What's your favorite latch?

[Bruce B]

I recently learned that Tomco, builder of our American Tug, will be abandoning the latch design they have used on drawers and cabinets for almost 20 years. Apparently, some people are put off by the noise these make as they close? That or perhaps they simply find it inconvenient to have to twist the handle to open the drawer?
I know that the first time I closed a drawer on an American Tug, I thought something was out of adjustment. The little catch has tiny fingers that grab as it is closed and they make a tiny noise.
I soon learned to love the positive engagement of the latch though. No action has to be taken, once a door or drawer is closed it stays closed until the knob is twisted to allow it to be opened.
I think of all of the times on boats where this would have saved a battered drawer in my life. There is nothing like a maniacal drawer slamming around in a seaway because someone forgot to latch it.
Having lived with these for the past 1000 or so miles on Esmeralde, I'd insist on their use if we were building another boat!
What do you like for latches?
Bruce

 

[FF]

Push button drawer latches are available from many sources.

To me the delight (besides functioning ) is a glance can decide if the boat is RFS , ready for sea.

Most can be left unlocked till needed , and RFS is only a push away.

 

[Bruce B]

Push button drawer latches are available from many sources.

To me the delight (besides functioning ) is a glance can decide if the boat is RFS , ready for sea.

Most can be left unlocked till needed , and RFS is only a push away.

Can't tell you how many times I missed one that was not RFS, the result being the door or drawer announcing the fact by disgorging its contents when things began getting rough. This is the beauty of the latches that are on our current boat. When you close the door/drawer it is securely locked shut whether the button is in or out. To open you must twist the button.

Even worse on our sailboat, when you had to access a door/drawer and the boat lurched before you had time to push the button in. Obviously, sailboats heel so this was more of an issue there.

In fact with this design, having the button in or out is simply an aesthetic issue or maybe one where you don't want to snag the button so you push it in...

Oh well, ours are great anyway...
Bruce

 

[ranger58sb]

Ours came with a boatload of Hafele push-button drawer/door locks. I've recently gotten in a supply of just-in-case replacements from flounderpounder.com, but we've really only had two fail after about 12 years...

-Chris

 

[HopCar]

Possum doesn't have drawer latches. I'm not sure how to describe the locking mechanism.

The drawers have a groove just behind the face. When you close the drawer, it drops down about a 1/4 of an inch and it is locked. To open you just lift the finger notch a little and it slides right out.

There is no hardware involved. It's all in the design of the drawer.

I guess if the boat turned upside down, the drawers could slide out. At that point I don't care if the drawers open.

 

[HopCar]

Sugatsune and Southco both make very high quality cabinet hardware often seen on boats.

Stainless Steel Drawer Slides, Concealed Hinges, Knobs, Handles, Catches, Latches, Lid Supports, Sliding Door Handle Pulls, Door Stays,& Siding Door Systems Kit hardware

https://www.southco.com/en-us/

 

[HopCar]

Bruce, I think your latch is made by Southco.
https://www.southco.com/en-us/m1-2a

 

[dhays]

The drawers have a groove just behind the face. When you close the drawer, it drops down about a 1/4 of an inch and it is locked. To open you just lift the finger notch a little and it slides right out.



There is no hardware involved. It's all in the design of the drawer.

That is a great system that I had on past sailboats.

I have push-button locks on Kinship, and I think the reason is that all the drawers are full suspension drawers. This makes the type you describe impossible.

This is one thing that I don't like about my North Pacific. The drawer locks work great. Push the button in, and a metal tab raises above the drawer front and engages a slot in the cabinet right above the drawer. This is a very effective system and works well, however....

The PO had on a few occasions closed a drawer and locked it. However, he hadn't fully closed the drawer. This meant that the tab was raised but was in front of the cabinet front, not behind it. In heavy seas, with heavy contents in the drawer, the drawer then slid out on a roll, then slammed back on the counter roll. The tab would then slam into the front of the cabinet face and break out the thin piece of the cabinet facing the slot. Not the drawer will not lock because the tab will raise but there is no longer a slot in which to engage. Three drawers in the salon have this problem. I have yet to come up with a decent way to fix it.

 

[FF]

"maybe one where you don't want to snag the button so you push it in..."

It might not be fun to be flung against in a seaway , a curved handle or trim might save some skin.

 

[Art]

Possum doesn't have drawer latches. I'm not sure how to describe the locking mechanism.

The drawers have a groove just behind the face. When you close the drawer, it drops down about a 1/4 of an inch and it is locked. To open you just lift the finger notch a little and it slides right out.

There is no hardware involved. It's all in the design of the drawer.

