how many take keys out of your boat?

thread on another forum where a guy drove 1 1/2 hours to lake only to discover he had left his keys at home and ruined his day.......probably would have happened to me also except I never have taken keys out of ignition....actually when my kids were small,there was a few years where I would put ignition key in rod locker but always figured taking key out of boat wouldn't deter someone from stealing your boat so why risk forgetting or losing the keys.....
treat my plug to the boat the same way....if I take it out to drain water,I stand there until water quits then put plug back in...otherwise sooner or later,I'm gonna forget to put the plug back in....

Never take the key out.
Always put drain plug in at home.
Plug goes in when charger is unplugged.

I do just because I’m afraid some [censored] at a hotel could walk by and start it.

don't need to go to hotels, never take the key out.

I always take it out, hitch lock key is on key chain with ignition and compartment keys so I have the keys when I hook up the trailer.....

Boat stays in my garage with keys in it at all times.

I always take the key out and store it in my dry box along with the my fish finder and boat plug.

Always grab em. They are on a fat float key saver so easy to locate and remember

I do remove the keys (on a floating chain) and put them in a ziplock bag hidden either in my vehicle or boat compartment.

I had a locksmith make multiple copies, One copy would be readily available.for worst case scenarios (lost or sunk keys).

I've lost count on the boats I've had. I took the keys out one time to change an ignition switch and almost lost them.

Got a Plano dry box put in compartment

My boat is kept on a lift in a marina so I take my keys and put them in my fishing backpack. I also have a spare set, and spare set of truck keys in a separate compartment in the same backpack in case I lose them or somehow forget my normal set.

I always remove the key but stays in the truck.

Keys stay in boat in a compartment when home, on road tgey stay on my keyring. I also keep a spare set in my truck all the time.

+1

Always take them out, they stay in center console of truck. But I also have an extra ignition key tie wrapped under drivers console in the boat.

i think these days I'd leave the keys in the boat, but I have a man cave just for a bass boat. I took them out with my last rig because my kids and their cousins; when they were little would get in my rig and turn on the key. Dead battery ain't no fun.
I watched a guy paddle a rig for about a mile on Cooper one day, no TM. He was going through some trees and a limb caught his key chain, turned the motor off and snatched the key out into the lake. I didn't have a boat at the time but had gone down to the Jons creek ramp to scout some ducks along the shore. I waited on him to make it out...........

Dual console here so I put them in the glove box as part of my routing of prepping the boat to come home. I could imagine the big floating thing on the ring catching in the wind while driving and losing the keys from the ignition while driving and I don't want to forget them in the truck and have to walk back to it at in the parking lot. I really need to get a spare made and store it in my tool box bin in the boat. If I had kids at home then I'd remove them just for safety reasons.

stays in console of truck, have a spare there as well and another stashed in the boat, just in case.

have a routine when I hook up/unhook, worked for over 40 yrs now.

Left keys on the bow while loading up. Drove down I20 at 70mph and for some reason thought about them. Didn't go all the way to the lake but they were gone and day shot. 2 sets of keys always in the truck, one in the boat.

I remove the key from the ignition and keep it in my truck console. I have a spare key hidden in the boat. The main key set has the key to the e-locks on both the fish finders and Ram mounts, and the loc-R-bar across the front storage lockers. The truck key set has the keys to the trailer lock and receiver lock, the fish finder locks, and the loc-R-bar. Making it real difficult for the honest people to steal something.

Extra set in truck........just in case

I never remove the key and my spare stays in the truck. I do keep my boat covered at all times though. As far as the plug, I have a routine that I do every time I launch the boat, same thing when I trailer the boat.

I don't have a boat to put a key in right now.

Always take it out. It has the key to the hitch lock and the locker bar. I keep a spare boat key on my truck key ring.

This exactly! ....it does happen, especially in the middle of the night when some drunk "donkeys" drive around looking to be major jerks. Some of them probably have no idea it will completely fry the engine; they think it's just a prank.

Since all Yamaha keys seem to work in my boat, I have four keys. One stays in the switch to keep water out, one is in the boat tool bag, one is in my bedroom night stand, and one is on my trucks key ring.

Only if I go to a lodge or a hotel, then they go in the truck...

Extra plugs in truck and boat....one key on a big orange floating key chain....guess I need to make a second key.....launched without plug once- didnt get far and had to retrailer.....

I didn’t know my keys could be removed......

Epoxied my key in the ignition in 1977 after driving to Toledo Bend and discovering that I'd left the boat key on my bedside table 2 hours away. Since then the first thing I do when getting a new boat is to mix a dab of 5 minute epoxy and permanently insert the key. Why take it out anyway?

That’s what I do. Hitch lock, ignition, spare tire lock keys all on a floating key ring. I keep a spare ignition and boat box key hidden just in case. Lol

I always take my keys out and keep them on a floating lanyard.

Hitch lock is on a separate key chain that stays in the truck.

1234 Start

Why ruin it for the next guy who owns the boat? Why not put it on a sturdy lanyard that you attach to the boat in some secure fashion?

