Essential Tools to have on board

[spartonboat1]

Not pure tools response, but what I have gravitated to is dedicated tool bags from Sears, Lowes, or TSC. The bags are dedicated to:
> Canvas snaps installer stuff from Sail-rite in Cerubusco, IN...beautiful tools,
> Drill bag for drill and related bits,
> Electrical bag with meter, Infra-Red gauge, various wires, crimps, etc.
> My wife's bag of canvas repair stuff she uses with canvas grade sewing machine,
> A sort-of bosun's mate bag zip-topped with many internal/external pockets with all size screw drivers (one that hold multi-bits is a friend), slip joint pliers, several styles vise grips, black tape,
> In salon I have about 8 compartmented cases that hold:
> all possible sizes of fasteners used (#6 x 1/2" SS seems to see a lot of uses),
> all the fuses needed aboard,
> all marine grade wire terminators,
> all the little light bulbs need, esp. running lights,
batteries,
> Several spare keys, esp. ignition (don't want to hot wire the Hatt)
> Duct tape, did I say duct tape.
> Heavy box for heavy pipe wrench, Eng and Metric nut-wrenches,
> Set of all sizes 1/4",3/8" and 1/2" sockets in all sizes. (blew out the register at Sears buying all the bits and pieces- had to start another journal) Don't boo Sears please...always replace the busted stuff and every decent sized town has one.
> a box of various goops
> last year started a box for West Epoxy repair stuff.

I am not as sophisticated on the heavy engine work as are others on this site...I leave that to a tech who is great.

Frankly, I have been in "bring up to standards" mode for 10 years, and don't need all the tools quite so much, but I'm risk averse (try to be)...

 

[GaryNW]

dremel, dremel, dremel! The biggest, fanciest kit you can find is still dirt cheap. Can do dental work in an emergency!
Gary

 

[Liquid Asset]

By the way, there is not anything better on a boat than an excelent pocket knife that you keep in your pocket. I can not tell yall how many things I have repaired on the boat with a pocket knife and I do not know what I would do without one in life on a boat

 

[MikeP]

There's a lot of really good stuff in all these messages. I belong to the school of "there's no such thing as too many tools on board!" And, as someone suggested, my best tools, that I used to use for all my engine rebuilding are now on the boat.

But probably some of the recommendations should be balanced against the operator's ability to actually use the tools. As an example, there are folks who are not mechanical, just as there are folks like me who are hopeless at balancing checkbooks and doing any finance-based bookeeping (Fortunately, the Admiral is great at it!).

For someone who doesn't do the work, there is not much point in having all these tools on board. I guess I'd suggest that you have the tools on board that YOU KNOW you can use for the proper purpose. You could have a nice 1/2" drive Snap-On socket set but if you use it to install a 1/4" bolt into an aluminum casting, you'll probably rip the threads right out. Or - though I totally agree with Karl re having appropriate DD tune up tools on board, do you really need the DD tune up kit if you can't pull a valve cover?

I don't want to sound like I'm discouraging anyone from carrying tools, quite the contrary. I encourage everyone to do all their own work and therefore carry lots of tools! Nothing on these DDs is mechanically complicated but if you've never done such work, they are certainly physically imposing for a first attempt! But that's all they are. Like a peacock, if you look under all the feathers, it's just a bird in there!

 

[Trojan]

All though I have all the tools I don't carry them. I carry a Sears socket set 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, set of box end wrenches. Three sizes of channel locks, vise grips, screwdriver set, Dewalt Power screwdriver & drill, with bits and tap set, hacksaw, wire cutters & stripper & crimper, soldering iron & solder, volt-ohm meter. Three sizes of C-clamps, epoxy glue, wood glue, electrical tape, duct tape and an assortment of hose clamps 2 each. Plus a set of taper bung plugs. A 4x24x24 plastic suitcase of sorted fasteners and a 2x24x24 plastic suitcase of sorted electrical connection. A full set of filters, a set of V-belts and impellers. Anything else is a major fix and I don't carry the parts. You can buy, rent or barrow just about everything else in a pinch. OR I limp home on one engine. I'm not rebuilding. I'm doing EMERGANCY REPAIRS. I keep my boat in top shape. The only repairs I do while away from port are going to be an emergency. To much junk to carry around. If I can fix it with the common tools at hand I do. Anything else it should be done at the dock. You can't begin to stock all the parts that can break. I sometimes will take special tools and parts for a small something to do job for a rain day.