I guess if the boat turned upside down, the drawers could slide out. At that point I don't care if the drawers open.

Parks - Simple is as simple does!

That is exactly how the draws work on our Tolly. No moving parts; won't breakdown, never needs lubrication, adjustment or replacement. Draw is held securely in place every time it's fully closed. Easy to open!

 

[kchace]

Bruce if you like the latches and are concerned about not being able to get replacements in the future I would buy a bunch right now while they are still made.

Ken

 

[Steve]

My boat has a similar system as Hopcar described in post #5. Just lift the drawer a bit it slides out, push it in it lock closed automatically. Hinged cabinet doors have dedents which hold well, well, so far!

 

[LarryM]

I'm fond of the simple finger hole with interior latch, à la Hinckley and other traditional builders. Pretty fool proof and nothing protruding to foul.

 

[Insequent]

Wanting to push the Korean trolls off the recent posts list.

But can I comment on least favourite latch instead? Anyone with an 80's vintage Taiwan build can relate, I'm sure. Its the awful hole, with a finger trigger that is sometimes above the hole and sometimes below the hole. Add some doors that are tight and broken fingers are on the cards. Only one of those for me, before I made sure the doors are all free. But I would love a retrofit option for a more civilised closure system. While there is much to like about the old TT's, they also have some lamentable defects.

 

[dhmeissner]

Possum doesn't have drawer latches. I'm not sure how to describe the locking mechanism.

The drawers have a groove just behind the face. When you close the drawer, it drops down about a 1/4 of an inch and it is locked. To open you just lift the finger notch a little and it slides right out.

There is no hardware involved. It's all in the design of the drawer.

I guess if the boat turned upside down, the drawers could slide out. At that point I don't care if the drawers open.

This is the system on The Promise.

 

[LaBomba]

Wanting to push the Korean trolls off the recent posts list.

But can I comment on least favourite latch instead? Anyone with an 80's vintage Taiwan build can relate, I'm sure. Its the awful hole, with a finger trigger that is sometimes above the hole and sometimes below the hole. Add some doors that are tight and broken fingers are on the cards. Only one of those for me, before I made sure the doors are all free. But I would love a retrofit option for a more civilised closure system. While there is much to like about the old TT's, they also have some lamentable defects.

Well Brian, one mans poison is another mans cure. We have a Canadian built early 80's boat and I guess back then door and drawer technology was limited. We have the hole in the door technology on all doors and drawers throughout the boat but all the holes are a sufficient size and all latches are at the top, and all doors and drawers open with ease, so in short, have no issues with the system.

 

[Insequent]

Allan
With all latches at the top you have a much better set-up. I was thinking of something like a push-to-release latch. But it hasn't made it far enough up the to-do list yet!

 

[Bruce B]

...I guess if the boat turned upside down, the drawers could slide out. At that point I don't care if the drawers open.

The old LOL doesn't do this comment justice, I almost got coffee through my nostrils while reading this!

Bruce, I think your latch is made by Southco.
https://www.southco.com/en-us/m1-2a

As are the new latches being spec'.

Bruce if you like the latches and are concerned about not being able to get replacements in the future I would buy a bunch right now while they are still made.

Ken

I have a bag of spares that came with the boat. I actually believe that there is no danger of the latch going out of production in the short run, it is just that American Tug will no longer be using them.

I'm fond of the simple finger hole with interior latch, à la Hinckley and other traditional builders. Pretty fool proof and nothing protruding to foul.

We did a Bermuda race on a 46' sailboat (a beautiful, Maine built, semi custom boat) that had this type of latch. By the time we got to Bermuda, 4 drawers, including a drawer that held tools, no longer stayed closed due to the severity of the Gulfstream conditions. That was no fun to deal with!

Bruce

 

[wkearney99]

My boat has a similar system as Hopcar described in post #5. Just lift the drawer a bit it slides out, push it in it lock closed automatically. Hinged cabinet doors have dedents which hold well, well, so far!

Our Eastbay 47 has that sort of setup, and I really don't like it. The slides make too much noise getting opened/closed. I'd love to replace them with the more modern slides and push/release latches, but the placement of the existing handles would mean I'd be in for a lot of woodworking and re-varnishing.

So since I don't hate them 'that much', they're sticking around.

 

[GFC]

Congrats on digging up a thread that's almost two years old.


BTW, my favorite latch is the one on the liquor cabinet.

 

[ben2go]

Congrats on digging up a thread that's almost two years old.


BTW, my favorite latch is the one on the liquor cabinet.

The one with the little key that no one has seen since the night before. My favorite one too.