Safe box

[Jorgen]

We are in the final planning stages to buy our first sailing yacht and do some cruising around the Med. One thing that struck me was that it would be handy to have a safe onboard for passports and money etc.

Has anyone come across anything good?

Have had enough of the Irish weather this summer....

[Vasco]

Money can be hidden in many spots on a boat. As for passports I always have them in a handy spot so they can be accessed in an emergency and thrown in the ditch bag. A safe would only show intruders where the valuables were. Your best bet is to find a "secret" spot on the boat and hide whatever you want there.

[rdbeales]

I've traveller throughout Central America on foot, and had my room searched by theives several times.

My policy is to hide the important stuff somewhere really good, and then hide a expendable amount of money in an obvious spot, so people find it and then take off, a similar strategy works when being mugged, hand over the 20 bucks you have in you pocket, and they'll never think you've got another 100 in your socks.

So get a safe and put some flashy junk in it, and no one will ever look past it to find your real stash spot.

[GordMay]

Maggie hid our “cash stash” (such as it was), & passports etc, within a package of feminine menstrual napkins.
As we abandoned ship (March 1993), I grabbed the Maxi-Pads, ship’s log, and a carton of cigarettes. All of the above lived, full-time, in large zip-lok baggies.

[rdbeales]

YOu had to abadnon ship?!?
Is there an account of that I could read somwhere?

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Jorgen

We are in the final planning stages to buy our first sailing yacht and do some cruising around the Med. One thing that struck me was that it would be handy to have a safe onboard for passports and money etc.

Has anyone come across anything good?

Have had enough of the Irish weather this summer....

Not got one on board (no money!) - but I will in due course copy somebody I know well who has a small cash box sized "safe" onboard.........what makes it "special" is being fixed to the boat by dirty great big bolts via a wrap around bracket, but the box itself can be removed from the bracket.........the benefit is that the safe can be very securely fixed somewhere dark and very hard to find, very awkward if not nigh on impossible to access to force / jemmy / cut out (and hand painted black to look like nothing special also makes it hard to identify as a safe)..........but being removable it can be removed fairly easily to the comfort of the saloon table when stuff needs to be added / removed rather than having to be a contortionist to access a very well hidden safe.

Unfortunately Google does not have a picture

[S/V Elusive]

If you also carry perscription drugs, they have to be secured (and locked) in most ports of entry. Something to consider.

[Jorgen]

Thank you so much, all of you with great wisdom. Very good point about the grab bag and the passports. Never thought of that. Also about having the small cash stash to be found.