What tools to carry on onboard

[dman535]

As I am outfitting my "new" Catalina 27 I am putting a tool kit together. Was looking for any recommendations on things that I should keep board for Atomic 4 emergencies/general repair. If I get into a special project I can bring stuff from home.

Do these motors use any metric fasteners? my guess is everything is standard.

[Rick_Powers]

Items to carry on board

Congrats on your "new" boat. I am now 1.5 years in, and have learned a few things to carry on board:

1) Your standard tools, i.e. rachet set, open end wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, etc.

2) LARGE Channel-Lock for adjusting your packing gland nut.

3) Hose clamps. All sizes.

4) Extra tubing/hoses. Be ready.

5) Plastic wire-keeps. Lots of them of various sizes.

6) Multi-meter for detecting voltage (or lack there-of).

7) Electrical wire, and those crimping connectors, and the crimping pliers.

8) Beer bottle opener. Always keep a back-up on board...

9) Single-edge razor blades or X-Acto knife with blades.

10) Epoxy putty. The two-part extruded cylinder that you cut, then mix. This stuff has proved to be invaluable for making steel-hard plugs. Even on the engine case.

11) Caulk. Clear and white. Seals holes in the fiberglass decking.

12) Disposable gloves (I like the nitrile type) and lots of paper towels. Lots.

13) Don's MMI engine manual. Good for reading when your engine won't start.


I could go on. Others may have other key items. Would love to hear.

-Rick

[lat 64]

Tape

Rick powers is totally right, you must include everything on his list.
If you don't have the bottle opener, then why did you leave the dock?

Plus:
I would emphasize that materials to build and repair are VERY important. The ties, wire, hose clamps sort of thing. My big addition is: Tape. Electrical tape, duct tape, rigging tape, the new silicone "rescue tape" and any other tape you can think of.
Maybe a stack of those oil absorbent pads also.

Happy sailing,
Russ

[CalebD]

Not Metric tools

The A4 was made in the USA and is therefore not equipped with any metric nuts or bolts as originally installed. Only my Furlex furling system on my boat requires metric wrenches (and that was perhaps a mistake - although I like the Furlex furler).
How about a bolt smasher or bolt cutter for cutting away the rigging if the it all falls over?
A few extra tarps that could be used to 'fother' a whole in the hull or as makeshift sails?
A few cans of soup and tuna for something to eat while you are trapped on the boat?
Let us know what you come up with for your 'spares' list.

[Rick_Powers]

Tape Yes

Yes, on the tape issue:

1) Duct tape

2) Electrical tape

3) Labeling tape

4) Teflon tape

5) Strapping tape

6) Scotch tape

You get the idea...

-Rick

[67c&ccorv]

Rick, I concur - the second most important item to have on board is the beer bottle opener.

The most important item is the beer!

I would like to add to your list bailing wire to wire up all those things that want to fall off but can't be glued back on - also works as a backup clamp on hoses etc.

PS - this wire is a crucial item in the train repair kits we carry on board our diesal locomotives when we have problems with freight trains. It is amazing what the stuff can be used for!

[s/v Dearbhail]

Along with the tools and tape to patch things up you need some spare parts. A spare belt or two for the alternator and FW cooling sytem if you have it. Depending on how far you're planning to go, a spare impellor for the water pump, a coil, plugs, parts for the distributor and a spare fuel filter. I'd also recommend a few feet of cooling system and fuel hose in case something lets go on ya. All of your thru hulls should have wooden plugs that fit also.

[rheaton]

All good suggestions above. I would also include a good supply of motor oil, a first aid kit, a swim mask in case yo uneed to clear line from your prop, spare fuses. I carry 3 full tool boxes of tools and supplies.

[msauntry]

A Dremmel tool.

Good for when you have to "modify" something to fit properly. Also for polishing, cutting, grinding, drilling, enlarging holes, etc...

[tenders]

All good suggestions above. I would also include a good supply of motor oil, a first aid kit, a swim mask in case yo uneed to clear line from your prop, spare fuses. I carry 3 full tool boxes of tools and supplies.

Me too: an electrical toolbox, a "small tools" box, and a "large tools" box. Probably over 70 pounds of hardware.

