Boat Renovation - What tools do I need?

[louisderry]

Hello all!

I'm looking to get together a definitive list of all the tools useful in boat renovation,
Mainly because I'm a novice and secondly because it will be useful to others.

So tools to tackle - Woodwork, Fibreglass Repairs and application, 2-part Paints, 12v Electrics, Plumbing,
Anything you've found useful whilst working on boats - anything that someone starting a business in boat renovation would need- hint hint cough cough.

I've started a Google Document here- Anything that's not on the list please get in touch or add it. :encouragement:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IImJeE-JEOaGxtGFOLOTXORC-UrdF_EobiF6JsX6GVs/edit

 

[Pete7]

Ditch the air compressor and shot blasting kit, hire it if and when you need it. Add to the list a dremel and a really good quality set of screw drivers, they will pay for them selves. A set of professional tank cutters is useful and B&Q do a good set with arbor.

Buy tools as you need them in just in the size you need or the budget will get completely out of hand and you end up with a floating workshop not a yacht.

Pete

 

[louisderry]

Ditch the air compressor and shot blasting kit, hire it if and when you need it. Add to the list a dremel and a really good quality set of screw drivers, they will pay for them selves. A set of professional tank cutters is useful and B&Q do a good set with arbor.

Buy tools as you need them in just in the size you need or the budget will get completely out of hand and you end up with Floating workshop not a yacht.

Pete

Tank cutters I had missed I was trying to think of the name as I had seen them in Screwfix and needed for an upcoming job,
But I've added them now - awesome.
As for good quality screw drivers - I agree - Soon as that salt water hits anything made from chrome vanadium or other cheap tools they're gathering rust.
Stainless Steel is the way to go I guess.

:encouragement:

 

[rogerthebodger]

Hello all!

I'm looking to get together a definitive list of all the tools useful in boat renovation,
Mainly because I'm a novice and secondly because it will be useful to others.

So tools to tackle - Woodwork, Fibreglass Repairs and application, 2-part Paints, 12v Electrics, Plumbing,
Anything you've found useful whilst working on boats - anything that someone starting a business in boat renovation would need- hint hint cough cough.

I've started a Document here- Anything that's not on the list please get in touch!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IImJeE-JEOaGxtGFOLOTXORC-UrdF_EobiF6JsX6GVs/edit

This is my on boat tool kit.

 

[Pete7]

This is my on boat tool kit.

By heck, you're the sort of chap you want to raft up to if you have a problem

Pete

 

[louisderry]

This is my on boat tool kit.

Cheers mate- Good to see the layout I might try to do something similar - I'm looking for a unit or workshop you see. The boat I currently live on is a bit like your layout only with food - spices where the spanners should be - (I live with the girlfriend)

 

[prv]

Buy tools as you need them in just in the size you need or the budget will get completely out of hand and you end up with a floating workshop not a yacht.

Definitely agree with this.

You hint that this is setting up for a business - I'd suggest that someone with the necessary skills would already know what tools they needed. If you don't have the skills then buying a shedload of tools won't turn you into a professional shipwright, it'll just add a big cost that the business has to clear before it can hope to turn a profit.

That said, in no particular order here are some of the tools I've used in two DIY partial refits...

1/2" router + bits
1/4" router in a portable table, + bits
Set of chisels
Circular saw
Panel saw
Tenon saw
Hacksaws
Junior hacksaw, for tight spaces, miniature woodwork, and cutting plumbing hoses (wood & metal blades)
Carpenter's square
Marking gauge
Steel rules
Pillar drill
Bench belt sander
Hand drills (x2 cordless, x3 mains)
Angle grinder
Oscillating "multi tool"
Sheet metal nibbler
Plane
Stick welder
Mig welder
Various orbital sanders
Power file (like a small very aggressive belt sander, used for shaping wood, GRP, and soft metal)
Hacksaw
Lots and lots of clamps, mostly F-clamps but also a big pipe clamp and some others
Large and small socket sets
About an acre of Liberty Green sandpaper
Stiff foam sanding blocks for hand-sanding
Tap and die set, mostly metric but I also have one that matches the thread on PL259 radio plugs and one for Johnson outboard cylinder-head bolts
Screwdrivers up the ying-yang, from tiny electronics to agricultural underwater fittings, plus several bit-sets with removable handles
Pliers, side-cutters, wire-strippers, and similar tools likewise
Circlip pliers
Waterpump pliers, small, medium, and Epic
Dirty great Stilson
Claw hammers
Club hammer
Set of spanners, 6mm to 24mm
Several adjustable spanners in sizes from tiny to 2.5"
Gas soldering iron
Electric soldering iron, large
Ditto small
Gas hot-air blower for heatshrink
Multimeter
12v bench power supply
Jigsaw, with blades for GRP, wood, and aluminium
Rivet tongs
Lots of hole-saws in sizes from 24mm to 180mm
3KVA generator, for using power tools in the yard
2x hoovers (one for workshop, one for on-board during refit)
Tweezers for small parts
Strap wrench
Hose cutter
240v heat gun
Drill-powered pump + tubing
Cold chisel
Puller
Pela sucker
Woodworking and metalworking vices in the workshop, plus clamp-on vice on the boat
Rasps
Files
Infra-red thermometer
Digital scales for epoxy
Disposable pipettes for polyester hardener and additives
GRP consolidating rollers, wide and corner
Glass mat shears
Boxes of disposable brushes for GRP and some paints
Good brushes for varnish and better-finished paints
Disposable 500ml measuring / mixing cups for GRP / epoxy work
Resin mixing sticks
Gelcoat thickness gauge
Trays and rollers for antifoul
Ladder for getting on board in the yard
Electric screwdrivers
Adaptor for using small sockets in electric screwdriver (very useful for hose clamps when plumbing)
Tools for passing wires through inaccessible spaces - rods, flexible plastic reel, set of tools that screw in the ends of both, magnet, ferrous chain, thin cord, springy steel strip, wire
Tape measure
Surveyor's tape (50 or 100m) for measuring ropes and chain.
Various types of knife
Various types of scraper and pallet knife
Sharpening stone and guide
Seacock spanners home-made from old sockets
Wire brushes, both manual and to fit in drills or angle-grinder
Wire strippers
Mitre saw
Sewing machine
Set of fids (the pressed Selma ones, which I don't recommend!)
Rigging set (knife, pliers, spike) in belt sheath
Turbo-flame lighter
Allen keys
Battery spanner (normal spanner wrapped with tape to avoid shorts)
Tack cloth for varnishing
Sealant guns (need to be reasonably sturdy for Sikaflex, latest cheapo DIY ones will only push silicone)
Paint removing wheels for drill
Mole wrenches


