run off like little girls.

I heard the other day that someone tried to break into Huey Morgans house only to be greated by their big dog, Rosie. 

 

I think however they were just fun lovin' criminals 

 

<waddya mean you've never heard of him. It's all over Facebook and instantgran>

Edited August 21, 2022 by rusty69

[booke23]

I had a similar situation with my boat last year. After a lot of research I bought a couple of cabinet levers/toggle hooks. The hooks are screwed to the underside of the hatch and the clamps screwed on either side of the hatch opening. They are adjustable, work very well and are very quick to open if you need to get out in a hurry.   

 

 

Edited August 21, 2022 by booke23

[mrsmelly]

12 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

 

 

<waddya mean you've never heard of him>

Yup, I did have to google 

[Tracy D'arth]

I have never locked any doors at night preferring to be able to leave quickly if necessary.

 

But then I sleep with Spike, to Hand  (C&H tool, boat equipment, weapon of opportunity.)

 

I have never had an intruder, perhaps I am just unlucky?🤣

[Mike Tee]

We had a similar problem - needed fixing in a hurry, so this is what I did (anybody with basic DIY skills could do a far better and prettier job).  I think DIY stands for 'Don't Involve Yourself. The lip on the hatch, which drops over the rear doors, is about 6cms so hence the thick wood to allow the bolts to fit.

 

[GUMPY]

In  30 years i have never bothered to lock the doors overnight when on board. Front doors are under the cover, side and rear doors are shut (unless its hot) but not locked, roof vent always open. No problems so far.

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Tracy D&#x27;arth said:

I have never locked any doors at night preferring to be able to leave quickly if necessary.

 

But then I sleep with Spike, to Hand  (C&H tool, boat equipment, weapon of opportunity.)

 

I have never had an intruder, perhaps I am just unlucky?🤣

I do the same. Having done many firefighting courses including smoke filled room escapes I know I wouldn't be able to undo 2 shackles in the middle of the night in a smoke filled boat while pancaking. There are more boat fires than people murdered in there boats

[blackrose]

5 hours ago, Spudwynk said:

 

Any suggestions? 

 

Watch out for the mad axeman! 🤣

[The Bearwood Boster]

36 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I do the same. Having done many firefighting courses including smoke filled room escapes I know I wouldn't be able to undo 2 shackles in the middle of the night in a smoke filled boat while pancaking. There are more boat fires than people murdered in there boats

Pancaking-is that when you're tossing & turning trying to get to sleep ?🤔

[rusty69]

28 minutes ago, The Bearwood Boster said:

Pancaking-is that when you're tossing & turning trying to get to sleep ?🤔

Don't talk Crêpe. 

 

Oops wrong forum, no swearing. Sorry 

[Athy]

Our boat came with a hasp (I think that' the right word) which hangs down from near the centre of the hatch cover. When the cover is slid shut, this hasp fits over a ring bolt on one of the back door. Through this we fit a bit of twisted metal which I think is a broken link of chain. That's what our boatbuilder Mel Davis supplied as a "lock" and it's worked for 15 years. It's simple to put in place and simple and quick to remove. We never use it when we're sleeping on the boat, though.

[ditchcrawler]

I think every time we go out we will see one boat with a padlocked hasp on the outside of the back doors, definitely seen at least one this trip.

[booke23]

1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

I do the same. Having done many firefighting courses including smoke filled room escapes I know I wouldn't be able to undo 2 shackles in the middle of the night in a smoke filled boat while pancaking. There are more boat fires than people murdered in there boats

 

It definitely pays to have a think about egress should this circumstance occur. In every fatal boat fire I've read about there was no working smoke alarm, so I always make sure they are functioning on the boat. When I'm on the boat I only lock the hatch with one toggle hook rather than using both of them, but I don't worry too much about getting out as I have a duck hatch on both sides and every window is the type where you can remove the whole pane from the frame once you open them, so there is actually about 7 ways to get out of my boat......9 if I could squeeze myself though the portholes, but I'd have to stop pancaking for a few months for that to be a realistic possibility.

[Tony1]

6 hours ago, LadyG said:

 

I'm going to get battery PIR light for front.

 

Just a thought on the PIR: I would set it up so that it doesnt light up every time someone passes on the towpath. You only want it coming on if they get very close to the boat, or on it. 

A guy told me a while ago his PIR came on when a gang of youngsters was passing his boat in Chester basin, and the light coming on actually encouraged the lads to sit down and have a bit of a laugh for an hour in the brightly lit area. 

When mooring in the centre of towns and villages, if a few drunks are passing your boat on the way home from the pub, a PIR light coming on might attract their attention, and they might start messing around near the boat, or with the ropes etc. 

Last time I was in Chester basin for a couple of days, a party of young girls went past after leaving the pub, approaching midnight I think, and as they passed by I could hear one or two of them saying things like 'Hello? Hello- anybody home?' etc. 

They don't mean any harm of course, they're just having a bit of a giggle- and in fact 90% of male drunks wont give you any real trouble if you talk to them calmly, but when drunks are likely to be passing, any random thing can stimulate their interest (and amusement), and thus give you 30 minutes of drunk diplomacy to manage. 

So my PIR light only comes on if someone actually gets onto the stern.

 

 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

7 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

 

Just a thought on the PIR: I would set it up so that it doesnt light up every time someone passes on the towpath. You only want it coming on if they get very close to the boat, or on it. 

A guy told me a while ago his PIR came on when a gang of youngsters was passing his boat in Chester basin, and the light coming on actually encouraged the lads to sit down and have a bit of a laugh for an hour in the brightly lit area. 

When mooring in the centre of towns and villages, if a few drunks are passing your boat on the way home from the pub, a PIR light coming on might attract their attention, and they might start messing around near the boat, or with the ropes etc. 

Last time I was in Chester basin for a couple of days, a party of young girls went past after leaving the pub, approaching midnight I think, and as they passed by I could hear one or two of them saying things like 'Hello? Hello- anybody home?' etc. 

They don't mean any harm of course, they're just having a bit of a giggle- and in fact 90% of male drunks wont give you any real trouble if you talk to them calmly, but when drunks are likely to be passing, any random thing can stimulate their interest (and amusement), and thus give you 30 minutes of drunk diplomacy to manage. 

So my PIR light only comes on if someone actually gets onto the stern.

 

 

Ha ha 🤣🤣🤣

it’s exactly what I did a few months back

when going back to my boat after a few beers,

I set someone’s lights off

so I did a little jig up and down to get em on and off and on and off again

 

[Francis Herne]

I have a hasp on the outside. Works fine (with a very sturdy padlock), but it's in a stupid place where it dings the paint when door fully opened.

 

Hasp on the inside isn't something I've seen yet.

Edited August 21, 2022 by Francis Herne

[GUMPY]

Problem with some hasps between hatches and rear doors is that hasps can fall down over the staple and prevent the slide/door being opened.

It is for this reason I have a padlock on the runner and the rear doors are fastened from inside. 

[tree monkey]

1 hour ago, Goliath said:

Ha ha 🤣🤣🤣

it’s exactly what I did a few months back

when going back to my boat after a few beers,

I set someone’s lights off

so I did a little jig up and down to get em on and off and on and off again

 

Horrible things and often ridiculously over bright, wandering down the towpath in the dark, night vision working well, watching the bats flit about and then bang a face full of someone's paranoia glaring in your face

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

I was once woken by the sound of the zip going up on me cratch cover,

I jumped out of bed and ran down to the front yelling.

And the perps fled quick enough but not before taking my tobacco off the table.

 

So mistake was mine, leaving something visible to nick.