On-board tool list
 

I’ve decided to empty out the tool shed that my sailboat has become. It’s handy having a lot of tools on board but I’d like to shed some weight, and lighten the sailboat too. Wondering if anyone has a list of what tools they wouldn’t leave the dock without. I’m talking daily to a few days, no crossing seas.

1/4 inch socket set.

ex TRUE GRIT

let me grab a beer... this is going to be a long thread!! between those who would go pretty light, and those who cannot drop the lines without a water pump, a coil, spark plugs + cables, a voltmeter and 2 back-up anchors etc...

But clearly I need to do the same cleaning... Previous owners had kept stashed multiple ignitor points (now an electronic ignition), and I did not do a better job at cleaning the boat. So clearly some good lessons to learn here.

I basically use my checklist for off-roading... minus the air compressor. :rolleyes:

Socket set - but I would go 3/8"
combo standard wrench set plus maybe metric for an outboard
Small battery operated drill / driver and modest set of drill bits
Combo set of driver bits
Screwdriver set or one of 6-in-1 screwdriver in good shape
Big screwdriver or small pry bar
A large adjustable wrench
Small and large channel-locks
Vise grip
Pliers
diagonal cutters
Utility knife
Wirestripper
20' of 4 conductor - 16 gauge trailer wire (for emergency patches)
various wirenuts
Black electric tape
DUCT TAPE (any color :cool:)
Jumper Cables
various hose clamps

I like Ron's list.
I substitute crimp connectors for wire nuts

add
soldering gun, solder
crimper for connectors
bolt cutter
electrical tape
various glues and epoxies
hammer
various oils
more electrical wire

Incrementals:

VOM (volt/ohmmeter)
Rescue Tape.

Bill

4 the list
 

Aluminum clothes line coated wire and a "shot glass" :p.

Dave Neptune :cool:

stethoscope
 

stuffing box wrenches.
several grades of sandpaper.
ss hose clamps.
magnet on a stick.
Lists will vary for cruising vs day sailing.

Adapt
 

vice grips to be sure!
I looked for an image and found this(attached).

Me;" Master Yoda, I'm trying to fix the engine!"
Yoda;"There is no trying, only doing."

I tend to trend towards the "rebuild engine in mid-cruise" supply level, but I did decide the extra starter weighed a ton and took it home.
If you race, then you need two screwdrivers and vicegrips, but not the big vicegrips ;)
* I impressed my brother when the alternator died mid cruise. In about 20 or 30 minutes we were back underway with the spare alternator. He thought we were going to be on solar power the rest of the trip.

I carry two tool kits similar to the one pictured plus a few additional specialty tools. The kits fold flat and stow easily.

Years ago I found a socket set at Sears that I really like that uses these sockets. I don't know if it still an be found as a set, but they still sell the sockets. I have the huge $300 Craftsman set at home with all the 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 inch sockets and so on, but that thing is huge and heavy and does not like being carried sideways, so it would be terrible for a boat.
The set I have holds tight when closed, which is important on a boat. It does not do everything, I have some extra extensions and a 1/4" drive and some small sockets in my toolbox as well.
Some hints for buying a socket set:
1. Do NOT cheap out on this or you will pay with rounded off nuts and bolts.
2. Check the smaller sizes. There are a couple sizes like 11/32s that are common with electrical stuff and so on that many sets skip and I definitely use them.
3. Make sure they stay put in their case when shaken and moved.

Some other tools to consider:
1. A strap wrench. I sprained/strained my wrist trying to get a Racor element off. A strap wrench will do this and oil filters too no problem.
2. Ratchet wrenches. These are very useful for getting the exhaust flange off the manifold. I don't have a full set, but I do have 1/2" and 9/16".
3. An impact driver socket for the temperature sensor. If you haven't ever taken yours off, it probably isn't ever going to come off without this and a long breaker bar.
4. A "grabber" that can reach under the engine and pull whatever you dropped under there out. Not that I have ever done that.... :o:o
5. A bunch of test leads with alligator clips. These are quite useful for electrical testing.
6. Hydraulic crimpers. I can put terminals on wire up to 2/0 or maybe 4/0 gauge wire in 30 seconds instead of running to the local battery store or using the Nicropress machine at West when they aren't looking.
7. An IR laser thermometer. These are cheap and very useful. Do NOT use them on people. I saw some government official on TV using it on people to see if they had Covid-19. Not only is shining a laser at someone's face rude, it is calibrated for the emissivity of metal, not skin. The reading will be WAY off.

and because I had to use them once... I would never leave the dock without a good set of those, knowing exactly where they are stored.