I'm quite sure that there's maybe 50% as much again that hasn't occurred to me while writing this.

Pete

 

[coopec]

As well as the list I have a belt sander, detail sander, drill press, router, electric planer, several tape measures (they are never where you want them), holes saws, spade drills, digital vernier (Chinese £8/9).

For the angle grinder you need flapper wheels, cutting discs and grinding discs.

As far as quality is concerned I buy home handyman quality and I just accept they could die after a year or so. In Australia you might buy a handyman drill for $30 whereas a tradesman drill could be $150. I think it is worth paying extra for a jigsaw as they tend to be rubbish otherwise.

I also have an air die grinder but they require a lot of air (It keeps my 15 cfm compressor going)

Routers can save you a lots of money if you are making up moldings but then you have to buy the routing bits. Only buy tungsten carbide (not high speed steel) I don't have a problem buying them on eBay.

View attachment 57385

 

[louisderry]

Definitely agree with this.

You hint that this is setting up for a business - I'd suggest that someone with the necessary skills would already know what tools they needed. If you don't have the skills then buying a shedload of tools won't turn you into a professional shipwright, it'll just add a big cost that the business has to clear before it can hope to turn a profit.

That said, in no particular order here are some of the tools I've used in two DIY partial refits...

1/2" router + bits
1/4" router in a portable table, + bits
Set of chisels
Circular saw
Panel saw
Tenon saw
Hacksaws
Junior hacksaw, for tight spaces, miniature woodwork, and cutting plumbing hoses (wood & metal blades)
Carpenter's square
Marking gauge
Steel rules
Pillar drill
Bench belt sander
Hand drills (x2 cordless, x3 mains)
Angle grinder
Oscillating "multi tool"
Sheet metal nibbler
Plane
Stick welder
Mig welder
Various orbital sanders
Power file (like a small very aggressive belt sander, used for shaping wood, GRP, and soft metal)
Hacksaw
Lots and lots of clamps, mostly F-clamps but also a big pipe clamp and some others
Large and small socket sets
About an acre of Liberty Green sandpaper
Stiff foam sanding blocks for hand-sanding
Tap and die set, mostly metric but I also have one that matches the thread on PL259 radio plugs and one for Johnson outboard cylinder-head bolts
Screwdrivers up the ying-yang, from tiny electronics to agricultural underwater fittings, plus several bit-sets with removable handles
Pliers, side-cutters, wire-strippers, and similar tools likewise
Circlip pliers
Waterpump pliers, small, medium, and Epic
Dirty great Stilson
Claw hammers
Club hammer
Set of spanners, 6mm to 24mm
Several adjustable spanners in sizes from tiny to 2.5"
Gas soldering iron
Electric soldering iron, large
Ditto small
Gas hot-air blower for heatshrink
Multimeter
12v bench power supply
Jigsaw, with blades for GRP, wood, and aluminium
Rivet tongs
Lots of hole-saws in sizes from 24mm to 180mm
3KVA generator, for using power tools in the yard
2x hoovers (one for workshop, one for on-board during refit)
Tweezers for small parts
Strap wrench
Hose cutter
240v heat gun
Drill-powered pump + tubing
Cold chisel
Puller
Pela sucker
Woodworking and metalworking vices in the workshop, plus clamp-on vice on the boat
Rasps
Files
Infra-red thermometer
Digital scales for epoxy
Disposable pipettes for polyester hardener and additives
GRP consolidating rollers, wide and corner
Glass mat shears
Boxes of disposable brushes for GRP and some paints
Good brushes for varnish and better-finished paints
Disposable 500ml measuring / mixing cups for GRP / epoxy work
Resin mixing sticks
Gelcoat thickness gauge
Trays and rollers for antifoul
Ladder for getting on board in the yard
Electric screwdrivers
Adaptor for using small sockets in electric screwdriver (very useful for hose clamps when plumbing)
Tools for passing wires through inaccessible spaces - rods, flexible plastic reel, set of tools that screw in the ends of both, magnet, ferrous chain, thin cord, springy steel strip, wire
Tape measure
Surveyor's tape (50 or 100m) for measuring ropes and chain.
Various types of knife
Various types of scraper and pallet knife
Sharpening stone and guide
Seacock spanners home-made from old sockets
Wire brushes, both manual and to fit in drills or angle-grinder
Wire strippers
Mitre saw
Sewing machine
Set of fids (the pressed Selma ones, which I don't recommend!)
Rigging set (knife, pliers, spike) in belt sheath
Turbo-flame lighter
Allen keys
Battery spanner (normal spanner wrapped with tape to avoid shorts)
Tack cloth for varnishing
Sealant guns (need to be reasonably sturdy for Sikaflex, latest cheapo DIY ones will only push silicone)
Paint removing wheels for drill
Mole wrenches


