klb67pgh
Member III
I have no affiliation with the company, but wanted to pass along a great solution I found 2 years ago. I needed a marine combination lock to secure my companionway hatch. I wanted a combination rather than a key to be able to give anyone the combination who needed access to my boat, especially if I was away from the area. I wanted a 4 dial lock ideally. The biggest challenge I had was that any outdoor/stainless lock I found in the U.S. had a large shackle size - 5/16 or so - too big for the hasp on my hatch. I did not want to put a larger fence gate type hatch to accommodate a larger lock. I was out of options until I stumbled onto the UK company Shield lock company. I bought a few of their Shield marine combination MC40 locks with a shaft of just under 1/4"/6.5mm that has worked very well - 2 seasons and it still looks brand new (freshwater lake). It also fits standard trailer tongue pins to lock a trailer onto a hitch ball. I thought they were a good price too for the quality, even when factoring in shipping to the U.S. I also had excellent customer service, as when I went to order, they were initially out of stock. They emailed me when they were back in stock, and as I recall called me to take a credit card to place the order. Frankly U.S. marine supply stores should offer these locks. This also reminds me I want to build a new teak companionway hatch this off season to replace the "temporary" hatch made by my prior owner that still works, in its own utilitarian way.