Skeleton type key

I need your help! My Monk 36 uses the large old looking skeleton type key to get into the salon. I am worried that I will lose it and will never be able to enter the boat again.
I have gone to lock smiths in my area and no one has this type of key.
Any suggestions on where to find one would be greatly appreciated!:

Thanks
Don
Take it e-sea

Hey Don, just went through the same issue. I even went on ebay and bought about 50 old keys figuring I would make one myself....not so easy. In any case, my answer was a locksmith. First they tried just copying the key but that didn't work either. Finally, I took the whole lock in and got five keys made and the lock serviced for about $500. Painful but not as bad as a lost key.

Many locks are keyed the same. Home Depot carries a few generic so I would start there, it didn't work for me but who knows.

Interestingly, the best keys are made from modern blanks, not the old ones I bought off ebay.

Keep trying locksmiths.

E

Try "real" locksmiths in your area or a nearby city. Not the ones at the hardware store or home center and not the ones working out of a truck.

Go to the monk forum and they can tell you how to get new keys.

Key

I just dropped my skeleton key overboard yesterday! I called two locksmiths and the second one had the right size blank. He had to "cut" it by hand and charged me $45. His shop is in Baltimore. The key works perfect.

Skeleton key

Thanks for the advice! I am going to try a few more locksmiths. I'll keep you posted. Everyone at the marina thinks these are great looking keys so my search will continue.
Don
Take It E-Sea

Takeitesea said:

Thanks for the advice! I am going to try a few more locksmiths. I'll keep you posted. Everyone at the marina thinks these are great looking keys so my search will continue.
Don
Take It E-Sea

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I went through this..... apparently there is only one manufacturer left making the old skeleton type keys and they are out of Florida. I was lucky that I found a locksmith who had one old key left. He sold it to me for $15. Anyway, the locksmith stated that it would be about $50 if he had to order one in.

Try finding a locksmith that has been in business for decades. That's the best place to start to find one of these old keys. Good Luck.

My previous house used only the old skeleton keys, but needed two different types. We used to have a hardware store that carried them, but unless you have one of those old fashioned mom and pop hardware stores, Lehmann's is your best bet!

Try this
Brass Works, Delano Florida. 368-943-1211
You might want to join the Monk Owners Association, MOA, the group has a direct contact with a group in Asia who made or handle a lot of the fittings used on the Monks. Group orders are placed for direct importation.
There is a membership fee but not expensive, well worth it in my opinion.
I put key chain floats on mine, it takes a large one to float that key, test it before depending on one.
Steve W

Steve, your mention of large key chain floats reminds me of my Dad. We once ended up with a bunch of toilet floats in the store. Since they are not used on marine toilets we didn't have much of a market for them. My Dad put a screw eye into them and a length of small ball chain through the screw eye. He put them on the counter in a box marked "Key Floats". The damn things sold!

You can get the self inflating key floats as well. They inflate when they come in contact with water, so are small enough to fit in your pocket.
Just don't spill a beer in your lap.

A key float sounds like a great idea at first, but if you're in an area with strong currents, your keys may be out of range before you can reach them.

rwidman said:

A key float sounds like a great idea at first, but if you're in an area with strong currents, your keys may be out of range before you can reach them.

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As opposed to the bottom? I'll take the one risk over the other.