Must have Tools

krozet said:

So being a brand new mariner and starting to look at the world through a 'cruisers' eyes I have decided to go through my tool collection and start trimming back what I don't need. The plan is to setup 3 tool boxes.

1 small box: digital millimeter, basic screw driver set, basic ratchet set, Wire crimpers / cutters, a pair of vice grips, a small monkey wrench.

1 Medium box : Full Socket set in it's own case with full wrench set. Marine wiring kit (terminals, wiring, fuses, heat wrap, soldering iron), full screw driver set, second pair of vice grips, medium monkey wrench, full set of drill bits, sand paper.

1 Large box : Power tool's. Cordless drill, corded oribital waxer, corded palm sander, 25 meter extension cord, coping saw, hand saw, corded jig saw.

This is just what I am trying to setup but my question is what needed tools am I missing or what can I potentially get rid of. Parts will be a seperate issue, this is just for the tools needed for a boat. The boat is a 33' fiberglass sailboat. The current plan is for weekend and some extended cruising in Lake Ontario. The extended plan is to head south in a few years for the winter and then to see where the wind takes me. I might as well start thinning out my tool collection now. Anything I don't need could be sold or traded for what I did need.

Thanks for any input;

Robert

Click to expand...

Robert,

I don't have any specific recommendations but I thought I might offer a few thoughts from my own stash of tools and parts.

One thing is that I don't keep all of my tools and parts separate like you are saying.

Electronics/Electrical, I actually keep parts and tools in the same tool kits. I have a small electrical kit that has snips, small meter, PC scope, resistors, caps, transistors, various chips and processors, magnet wire, bits of conductive wire, and other stuff that I use to do circuits and that sort of thing, and that is all kept together. I also have a larger kit used for electrical work that includes another bigger meter, an clamp on amp meter, random fuses, wire, ties, crimp connectors, crimper, and various other bits and pieces, and that is all together. Then I have yet another electrical kit that has antenna connectors, small meter, few parts, bits of wire, etc, that is used for portable amateur radio operation. I have another kit that goes with the bicycle which includes the right sized sockets and wrench for parts on the bike, tools for fixing flats, more bits of wire, etc.

I guess what I am getting at is that I tend to buy more than one tool so that I can keep the tool with the parts so it is all together when I need it. Like above, I must have five different multi-meters, each one part of a different kit, so that I can just grab that kit and do what I need to do without digging around looking for parts and tools. I also do it that way so that I can just grab one kit and take it somewhere if I need to use tools on a project that isn't on the boat, like if I am helping someone else. Socket wrench for example, I have a number of socket wrenches, one is in the bicycle kit that I grab and take with me bike riding, that way I don't have to pull tools from different places just to go bike riding. So I pretty much try to keep a kit geared to whatever tasks I typically do that has everything that I need to do that kind of task, be it electrical, wood carving, splicing and working with line, sewing, or whatever. My sewing tools are, of course, with the sewing supplies and include bits of cloth patches, thread, needles, sewing machine tools, etc, all in one place with a pair of scissors nobody is allowed to use for anything but sewing.

If I start doing something and I repeatedly catch myself pulling tools from different kits then I know its time to make a new kit specifically for whatever I am doing. That is how my bicycle kit was formed, I kept pulling tools from other kits to work on my bike, and then finding when I was out on the road I didn't have the tools I needed because they were back at home base, so finally I just make a kit for the bike and bought redundant tools.

Accessibility is important

For tool boxes, I like plastic organizers with see-through lids with clasps.

Can't rust. Open it, take out a tool, immediately lock it closed so it can't spill.
Small enough to stow anywhere. Not expensive; get several.