"Dental floss?"
 

Recently, while doing some work on a friend's boat, I discovered a very creative way to make an "O" ring of sorts. Someone had wrapped about 25' of dental floss around a shift lever shaft that extended through a bulk-head, basically making an O-ring. It filled in a gap and most likely kept water from entering a space that had widened over the years. The floss still seemed to be in good shape despite having been exposed to the elements for quite some time. "Live and learn".
Tom

Tom, the "floss" is a great idea. I have not seen an O-ring fashioned before. I have seen braided fishing line used as a temporary packing though.

One important thing to me is a "rechargeable Dremel set". It has saved my but more than once.

Another is a big "nylon" hammer, for knocking things loose and causing no dents or major collateral damage.

The coated aluminum clothes wire is light and easy to bend, twist and tie. It also makes a great hook for grabbing and an excellent rod for poking out lines. The coating works good in case you have to poke around electrical stuff. I even use it cruising to hold things out of the way, an easy fabrication that won't rust or mar surfaces.

One more specialty tool is a "magna-visor", you can magnify and still have both hands.

That leaves the shot glass, it is actually metal. :rolleyes:

Dave Neptune :cool:

I haven't used mine on my boat for an emergency yet, but I have used them to change seacocks without hauling the boat and I have used them to save other boats.

Thinking outside the box
 

GOOD first-aid kit
CPR face mask
Narcan
EpiPen

Plus this thought:
These are ridiculous. I once had to sacrifice the filter element to replace the filter itself.

Bill

This is why I use $12 Sierra filters now. They pay for themselves in not having to buy Ace bandages alone, let alone being cheaper filters :cool:
Speaking of toolkits for fixing people, I was at the drugstore stocking up for a Bermuda trip. It involved 3 kinds of antibiotics, 2 kinds of narcotics, scopalamine, and some other stuff. I was 16. When I handed the druggist the stack of prescriptions, he took a long look at me, and then said "Son, what kind of disease do you HAVE to need all this!" :eek:

I think it would be interesting to see what tools you would leave at the dock if you were trying to 'live light' and will the goal of fixing most things to last for a few days until you can fix it right. In my case that means I would leave pull my 5 crimpers off and go with wirenuts. Yes, wirenuts are 'bad' on a boat... but IMO not if it's just get home. ;)

Funny story. One time out 4-wheeling a wiring harness in a friends truck somehow got snagged and *then* somehow got pull into the open knuckle u-joint and just shredded (a million to one shot I never would have thought possible). While it started off as just headlight wires by the time it was done it had snaked in the part of the engine wiring harness as well and the truck was DOA in the middle of nowhere.

We were stealing bits of wire in pieces from other vehicles and their stereo/speaker, twisting wires and black tape to get enough engine wiring to make it go.

That's when I started putting the 20' of 4 conductor cheapo trailer wiring and wire nuts in all the rigs (and boat). With that, we could have not only got the engine running, but the headlights too. :)

One addition I just made to my onboard toolkit after 10 years of cruising is a 3/8" flare nut wrench.

This was because a standard open-end wrench or an adjustable crescent wrench tends to round off the soft brass flare nuts on the carb's scavenge tube, making it almost impossible to remove in the tight confines of my engine compartment.

After struggling for over an hour to remove the damaged flare nut, I finallty wised-up and brought a flare nut wrench from home. It took it off on the first try.

I found a 3-wrench no-name set on Amazon for ~$12 and put it on the boat.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There's nothing quite so satisfying as having the right tool for a job.

which flaring tool to use?
 

A bit off topic but I don't know how to start a new thread (looked in FAQ to no avail). I'm thinking of moving the location of my oil gauge and so think I may as well redo the copper line from it to my OPSS. My question is, do I single-flare or double-flare the line terminals? Thanks.

Scroll down this thread for a how-to re threads..

Bill