Best tool

[Outaouais sailor]

What's the best tool for working on your Atomic 4?

I vote for the stubby wrench.

I just bought a set and wish that I had known about them ages ago. Makes it a lot easier to get at those awkward bolts.

Other candidates?

[Al Schober]

Depends on what you're trying to do and your access. For a lot of boats, a swivel mirror on a stick is the cat's meow. But on my Tartan 30, I have good access...
My choice would be my Snap-On stud remover. But this is only used when I'm removing a head. I've never had one come off easy. But I use the stud remover, feeling that the stud that's in the parts box is NOT what's keeping the head in place.

[JOHN COOKSON]

Originally Posted by Outaouais sailor

What's the best tool for working on your Atomic 4?
Other candidates?

When I can use it a flat hand wrench. I have a better feel that way.

TRUE GRIT

[BunnyPlanet169]

My favorite: the extender bolt for the water pump. I think it counts.

Second favorite (daily use) 1/4" drive mini micro ratchet and sockets. Especially for hose clamps.

[Administrator]

Second favorite (daily use) 1/4" drive mini micro ratchet and sockets. Especially for hose clamps.

+1

Bill

[Vermonstah]

Originally Posted by Outaouais sailor

I vote for the stubby wrench.

+1

I too purchased my first set of stubby wrenches earlier this year. They are great!

[Easy Rider]

I know its not what your looking for but I gotta say I think my best tool on the boat is the Moyer Marine Manual.

[dburns]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

I know its not what your looking for but I gotta say I think my best tool on the boat is the Moyer Marine Manual.

+1

....and my Innova digital multimeter that also reads dwell.

[thatch]

I have one stubby wrench on the boat. It is the 15/16" size that is perfect for the motor mount nuts, especially the lower one.
Tom

[Boat]

Originally Posted by BunnyPlanet169

My favorite: the extender bolt for the water pump. I think it counts.

Second favorite (daily use) 1/4" drive mini micro ratchet and sockets. Especially for hose clamps.

+a million on these. I don't know how much skin I have gouged off with a scr of driver!

[Golfdad75]

More specific a 9/16 stubby

[BunnyPlanet169]

Originally Posted by thatch

I have one stubby wrench on the boat. It is the 15/16" size that is perfect for the motor mount nuts, especially the lower one.
Tom

I ground a full box / open ended wrench in half for just this reason....

[romantic comedy]

Long time ago, the Snap-on man came to the shop selling a featured tool. It was a Vice Grip in a leather holster.

I practically fell on the floor laughing. Imagine, the Vice Grip as the mark of a true mechanic?

After that, I started wearing my needle nose pliers in a holster.

Cant say I have a favorite Atomic Four tool.

[sastanley]

Mine is ratchet box ends. I have a good Gear Wrench metric set that I used on my Honda at home, so I bought a cheaper SAE set for the boat that serve the same purpose, but if they rust and fall apart I won't cry over them since they are (relatively) cheap.

I find that I can over tighten hose clamps with a 1/4" drive, but they are handy, and I certainly use them when I need to do so...I try to have the proper sized screw driver to start with.

[thatch]

Jeff's,(BP169), comments about creating his own version of the motormount wrench reminded me of another modified tool that I ran accross many moons ago. While in the service in the 60's I worked on P-2V aircraft. One of the most difficult jobs was accessing 2 nuts on the engine's, frequently changed, DC generators. At some point in time, I casually mentioned to my line chief that it would sure be nice if there was a wrench for those **** nuts. He then opened his desk drawer and produced a box wrench that had been heated and bent with an extended handle welded on it. Since then I have ground, bent, cut and welded many such animals.
Tom

[ndutton]

Reef flip flop sandals with the bottle cap opener in the soles. Pacifico Clara does't have twist caps.

Those sandals have saved me - and others - more than once.

[toddster]

Originally Posted by sastanley

Mine is ratchet box ends. I have a good Gear Wrench metric set that I used on my Honda at home, so I bought a cheaper SAE set for the boat that serve the same purpose, but if they rust and fall apart I won't cry over them since they are (relatively) cheap.

I find that I can over tighten hose clamps with a 1/4" drive, but they are handy, and I certainly use them when I need to do so...I try to have the proper sized screw driver to start with.

When I was doing an extensive project on the Beemer last winter, I found myself needing new tools in odd sizes that I had never needed before. Anyway, three or four times, I thought one of those ratchet box ends looked like just the ticket. But there is never enough clearance to get them on the work piece. I have a whole set now, and have never, ever, found an occasion to use them.

Anyway, I have to say that the most useful Atomic-4 specific tool I've found is a smartphone on the chart table with this forum queued up!

[romantic comedy]

I take my best tools every time I go sailing.
There is the Karma thing that I consider. You know the one that says that if you have the tools and parts, it wont break. if you dont, it will break.

Like when it looks like rain, you put in rain gear as a way to ward off the rain.

works with ground tackle too.

[thatch]

Each time I head for a mechanical project, I take along the appropriate ratcheting box wrenches. If you can get them on a nut or bolt, they will certainly speed up the process. However, having been exposed to a Beemer, I understand how useless that style of wrench would be. As far as computers go, I have found that spending a little "butt time" at the keyboard can save consideral time at the actual job. I generally try to find the best "Youtube" version of what I'm working on and go from there. Most of them are useless but some are worth their weight in gold, literally.
Tom

[toddster]

Since then, I've wrestled the transmission out of the Wrangler and changed the clutch... box ratchets were useless on that job too. Access to parts doesn't get much better than a Wrangler... Except maybe in the spacious engine room of my fantasy retirement boat.

[sandiegomike]

I like the valve spring compression tool. Man did that make life easier. I also came up with a new trick. When holding the valve keepers I spray my finder tips with hobby adhesive. Helps makes them easier to place.

I also like the sliding metric wrench, also called a cresent wrench.