I did that once . Ever since then when I get a new boat a spare key goes on my key chain I carry all the time .

Stays in the ignition when boat is in garage. When staying overnight somewhere it goes in the truck.

We drove 11 hours hauling our boats to Oviachic in Mexico. My buddy left the key to his boat at home. A Mexican locksmith was able to make him one from a 1953 truck key. He only lost 1 days fishing. I never take my key out. Been doing it that way for 40+ years.

I always take the key out and bring it inside. All the keys required to connect the trailer to the truck (tongue, hitch, etc) are on the same key-chain with a big float. The electronics also come inside, I do not tow the boat with the electronics installed. The plug also comes out, but it stays in a compartment in the boat along with a spare. We follow the same procedure, including double checks, for leaving the house, launching, picking up, towing home, and putting the boat away. We are very methodical (20 years Coast Guard training). We have been doing this a long time with no problems as of yet.

This is what I do. I have a 'key rack' on the console of my van and I always hang the keys on it, along with the spare set with the hitch lock and compartments.

SE Kansas grass grower

Never take the keys out, but boat stays in the garage.

Same

I drove a thousand miles from Az to a tourney here and left the key at home. That was 2000 and my first brand new boat. Never again. Key is in the ignition all the time.

I always took it out. It is attached to my truck keys so I never left without it.

44 replies and not one good reason for ever taking your keys out of your boat...if you take your keys out of the boat and put In your truck,you run the risk of not remembering to get them out if you ever tow your boat with somebody else's truck.....couple of my buddies had that happen to them when owners truck was in shop for repairs and they used his partners truck to tow the boat, drove 120 miles and then had to fish a tourny with their trolling motor..
I'm pretty sure the odds of somebody cranking your engine in motel parking lot are about equal to your boat getting hit by lightning or a meteorite but if that concerns you,be sure you got an extra key hid in the boat someplace.....

Left the keys to the old boat at home one day. Got a Ranger now so don't have to worry about that.

THIS x2

keys and safety lanyard are pulled and put in glove box of truck. Spare key is in tackle bag and one in rear compartment of boat.

Thank you. My sentiments exactly, there's no logical reason to ever remove the key. The only reason I epoxy mine in is so some Ahole doesn't walk by and remove it. I first epoxied a key in 43 years ago and to this point I've never found a downside. A master power switch and a starter button would be ideal.

Stays in ignition, 21 years .

Never take mine out.

Key stays in my truck console, the rod locker keys are on the same key ring and i keep it locked until i get to the water.

I always remove the key and it is stored 'somewhere' and I also have spare keys also stored 'somewhere' just in case!!
Insurance is the main reason for removing keys in the event of vandalism or theft!!

Lost the key from the ignition a very windy road trip that had the foam float on it. Assume the float did the dirty work.

Only if staying at a hotel. Took them out once and got to the lake and left them at home.

Guess I don’t know why for a second I would take the keys out on a boat that is hooked to my truck? Maybe leaving it on shore to go inside for lakeside lunch but otherwise why?

Do you want to be "that guy" who later discovers his outboard is seized up from heat destruction? It happens, and your insurance company may not be very happy you left the key in it - the very thing that allowed the loss to occur. Vandals have been known to walk by a boat sitting on a trailer and fire up the engine, then walk/drive away quickly while laughing. They'll also simply steal the key and drop it into a nearby garbage can - again, just as mischief. You might be in a restroom, or getting something to eat while the boat sits outside, or sleeping while on a weekend trip. A spare hidden somewhere in the boat you can normally get to resolves the issue of driving to a lake and finding you left a boat key on the dresser (where it probably never needs to be). My standard boat key storage location has been the center console of my tow vehicle. If I make it to the lake with my tow vehicle, I've got keys.

Rarely do I take the key out of the ignition but when I do I place it somewhere in the boat.

Never take mine out, but keep the spare on my truck key chain as well.

Never, but I have seen guys do this and then forget the key at home. That is priceless

Stays in the boat at all times. Boat goes in my shop where I have 2 cameras pointed directly at both doors.

Do you ever have the boat out of your sight for 5 minutes or more when it's on the trailer?.... such as when on a weekend trip or stopping for a meal? To me, key security isn't about boat theft deterrence; it's about protection from extremely damaging vandalism engine starts - or malicious key thefts.

When secure at home I just leave them in,, no kids around.. When overnight at a marina or someplace,, they come out.

Yup me too. I have to have the key to hook my boat up, hence you can't forget it.

You should probably take your cowling and plug wires in the restaurant every time, too.

mine stay in the boat in the garage, but when at a motel somewhere I'll take them inside the room.

out of the ignition, but not out of the boat. and have spares ziptied inconspicuously somewhere in the boat.

I take them out every time.

Can't take mine out. Its a Ranger and doesn't have a key. Has a code to start. Hope I don't forget the code.

so far 64% leave the key in and 36% take it out....

In the ignition cause the boat stays in the garage 24/7. Take it out if at a motel. Have a spare key on a keyring in the console in my truck just in case I accidentally misplace it etc.

keys go with me,...

When I do I put them in the console of my tow vehicle.