How is your side hatch secured?

[Froggy]

1 minute ago, rusty69 said:

You can also get plastic covered bicycle cable,although probably not as secure as chain

Hmm, good point, although i've already bought the chain, really heavy duty stuff. I suspect it would be fairly easy to cut through that bike lock cable although i will stand corrected if someone can convince me not. It would definitely be safer.

 

[rusty69]

1 minute ago, Froggy said:

Hmm, good point, although i've already bought the chain, really heavy duty stuff. I suspect it would be fairly easy to cut through that bike lock cable although i will stand corrected if someone can convince me not. It would definitely be safer.

 

No,I suspect bolt cutters would cut through like a knife through butter if someone had a set with them.Chain will definetly be more secure.

[Froggy]

1 minute ago, rusty69 said:

No,I suspect bolt cutters would cut through like a knife through butter if someone had a set with them.Chain will definetly be more secure.

The guy in the DIY store had to use a lot of force with heavy duty cutters to cut me off the length i wanted.

The reason i'm a bit doubtful about using the chain is that our cylinders are kept in place by a length of cord (pig tail?) and i'm just wondering whether there is a reason that this is cord rather than metal.

[rusty69]

3 minutes ago, Froggy said:

The guy in the DIY store had to use a lot of force with heavy duty cutters to cut me off the length i wanted.

The reason i'm a bit doubtful about using the chain is that our cylinders are kept in place by a length of cord (pig tail?) and i'm just wondering whether there is a reason that this is cord rather than metal.

Sorry, I meant the cable would be easy to cut, not the chain.

Pigtail is usually the gas pipe that connects from gas bottle to regulator. Our bottles are secured to the boat by chain, but not locked.I have never considered it a danger, but probably have to think about it now.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

We might be over thinking this. We use metal spanners to take off and tighten the connections to the gas bottles. The locker should be designed to drain away gas leaks and there are long sections in the BSS requirements aboujt this. Chances of an explosive air/propane mixture forming is low.

Jen, who once spent weeks with no eyelashes after trying to light an old gas water heater many years ago.

[Froggy]

5 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Sorry, I meant the cable would be easy to cut, not the chain.

Pigtail is usually the gas pipe that connects from gas bottle to regulator. Our bottles are secured to the boat by chain, but not locked.I have never considered it a danger, but probably have to think about it now.

Thanks for the clarification re the pigtails, as i said i'm a bit of a novice, but i understood your point re the cable being easier to cut than the chain.

I'm beginning to think i should have started a new thread about this!

2 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

We might be over thinking this. We use metal spanners to take off and tighten the connections to the gas bottles. The locker should be designed to drain away gas leaks and there are long sections in the BSS requirements aboujt this. Chances of an explosive air/propane mixture forming is low.

Jen, who once spent weeks with no eyelashes after trying to light an old gas water heater many years ago.

Gas has a habit of creeping up on you when you're unaware. I like to err on the side of caution regarding safety measures but i agree, the risks are low.

[rusty69]

7 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Jen, who once spent weeks with no eyelashes after trying to light an old gas water heater many years ago.

Did your pigtails survive though?

[cuthound]

If you are worried about the chain causing sparks in the gas locker, you could put a length of heat shrink over the cable, just leaving the end links clear to padlock.

[Froggy]

21 minutes ago, cuthound said:

If you are worried about the chain causing sparks in the gas locker, you could put a length of heat shrink over the cable, just leaving the end links clear to padlock.

Any idea where the best place would be to get this, it's not a product i've ever used? I'm certainly thinking of shrouding this chain in something now. Some rubber or elasticated fabric tubing might work too.

[rusty69]

10 minutes ago, Froggy said:

Any idea where the best place would be to get this, it's not a product i've ever used? I'm certainly thinking of shrouding this chain in something now. Some rubber or elasticated fabric tubing might work too.

I got some on e-bay for the battery lugs. Maplin probably also sell it if they are still open.

Edited March 30, 2018 by rusty69

[Froggy]

6 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

I got some on e-bay for the battery lugs. Maplin probably also sell it if they are still open.

Thanks. It's heavy duty cable, about 1 metre in length, i need to measure the width of the links before buying some. It seems quite a cheap solution if i can find some wide enough.

[nb Innisfree]

3 hours ago, rusty69 said:

No,I suspect bolt cutters would cut through like a knife through butter if someone had a set with them.Chain will definetly be more secure.

Doubtful, bolt cropper jaws cut by shearing metal and should have a small gap when closed, if cable strands are narrower than this gap cable won't part.