BILL

 

[34Hatt]

random selection of hose clamps is your friend

Buy a Make a clamps kit and you always will have the right size.
Item # 5426K4 at http://www.mcmaster.com/index.asp

 

[Traveler 45C]

dremel, dremel, dremel! The biggest, fanciest kit you can find is still dirt cheap. Can do dental work in an emergency!
Gary

My son smashed his finger with a hammer and blood pooled underneath his finger nail causing him much pain. We had to relieve the pressure. So my Navy Corpsman friend was tasked to do this. Guess what he used?

Dremel, dremel, dremel...

 

[MikeP]

Of course, after the necessary emergency medical aid you filed a lawsuit against the hammer manufacturer for making an unsafe product, right? If not, you are not eligible to live on Long Island.

 

[Angela]

I have browsed through this thread since it resurfaced, and I must admit that Egaito did a good job of putting just about everything mentioned here on my boat - mechanics set of tools, solder gun, dremel, drills, saw, infra-red gun, etc. However, no one mentioned a "sports bra" which is essential when crawling into tight spaces to turn a wrench...really!

Ang

 

[Top Shelf]

Stainless welding rods for cleaning and hooking junk in strainers, scoops, heat exchangers, hoses. etc. Strap wrench for filters, antenna bases, etc. Good quality scrapers for boot stripe down.....I also carry a pony tank with a regulator and blow gun....plugged drains, hoses, etc...not to mention filling rafts, tubes, etc.

Man reading all this...it has to be a passion. Thx.

 

[MikeP]

Heck, if we're going to cover everything - Scuba gear is mighty handy as I found over the 4th with BOTH props fouled with crab-pot lines.

 

[(Nobody You Know)]

Gees, we should all form a convoy! And cruise together.

 

[solanderi]

Since everyone got to mention all the cool stuff, here is my $0.02.

http://www.buggiesunlimited.com/Mer...n=PROD&Product_Code=BTAUNV2201&Category_Code=

The item is a plastic container that holds rougghly 3/4 of a gallon of distilled water and has a plastic device that "automatically" tops off your battery cells to the correct level. It makes short work of watering the ships batteries so therefore you actually do it. The best part is that the thing costs 9 dollars.

By the way, regarding the IR thermometer,

What is the max temp it needs to read to ?

Greg

 

[SKYCHENEY]

The item is a plastic container that holds rougghly 3/4 of a gallon of distilled water and has a plastic device that "automatically" tops off your battery cells to the correct level. It makes short work of watering the ships batteries so therefore you actually do it. The best part is that the thing costs 9 dollars.

I haven't seen one of those in years. When I was a kid, I used to do some work on boats for all of the "old guys" in the marina. There was a guy with a 57 Connie that had one of those same filler jug things. I had to climb to the outboard side of the engines and use that to fill his batteries (6v, I think).

 

[Gunsmoke]

I wasn't really intimidated about moving up to a 45 - 46 Hatt yesterday.
Today, however, now that I see the list of tools you guys carry, I feel like I'm 5 years old.

I guess the good part of having all the tools for a guy like me, would be when they came to rescue me. They could probably fix the problem, which of course would be minor.
Do you have a flexigramit wrench on board sir? Well yes, absolutely, I got it from Sears the other day. How about a latchamithogator? Of course I have that too. What do you think I am, an idiot!!!!

BTW: I found that wooden cigar boxes can hold an awful lot of tiny things so they don't get lost.

 

[MikeP]

Jeez - I must be REALLY old - I have one of those battery fillers and have had them for many years. Definitely the quickest way to water batts. As an aside, it usually takes about 2 gallons of water to top off Brigadoon's eight 8-volt batteries and two 12V batts. This is at about 4 months between fillings. The water will be just above the plates.

 

[egaito]

I have browsed through this thread since it resurfaced, and I must admit that Egaito did a good job of putting just about everything mentioned here on my boat - mechanics set of tools, solder gun, dremel, drills, saw, infra-red gun, etc. However, no one mentioned a "sports bra" which is essential when crawling into tight spaces to turn a wrench...really!

Ang

Ahhhh, that particular piece of equipment is considered "optional".....for the entertainment of the male crew aboard of course....

 

[doc g]

It is nice to have the tools on board even if you personally can't fix it. You never know if you have a "Karl" next door that sold his tools !!!!........Pat

 

[garyd]

Don't forget several very sharpe knives!! And a tool that I learned about from the sailors is a combination hatchet/sledgehammer. Very useful both on board and off.

Have fun Boating. garyd

 

[egaito]

Don't forget several very sharpe knives!! And a tool that I learned about from the sailors is a combination hatchet/sledgehammer. Very useful both on board and off.

Have fun Boating. garyd

What's the hatchet for? Clawing your way out of those tight spaces we get stuck in? Or perhaps keeping the crew in line?