I'm quite sure that there's maybe 50% as much again that hasn't occurred to me while writing this.

Pete

Hi Pete -
I'm not planning to go out and buy everything -I'm just doing my research and being at the beginning of a passion interest it's just good to get an idea of what the more experienced people are doing and using. So thanks for your help do you mind if I add this to the list ?

I havn't got the money and secondly I just want a good idea it's research.

 

[prv]

do you mind if I add this to the list ?

Sure, go ahead, that's why I typed it

Pete

 

[louisderry]

As well as the list I have a belt sander, detail sander, drill press, router, electric planer, several tape measures (they are never where you want them), holes saws, spade drills, digital vernier (Chinese £8/9).

For the angle grinder you need flapper wheels, cutting discs and grinding discs.

As far as quality is concerned I buy home handyman quality and I just accept they could die after a year or so. In Australia you might buy a handyman drill for $30 whereas a tradesman drill could be $150. I think it is worth paying extra for a jigsaw as they tend to be rubbish otherwise.

I also have an air die grinder but they require a lot of air (It keeps my 15 cfm compressor going)

Routers can save you a lots of money if you are making up moldings but then you have to buy the routing bits. Only buy tungsten carbide (not high speed steel) I don't have a problem buying them on eBay.

View attachment 57385

Brillant- added some of that to the list- thanks for the advice!

 

[coopec]

In Australia we have what we call "garage sales" where people are trying to quit their belongings for all sorts of reasons - moving into a unit, father has died etc : keep an eye on them.

 

[ripvan1]

Go cordless where you can - or you'll be buying another set when you're afloat. + cordless is handy in those hard to reach places without having to drag cables about and then tripping.

 

[PCUK]

Table saw, band saw, Multi tool saw/sander, DA sander, Polisher, planer/thicknesser. Just buy them as you need them otherwise you'll be spending money on things you never use. Hope you know how to use all the machines and equipment listed, otherwise there will be a long and expensive learning curve covering several years.

 

[PCUK]

Go cordless where you can - or you'll be buying another set when you're afloat. + cordless is handy in those hard to reach places without having to drag cables about and then tripping.

If you buy cordless you'll also need proper tools for the heavier work.

 

[coopec]

Ripvan

I agree but unless you buy very expensive the batteries die ......within a year ( but I still buy them). When the batteries go I don't toss the drill out as I'll wire them to run off the boat batteries.
(I wonder whether the new Lithium batteries will have a longer life?)

 

[louisderry]

In Australia we have what we call "garage sales" where people are trying to quit their belongings for all sorts of reasons - moving into a unit, father has died etc : keep an eye on them.

Will do - carboots here are pretty damn good- I used to do house clearances- to think of the amount of tools that got chucked makes me cry now I look at that list. :disgust:

 

[ripvan1]

If you buy cordless you'll also need proper tools for the heavier work.

I agree, but I did say "where you can" and I think you'll find as lithium batteries become better they also have more grunt and last longer. 20 years ago cordless tools were looked upon with suspicion, today they are a lot of trades peoples' 1st choice.

 

[thesaintlyone]

Just finishing a Westerly Sailboat Project and The Biggest Tool that made a difference was a Powerwasher and Cillit Bang!!!! everything else I could beg or borrow.

Regards

 

[prv]

I think you'll find as lithium batteries become better they also have more grunt and last longer. 20 years ago cordless tools were looked upon with suspicion, today they are a lot of trades peoples' 1st choice.

Exactly. Can't remember the last time I saw a chippy (or whatever) with a wire dangling out of his drill. And they charge quicker than they run down, so as long as you have power somewhere on site to run the charger, there's no reason to ever have to stop because a battery is flat. Just change mags and carry on

It would be quite expensive to have professional-grade cordless everything though, and for a lot of things it doesn't make all that much difference so might as well have mains, but I've found it well worth splashing out on a decent Makita Li-ion drill/driver.

Pete