To carry or not to carry...

Well that decision is completely up to each individual! We've obviously shown that we feel it's worth the extra energy and effort to have protection in the form of weapons onboard. This post is about how we've decided to store a weapon.

Most are aware of the importance to have some form of security for a weapon in a household. How to balance security with accessibly is usually an issue up for conversation. We knew our old Pelican case wasn’t a good fit for Calypso after previous experience with it aboard Lazy Gecko, storing it. The case was rather large, it was not boat friendly besides the protection from the environment. Not only was it hard to store but it was also very difficult to access since it was locked with 2 padlocks. If a dangerous situation presented itself then it would take a considerate amount of time to get the weapon out. That was a concern for us. Of course, the first issue is making sure any and all weapons are 100% secure from little fingers.

We began searching for other possibilities and came across the Rapid Safe made by Hornady. The safe locks around the ejection port of the weapon which enables you to store or mount it easily...Horizontally or Vertically. This also makes it impossible to lock it in the safe with the bolt home. The weapon isn't going to discharge that way. It allows quick and easy access along with great protection from unauthorized access, which is perfect. There are multiple code free methods to open the safe but my favorite is the digital security code method. That way you aren't spending time searching for keys, fobs, etc although those methods are available. The unit holds several programable codes and there's a key option in the event of a mechanical failure with the keyless entry system.

Another important factor to consider was the design of the safe. The safe you store weapons must allow customs officers to tape over the safe when checking in to each location that regulates firearms. This affords customs the ability to control weapons while aboard your personal vessel. They know if their tape seal has been broken, you've gained access to the weapon. Thankfully this safe allows that form of security ass well. There you have it, I think we may have found the perfect boating safe for us!! 

The part we don't like? It's not fully enclosed. That means the weapon will be exposed to the environment more which is corrosive. So we will plan to keep the weapon well oiled and stored in a dry compartment that contains a form of humidity control. We'll see how that goes. 

We paid just over $100 for this safe, so far it seems to be a good fit!

As far as cruising with weapons...You can find a LOT of thoughts and opinions posted throughout the cruising internet world. We have personal experience that it's not as awful as it looks on the internet forums. It can be a little bit more tricky but it's not too bad. All it takes is a little research to see what requirements each destination has. Throughout the entire cruising grounds we have planned for this year, there is just one island that we cannot visit because of the weapons we carry. Which is fine...Again, we feel it's more important to have the ability to protect ourselves in open waters but that's just us!

Please let us know if you have any questions concerning the safe we chose!