A few times over the years I've seen firefighters grab some bolt croppers and despite my warning have carried on only to admit defeat after gnawing at a stranded cable for a couple of mins. Good for a laugh though. 

[rusty69]

2 minutes ago, nb Innisfree said:

Doubtful, bolt cropper jaws cut by shearing metal and should have a small gap when closed, if cable strands are narrower than this gap cable won't part.

 

Then ,I stand corrected yet again. Good news for my bicycle though.

[Froggy]

6 minutes ago, nb Innisfree said:

Doubtful, bolt cropper jaws cut by shearing metal and should have a small gap when closed, if cable strands are narrower than this gap cable won't part.

A few times over the years I've seen firefighters grab some bolt croppers and despite my warning have carried on only to admit defeat after gnawing at a stranded cable for a couple of mins. Good for a laugh though. 

Are you suggesting that the sheathed bike cable is likely to be stronger than heavy duty steel links then, because i was at Screwfix earlier and i think they have some at the right length for me (1 metre)?

[cuthound]

1 hour ago, Froggy said:

Any idea where the best place would be to get this, it's not a product i've ever used? I'm certainly thinking of shrouding this chain in something now. Some rubber or elasticated fabric tubing might work too.

Amazon, eBay and even B&Q sell it.

Try this.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/200mm-ADHESIVE-HEATSHRINK-WATERPROOF-TUBING/dp/B00I1JCUVO/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1522434249&sr=8-13&keywords=heat+shrink+sleeving

 

[nb Innisfree]

1 hour ago, Froggy said:

Are you suggesting that the sheathed bike cable is likely to be stronger than heavy duty steel links then, because i was at Screwfix earlier and i think they have some at the right length for me (1 metre)?

No, I'm saying that if each individual cable strand is smaller in diameter than the gap between bolt cropper jaws when closed then the croppers won't cut the cable. In any case a cordless angle grinder would make short work of a cable or link. 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

As long as the bottles are more secure than those on the boat moored next door...

Making stuff on a boat 100% theft proof is never going to be possible if the boat is left unattended. The best you can do is to make it hard and noisy to steal stuff. The need for spliintering wood, breaking glass and wizzing angry grinders will give most thieves pause and they'll go to another boat. They are looking for an easy quick and quiet theft if possible.

The wire cable locks can be cut with bolt croppers at the swaged loops. I used to use one and the key broke in the lock. That was how I got my bike back.

Jen

[Froggy]

3 hours ago, cuthound said:

Amazon, eBay and even B&Q sell it.

Try this.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/200mm-ADHESIVE-HEATSHRINK-WATERPROOF-TUBING/dp/B00I1JCUVO/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1522434249&sr=8-13&keywords=heat+shrink+sleeving

 

Thanks, this looks very useful stuff at a good price.

 

[Froggy]

2 hours ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

As long as the bottles are more secure than those on the boat moored next door...

Making stuff on a boat 100% theft proof is never going to be possible if the boat is left unattended. The best you can do is to make it hard and noisy to steal stuff. The need for spliintering wood, breaking glass and wizzing angry grinders will give most thieves pause and they'll go to another boat. They are looking for an easy quick and quiet theft if possible.

The wire cable locks can be cut with bolt croppers at the swaged loops. I used to use one and the key broke in the lock. That was how I got my bike back.

Jen

Thanks, that is an obvious weak point then and i'm swaying back to heat shrinking the chain i've already bought.  

EDIT: Do you think this would apply to the cable posted by rusty in post 75? The loops are a continuation of the cable rather than solid metal so i suspect they would be just as immune to bolt cutters.

2 hours ago, nb Innisfree said:

No, I'm saying that if each individual cable strand is smaller in diameter than the gap between bolt cropper jaws when closed then the croppers won't cut the cable. In any case a cordless angle grinder would make short work of a cable or link. 

Ah, yes, the old angle grinder scenario, it crops up a lot on these forums. Maybe these should be classed as lethal weapons and require a firearms licence!    I'm guessing they are costing insurance companies a fortune. Perhaps i used the wrong terminology with the word 'stronger'. If the cable can't be cut then it is to me, in this context, 'stronger' in that it's more resistant to attack. But as Jen has pointed out an inherent weakness then perhaps i'll have to disregard this option anyway.

Have any of you lot ever been victims of boat crime? I'm guessing that it's a pretty rare thing, most boaters are obviously really decent people, but i have heard a few horror stories ranging from face to face accounts to stuff i've read on social media.

Edited March 30, 2018 by Froggy