Powered rear hatch

[Mandelon]

One thing I noticed on our boat is that the power hatch works from its switch whether or not the key is on.
Would it make sense to have it work only with the key on? It would be a lot more secure overnight......more like an automobile trunk. I read all the stories here about equipment and coolers disappearing, makes me a little nervous.
What's the pro's and con's here??
It has an override connnector so you can open it if the power dies but you have to bring another battery. I guess the boat burglars could do that though.....unless it was a keyed switch.
Maybe I am being paranoid. I've never had anything ripped out of the boat, but have been had other things taken from my truck.
:mad: I'd like to avoid that if I could.
Locking stereo cover would be nice and a locking glove box would be cool too, for wallets, keys, stereo faces, phones and remotes.
Mandelon = paranoid, or........... sensible????

[Kachina26]

If they are brazen enough to be in your boat fooling with switches and what not then you have already lost the battle. I guess it would be easy enough to switch off the batteries overnight if you're worried though.

[Boozer]

Is theft really that common out there?
I have left the boat beached with wakeboard, coolers, the works in it even the stereo face on and not had anything taken over night. However, second time i took the boat out i took it to the local pon and left the fenders on it. Walked away from the trailer for 10 minutes to have a beer when i returned the fenders were gone.

[Mandelon]

Originally posted by Kachina26
If they are brazen enough to be in your boat fooling with switches and what not then you have already lost the battle. I guess it would be easy enough to switch off the batteries overnight if you're worried though.
If I disconnected the batteries, I couldn't close the hatch!! :D :D

[OutCole'd]

Mandy, my Perko battery switch is below my back seat, so I can shut off power when I want. But you do not want to have to have the key on ( warning Buzz) everytime you need to raise & lower the engine cover while you are working, cleaning, looking for important sufff etc....
Just my measly .02

[Kachina26]

Originally posted by Mandelon
If I disconnected the batteries, I couldn't close the hatch!! :D :D My battery switch is outside the engine compartment, I can get to it with the hatch closed. I see your point if it were on my old boat.

[Jrocket]

Originally posted by Mandelon
If I disconnected the batteries, I couldn't close the hatch!! :D :D
You need a secret opening so you can turn off the batteries.

[Kachina26]

Outcole'd s isn't a secret anymore:D

[Mandelon]

Maybe I could just put a hidden switch somewhere that would break the contacts between the helm switch and the motor???

[OutCole'd]

Originally posted by Kachina26
Outcole'd s isn't a secret anymore:D
DAMN :mad: :mad:
I am so stupid.:D
Bill < ---- Not woried about the Hot Boaters.

[NAMarine]

Perko makes a battery switch with a key lock on the switch. If you can mount it where you can get to it.

[Mandelon]

Cool!

[C-2]

If I keep my boat at a dock, I always pull two important fuses - one being the hatch. Only takes about 30 secs or so.
Some advice on a glove box - empty it and keep it wide open in plain view. No need to tempt the fockers with a locked box.
TRUE STORY
We came off the lake one day and were able to score an overnight slip in the marina. The slip was adjacent to the walkway by the fuel dock in a high traffic area.
After tearing the hotel room apart the following morning looking for the boat keys....we traced our steps backwards and I asked my buddy - you did pull the fuses and the keys, right?
WRONG
We went to the dock and there they were, in the ignition. :eek: :eek:

[bear down]

I think on most boats you can acess your perko switch by removing a seat pad/backing and shutting off the batteries with out having the hatch up.. On some lavey's it's under the rear seat cushion.

[bigpapasean]

Another way you could do it is to wirer it to another switch like navigation lights. So the lights would haft to be on so the hatch switch will get power. I had a Honda once that was set up to start the car you had to turn on the right blinker before it would start

[hoolign]

I may be missing somthin here..but why wouldnt you just wire it to the key?

[BOBALOO]

Originally posted by hoolign
I may be missing somthin here..but why wouldnt you just wire it to the key?
And we have a WINNER!

[Chase]

Originally posted by C-2
and I asked my buddy - you did pull the fuses and the keys, right?
WRONG
We went to the dock and there they were, in the ignition. :eek: :eek:
Scary.....I would never leave or trust a "buddie" with the keys for the boat.

[C-2]

Originally posted by hoolign
I may be missing somthin here..but why wouldnt you just wire it to the key?
Convenience I guess, maybe safety as well? I’m in and out of my hatch all the time and it would suck if the key had to always be in, kinda like always having your car doors locked. I also feel better knowing that if somebody else needs to get in the hatch, that I don’t have to rely upon their knowing which way to turn the key, especially while I’m kicking back on the transom :eek: :eek:

[Tom Brown]

Originally posted by Chase
Scary.....I would never leave or trust a "buddie" with the keys for the boat.
Oh, I get it. Just because I lost your keys a couple of times, now don't trust me.
You have hurt my feelings, Chase. :(

[Waldo]

Another thing to consider is...in my boat Mandee, if the key is in the on position - the hour meter/gauge is on and ticking away.

[Dave C]

FYI you can jump start these boats faster than you can get a beer out of the cooler.
Looking into getting a "LOCKING PERKO SWITCH":D what a great product.
If the back of the perko switch is under the hatch and the hatch is wired to the batteries (i.e. cannot be bypassed), then its very difficult to get it started without the batteries on.......;). Someone would have to physcially remove the engine hatch.
If you yank a fuse a coin can be placed in the fuse box which solves that problem. Alligator clips work good too at bypassing "kill swtiches". (BTW I carry alligator clips in my tool box for repairs.)
Here is the scary part. It is not hard at all to jump start these boats because of their simple & clean wiring. Trick is to get rid of any 12V under the dash. I can scan your under-dash wiring for 1 minute and tell you what every wire does with about 75% accuracy. If you give me a test light or alligator clips, look out.

[RiverToysJas]

Not having the Engine hatch wired to the key makes my life much easier. But I drove a boat with no engine cover at all, for years. The only thing ever stolen from that boat was a cooler.
What would someone take out of the engine compartment of a stock boat? My batteries? My anchor? Even my CD Changer, there are easier way to get a CD Changer and they aren't really worth that much anyway. Most people have more valuable things in the ski locker on the floor (and unlike the name, those never lock). You're better off putting a locking nut on your drive. Six nuts and about 30 seconds, the whole drive is off. You don't even have to uncover the boat.
If steeling the boat on the water is your worry, how far are they going w/o the trailer? Even if they are only going to a cove to strip and sink it, isn't that why it's insured? How often have you heard of this happening anyway? They could be waiting with a simular trailer, but that's a huge amount if work and planning, when they could take it right off your truck or from storage much easier and lower risk.
If they want it, they'll get it, nothin' you or I can do about it.
BTW, my glove box does lock, and I do a few other things to help insure it'll there when I get back to it. ;)
RTJas :D

[Dave C]

Did you guys see that show about repossesors on TLC? They repo'd a boat.:eek:

[RiverToysJas]

Originally posted by Dave C
Did you guys see that show about repossesors on TLC? They repo'd a boat.:eek:
Yeah, they took right off the water!!! But they had a team with multiple vehicles and radio contact. That was big effort. ;)
RTJas :D

[Havasu Cig]

Our Cig has master switches in the cabin that control the hatch, motors ect...With our boat you can swith all the masters off and lock the cabin and it does not matter if you turn the batteris on because nothing will work.
Maybe you could rig a master somewhere on the boat that can be secured or hidden???