back to the keys

[huw]

well, Tom, i gave it a shot, but appears on my boat you can't remove the key while engine is on. It locks up in the "on" postion. So if anyone else has come across this problem (guests kicking the ignition key, even when warned not to), what is the best solution? I've tried banishing Mom to the v-berth, but she turns an alarming shade of green when below, and it makes me fear for the upholstery. I'm still thinking a guard over the key ought to work.

i have made about 5 spare keys. off a bent original.

oh, and if the guy i saw on lake erie, in the cd 30 k, if you ever read this board, nice teak!



hmeyrick@ameritech.net

[Bob B]

I had the same problem on my CD 27. It drove me crazy seeing people bend the key, so rather than make a big fuss, I made a teak box to go around the key and the guages. This box had a sliding plexiglass door that would slide just enough to let me get the key in. The depth of the box was such that my key, which was already bent, fit in perfectly and I could slide it closed after starting the engine.
Hope you find something that works for you.

Bob B.

well, Tom, i gave it a shot, but appears on my boat you can't remove the key while engine is on. It locks up in the "on" postion. So if anyone else has come across this problem (guests kicking the ignition key, even when warned not to), what is the best solution? I've tried banishing Mom to the v-berth, but she turns an alarming shade of green when below, and it makes me fear for the upholstery. I'm still thinking a guard over the key ought to work.

i have made about 5 spare keys. off a bent original.

oh, and if the guy i saw on lake erie, in the cd 30 k, if you ever read this board, nice teak!

BundyR@aol.com

[Chris Scheck]

A teak box would be nice. I think you could also make a simple guard for the ignition key with a short piece of PVC pipe. Take a piece of pipe about 1 1/2 - 2" in diameter, about the same length, and attach it to your panel with epoxy resin. Make the pipe short enough so you can see the head of the key so you'll know whether it's in the ON or OFF position. You could even use clear Lucite pipe - then you could see whether the key was in the Off position without reaching in and feeling it.



cscheck@aol.com

[Joe Mac Phee]

On my 1977 ketch with Yanmar engine, this key actuates the starter and supplies battery power to the electric lift pump. The key has been bumped, bent, and/or turned off on several occasions by guests and even regular crew (in a very tight cockpit). The result of this minor accident is to shut off fuel to the engine requiring bleeding to restart at some truly inconvenient times!!

I have decided that this is a poor design and I am going to fix it this winter by putting a starter switch and fuel pump toggle switch inside the cabin in a location reachable from the cockpit. The switches will be out of the way and be wired in parallel with the existing key switch. The key switch will be left in its original location but will not normally be used. The tentative location is on a 2 inch wide surface below the companionway on the port side. I will make a small panel with labels so that people other than the skipper will know how to start the engine.

Perhaps some variation on this theme would work in your case.

Good luck,

Joe Mac Phee
S/V Iolanthe
CD-30 K



jvmacphee@aol.com