I doubt the A4-specific tools are more than 10% of the total, by numbers, volume, or weight.

[policecentral]

Check your Water Line

After loading all of stuff recommended, check your sheer strip around the boat as she probably will be sitting low in the water. But, simply reduce your passengers by two and you will be OK! (Joking -- to the MM fans!)

Seriously, I pare back on-board stuff to the essentials -- as I have a dock where I can do the heavy lifting stuff. But, one tool that I would add is a hacksaw to cut off a fouled anchor line -- a not uncommon occurance. I had to dive on boat to free the 3/4" line around the wheel and the nylon line was stretched so tight that a very sharp knife would not begin to cut it -- but a hacksaw cut through the line in seconds.

Finally, consider your sailing plans. If you are going off for extended trip, then load up on tools and spares. But if you are daysailing in populated waters, I don't think there is much sense propelling a ton of stuff around. I feel the same with gas/water, I daysail with about 5-6 gallons, but fill up for an extended trip. This also keeps gas/water fresh.


JSM
Northern Light
Savannah

[Jesse Delanoy]

Shop rags. Lots and lots of shop rags. You can buy 'em by the dozen at West Marine. I use the little terry cloth mini towels rather than the ones that are more like old cloth diapers. I probably have two dozen or more on board. I use 'em for everything from wiping up oil spills, cleaning paint and stain brushes, to drying dishes in the galley. In season I have a continual flow of these towels back and forth between home and the boat, for laundering. Some of 'em are permanently stained - doesn't matter. We bought a pack of these when we first started sailing, it was one of the best investments we made. Has saved us a small fortune in paper towels over the years.

Although the A4 does not have metric bolts, I have used my old metric socket wrenches on it for years without trouble.

Keep a good supply of the twist-type wire nuts, all sizes, for making wire connections. I used to use the barrel-type crimp connectors, but these are much easier, and can often be reused if you have to take a connection apart.

Get one or two plastic storage boxes with little compartments, and accumulate a good assortment of nuts, bolts, screws, fuses and other little electrical parts - you'll use 'em more than you think.

You'll want a torque wrench, even if the only head bolts you ever undo are the two that hold the thermostat cover in place. Only after I started torquing these down to 35 ft/lbs did I stop having little leaks emanate from under the thermo cover. Have several thermo cover gaskets on board - you'll be removing and reinstalling the thermostat more than you think.

My best suggestion, however, is figure a way to do oil changes quickly and easily, while away from your home port. I use a cheap electric fuel pump and the Moyer oil change kit. There's lots of descriptions of ways to do this in the forum. I carry a large empty liquid detergent bottle to carry the waste oil in until I can dispose of it. The best time to do an oil change is right after I've motored into an anchorage for the evening, and the oil is still hot (and thin). With the right gear, it takes about ten or fifteen minutes. With the wrong gear (hand pump, thin tube to get the oil out of the dipstick hole, etc., it used to take me an hour and a half, and made an awful mess. The easier it is to do, the more often you will do it, to the great benefit of your engine.

[gfatula]

These are all great suggestions. One of my favorite tools is a pair of parallel jaw pliers that has a diagonal cutter along the side of one jaw. It makes cutting that wire much easier and tightening up a wire clamp is simplified with these. The parallel jaws have lots of advantages

Another tool I have invested in, two of them, is a stuffing box wrench. These are cast spanners that fit the large (2") stuffing box nut on my Islander 28. I mounted two of these near the stuffing box. Getting in and out of the space to adjust the stuffing box is such a chore for this old sailor that having these two wrenches there waiting for me when ever I need to make an adjustment has proved worth the cost. Finding a place to secure them was not a problem. I have a short piece of pipe, that fits over the handle, for each one and that makes using them a little easier. It is their only job. They do not clutter up my tool box and they fit without any adjustments. I found mine in the Hamilton Marine store in Portland, Maine. I did not see them in their catalog.

George

[policecentral]

Tools and Supplies

With all of the stuff suggested, be sure to get an "Ace Hardware" sign to hang on the outside of your boat. Then you can make a little money selling stuff whenever you get dockside!

JSM

[High Hopes]

I hope it still floats!