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What to do with modern car keys.
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ShreddinEd



Joined: 27 Mar 1994
Posts: 172

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 1:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I use the Hitchsafe. If you have a 2" receiver, it's stealthy and secure. http://www.hitchsafe.com

On everything else I use a realtor-style lockbox attached to the frame or tow-hook for stealth and security. Combo locks are best so you don't have to carry anything.

I think the Ford security system with the keypad is pretty cool. I wonder if you could get a third party product to do the same?

benspikey wrote:
Use this and it has worked great. Sure if someone really wanted in they could break it. Like anything if they want it bad enough they will find a way.

http://www.key-pod.com/
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gerritt



Joined: 06 May 1998
Posts: 632
Location: Redwood City, CA

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 1:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I just got back from Maui this week. Had the same issue with the rental car I used. Some companies tie everything together with a stainless braided wire making hiding the thing nearly impossible. I don't want to take a big bulky mess on the water with me and the (expensive) Aqua Packs can and do leak. The rental agencies will then rape you with replacement costs for the key - on top of the PITA of being stranded in the parking lot with a non-functioning key.

I simply borrowed some heavy duty wire cutters from the friendly maintenance guys at the place I was staying and cut the tie from the key - oops! That allowed me to hide the key in the rack pads on the roof of the car and leave the bulky tags in the car. When I returned the mess to the rental car company, it was on a traditional (cheap) key ring. No questions were asked.
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windwiner



Joined: 26 Jun 2002
Posts: 128
Location: Berkeley

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 2:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Depends on the make of car you buy but some have a key pad that you can open with a code that you create. My last two Fords (Explorer and now an Escape) both have keyless entry with a number code. Works great.
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kevinkan



Joined: 07 Jun 2001
Posts: 1660
Location: San Francisco

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 3:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

windwiner wrote:
Depends on the make of car you buy but some have a key pad that you can open with a code that you create. My last two Fords (Explorer and now an Escape) both have keyless entry with a number code. Works great.


always good to have some sort of backup plan, too. A friend of mine had a car w/ the keypad which worked great until one time somehow his battery ran down while he was sailing, and he couldn't get back into his car... he had to pry open the hood so we could attach some jumper cables to his battery to bring the keypad back online.

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SPQR



Joined: 18 May 2004
Posts: 274

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 3:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ed that Hitchsafe looks pretty secure, but then I need a trailer hitch. Might be pricey as I don't have another need for a trailor hitch. I remember sailing with Riptide at Crissy once years ago. He put the key to his Pathfinder on a tire. Someone was watching, opened his car, took his CC and put stuff back, went to his domicile and stole stuff as they knew he was windsurfing under GG Bridge. 6 mos. later the same clowns were trying to charge pizza in The City on his CC. Lessons learned!!! You can never be safe or clever enough, one reason when I surf or windsurf I like to go dirtbag, 30 year beater car, leaving the Benz at home.
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SAS



Joined: 18 Feb 1997
Posts: 177
Location: planet earth

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 3:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cheap copies of my key open the door, but will not start the engine. So like others have suggested I made a bunch of copies of my key at Home Depot for a little over $1 each. I live on Maui, and don't sail in a wet suit, but in board shorts. Every pair of my board shorts has a key attached to the string loop inside the pocket. It never gets removed from there, even for laundry, and I never have to worry about forgetting my key when I windsurf, surf, snorkel, or swim.

When I lived in the Bay Area and now when I dive here (where I use a wetsuit), I do the key on the rope around the neck thing. But just do it with one key. I remember once a guy unwisely put his whole key ring around his neck, and for some reason (maybe a breakdown, maybe the wind died) ended up getting washed onto the rocks near Fort Point. The key ring with all the keys and their sharp points got squished between the wetsuit and the rocks, and he actually needed stitches to close the wound.
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blahblah



Joined: 17 Mar 2014
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 5:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I use the emergency access key blade from my key fob to lock the door and then secure it in a key box which locks to my tow hitch with a combo. The problem with the key box is that it is designed for house keys so most modern key fobs won't fit. It's also a pain to separate the blade from the key fob, then use that to remove the cover over the key hole in the door.

The solution that I've come up with is to use a 1st gen GoPro housing. It fits my key fob just fine, is waterproof to 100', and attaches to existing GoPro mounts on my board.
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eghoffman



Joined: 14 May 1998
Posts: 89

PostPosted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 1:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Hitch Safe is fantastic. My next car will probably have a hitch, just for that reason. I'm a total Hitch Safe evangelist. I actually had a realtor's box orginally, but my stupid Jeep keys were too big for it and they fit in the hitch safe easily. I leave a spare valet key in there all the time, in case I get locked out.
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xander.arch



Joined: 23 Apr 2009
Posts: 217

PostPosted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 4:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My car has no key slot and uses a proximity key. I just use the smallest aquapac which hangs around my neck under my suit. It hasnt failed after three years of getting worked at Davenport and Waddell. The proximity key makes getting into the car super easy for breaks - I don't need to fumble around to get access to my key - just walk on up to unlock and swipe my finger on the handle to lock it up.

http://usstore.aquapac.net/explore-product-range/waterproof-money-passports-cases/keymaster-fits-asthma-inhalers-uss608.html
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dsgrntlxmply



Joined: 16 Jun 2010
Posts: 255

PostPosted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 5:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I use the Aquapac key packet for a conventional car key. I like it a lot, but the seam at the bottom of the packet needs to be examined carefully at intervals, as it can fail. The top seal is quite effective but perhaps not perfect. Both Aquapac VHF radio bags that I've had are leakier than I would hope. Murray's have been a good source for Aquapac online.

Last edited by dsgrntlxmply on Mon Dec 29, 2014 9:01 pm; edited 1 time in total
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