The close quarters in the cockpit means you are brushing up against the edge of the lockers all the time. Put a latch on it and you are sure to leave some skin on them. I had a Catalina 30 that had them and took them off after every one of the kids, the wife and I got snagged on them.
think about how much more valuable your winches are, and the fact that they can be ripped off in about two minutes with nothing more than a screwdriver.now think about that spinnaker poleand that anchor,and those sails,and...honestly, the contents of my cockpit lockers are the least of my worries.
A few years back I was reading theat cockpit hatches should have a latch if you are going to sail in the open ocean. Before a planned 2004 or 2005 off-shore cruise I found some recessed latches at either West Marine or Boat/US. They came with a key lock option for just a dollar or two more than the non locking kind.The bad newsis I just looked in the 2008 WM catalog and could not find them. On June 2 I'll be back aboard and can post a photo of the latch. They would fill your need. They are also nicely recessed in the top of the door, are totally out of the way, and are easy to use.Like the other people who posted, I have never locked my locking hatch latches! Among other things we stow our PFDs in the lockers. How horrible it would be to need to quickly don the PFD, have the latch locked and not find the key.
You seem to have gotten lots of advice on whether you SHOULD have them, but I'll answer the question you asked.Yes. There's even a raised pad on the lazarette bulkhead face just below the lip of the locker for just that purpose.I mounted a chrome plated lock hasp on a teak pad on that raised spot. I mounted the hinged portion on the lip of the lid. I can secure the hasp WITHOUT a lock while offshore in case we get pooped but I can still open it very quickly in case I need that PFD (or whatever.)We've never barked shins on them.I've only locked them a few times but for a few minutes work and a few bucks it's worth the peace of mind.I said it before on the "do you lock your dink" thread, most thefts are crimes of opportunity. Most thieves will only steal if it's easy. It's tough to look casual carting off that spinnaker pole or sails. Could they break that hasp? Of course. Most thieves just don't want to look that obvious or work that hard.And I have to ask, besides removing the drum, how in the heck DO you remove an entire winch with just a screwdriver?
Rick. I'm worried about by Honeda EU2000i. Do you have a pic
? I would love to see how and where your located it .. especially if it's not snagging or bothering anyone... I see you do have a Hunter 40 also so should be the same on my boatThanks to everyone else for the input.... before I got the generator I didnt care... but now its bothering me leaving it
For all of the above reasons, I installed locks on all of my compartments. It was relatively simple and the locks can be purchased at any RV Store for a feww dollars each. They are flush mounted so no problem with rubbing against them. I had to modify the locking latch slightly but I installed them all in a morning.Wayne"Sine Wave"Buffalo
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