Other thoughts:
- Put a wrist strap on your drill. Davy Jones has an appetite.
- Toss the electric soldering iron. Most here will argue that crimped wiring connections inside a hot-melt-glue-filled connector are the way to go. Get a butane-powered mini torch to melt the shrink-wrap tubing.
- Forceps.
- Waterproof grease. For O-rings, hose connections, etc.
- Dental pick(s).
- Tef-gel or some other anti-seize goo.
- Small magnet, to test for stainless vs. conventional, i.e., rust-prone, steel. I was amazed to find P.O. had installed a couple of non-stainless cotter pins.

You are oobviously not a tool freak. Lots to add but if you don't find you need them up to this point then perhaps you can get by. However,

I'd add: hacksaw with lots of extra blades, two quart kit A-788 Splash Zone; sealed plastic tube containing at least a dozen S.S. welding rods (welders are available everywhere specialized rods not so much); pin punch set; hole punch set, two sizes of water pump pliers (sometimes called Channel Locks); tin snips; 2 4" "C" clamps; clamp on vise; a couple sizes of spring clamps; if truly going remote, then a breast drill (Peugeot Freres still makes a nice two speed model that doesn't cost an arm and a leg) because that cordless is going to die (or the charger) or you are going to need to drill some serious holes in some hard to drill material)... I could think of lots more but I would suggest you sit and ponder "How would I repair...?" for a while and think of the tools needed. Hatchet, entrenching tool, machete, strap wrench..... and on and on.

Some tools you will perhaps never need but should you need them you will be glad you had them. During a lecture I attended given by the late Irving Johnson he was describing getting the Yankee stuck on a sandbar up the Amazon River. He went on to say how he dug out the gear he had stowed many years before for just such an predicament and proceeded to extricate the Yankee. So if you aren't going far then the specialized tools are so much needed but if going over the horizon it is perhaps an entirely different matter. Like I was told years ago when I first went to Alaska: "If you didn't bring it with you, don't expect to find it here."

Bests,
Wiley

Everybody will carry tools for their level of ability. As jobs come up you will purchase more as needed. But here's a few I carry. Circlip pliers, jewellers files, wrenches to fit stuffing box that are small enough to be used in those confines, socket(s) for keel bolts and a ratchet big enough to move them, sockets and wrenches for all the odd things on the engine or the rest of the boat. One item I treasure is a 4" long ratchet for screwdriver bits (the hex kind), bought on impulse at the cash register of a hardware store and it's proven invaluable for hard to reach places. A Dremel with flex drive is a must have for me. I try to be organized but am currently doing a complete rewire of my 12 volt system as well as working on other peoples' boats. I like the soft bags but would want it to be somewhat waterproof. I keep all my power tools in a plastic bin under the v-berth sprayed with wd-40 where appropriate. Almost forgot - PB Blaster, rivet gun with rivets, and a few good flastlights that will stand up on their own. Clamp on types work well also.
Brian

For wrenches, get some ratcheting wrenches. When working in a confined space where it's difficult to get the wrench on something in the first place, the ratcheting wrench is worth its weight in gold. For socket wrenches, do not get the inexpensive sets. Get really heavy duty socket wrenches. We broke several of the cheap ones and then got some Sears Craftmen socket wrenches. We can hammer on the things all day (which has happened) and they don't give an inch. On the cheap ones, you lose half your power in the flex of the handle. A rubber mallet, chisel set, etc. are very handy. I'll have to go through our kit later. For storage (in addition to the larger nylon toolbag we have), we bought these pouches from Loews. They are $12 for two. We use one for all of our pliers, another for all of our screwdrivers, another for all of our wrenches, and the last for all of our electrical connectors. By the way (no relation here), but good quality electrical supplies can be bought from GenuineDealz.com - Marine Electrical, Boat Wire & Cable, Custom Battery Cables. Oh yes - a good ratcheting screwdriver with storage for tips in the handle is very handy. Just make sure you get good quality tools. We prefer craftsmen since we can replace them, no questions asked, when we're in the US. Oh yes - other things - Black and Decker Mouse Sander (we have lots of wood), headlamps (energizer LED ones are great - the red light is really a red light, not a red plastic cover).