The ideal cruising toolkit.

[Clive_Rigden]

Having collected the most extraordinary selection of tools, some of which I've never used or are seized up by rust and are housed in a bulky and very heavy, not say rusting, ex-army hand genade box, I've decided to start again. What do forumites regard as the essentials for an on-bard tool kit and the "useful" extras?

 

[chrisc]

don't ask me ;i have the same problem as you....

 

[Sgeir]

some things that I could have done with, but have never had on board - tubular box spanners.

 

[forestay]

A wire coat hanger

 

[Rowana]

A can of WD40 and a roll of duck tape.

Use as follows -
1. If it doesn't move and it should - Spray with the WD40
2. If it moves and it shouldn't - Wrap it with the duck tape

Another suitable tool is a hammer - If in doubt, give it a clout. The bigger the doubt, the bigger the clout !

The art of percussive maintenance ! !

 

[BlueChip]

an LCD voltmeter

 

[Sgeir]

Good advice there Mr Irvine.

And always remember folks, if a job's worth doing, it's worth doing twice!

 

[tcm]

at least 17 crosshead screwdrivers, some of which are in the toolkit
a spare small box of tools for little tasks around the boat
a hammer
a copper hammer
a really gigantic hammer
a really gigantic screwdriver
ptfe tape
wd40
duck tape
insulation tape
some strip connectors
avometer
glue gun
staplegun with stainless steel staples
electric hotknife thing cutting nylon lines
various throway paintbrushes
a set of massive boltcrops big enuf to chuck a seized anchor or cut rigging
a big set of sockets, including toroids
a set of teeny weeny screwdrivers
a shorty screwdriver, crosshead and flat
a tape measure
a rip saw
lots of stainles steel nuts and bolts and screws
lots of adapters for hosepipes
lots of adapters for electricity
some more spanners, esp M14, M10, M12 and M17

most important: yerknow that thingy you need and usually don't have - yeah, you know, that thing, YES THAT'S IT, PERFECT!

 

[Mirelle]

Mole grips,
Adjustable spanner,
Record baby bench vice,
Leatherman tool,
Big screwdriver

 

[webcraft]

Reminds me of that old saying . . .

"Give us the job and we'll finish the tools"

- Nick

 

[Thistle]

Sod's Law of Toolboxes states that, however comprehensive your toolbox, you'll never have the right tool for the job. A quick glance at my toolbox / B&Q's bank balance quickly shows how little note I take of this Law!

 

[claymore]

Sail in company

with another boat that not only has a toolkit but also someone who knows what to do with them.
Seems sensible to me.

 

[AlexL]

I found a toolkit in B&Q made by 'Torx' I believe which is in a plastic cabinet with 4 drawers, each draw has different tools, one has screwdrives, one spanners, one pliers, grips etc.
On top of this I have a cordless drill permanently on the boat and a little case of drills, again from B&Q. These seem to be adequate for all the jobs on the boat. If i am doing something major like fitting a new gizmo or something then I just chuck my big toolbox from home in the car.
If you are planning on alot of electrical work then I have found a box of crimp connectors with a decent crimper (again B&Q sell a decent kit) and a soldering iron and lots of rolls of insulating tape to be very useful.

 

[Ships_Cat]

In a similar thread some time ago I gave myself the job of making a master list of all the more sensible suggestions. If I recall correctly it seemed that TCM and myself were the most weighty tool carriers /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

Here is the list -

hammer
jemmy
calipers (vernier or not)
spanners - combination
1/4 drive socket set
screwdrivers - set
wide blunt chisel
mole grips
adjustable x 2 (B&S)
pliers - long nose
pliers
hacksaw and spare blades
multimeter
wirestripper/crimper
vaseline
coppercoat
mini file set
stanley knife
allen key set (metric and imperial)
tape measure
super glue
locktite
½ inch drive socket set
impact driver
greases

Drill - cordless
Drills, and socket and screw driver bits
Spanners - adjustable
open ended 10 13 14 17 21mm spanners
hammer
hacksaw
spark plug key
test lamp
rubber tube,jubilee clips, wire,
caulking frame
axe
wire cutters
stanley knife
set of screwdrivers
marker pen
monkey wrench
file
12mm threaded bar and big washers and nuts
hydraulic car jack
one of those things for getting stones out of horses hooves

23 screwdrivers
tape measure
another tape measure
Screwdrivers – set of small
large hammer
smaller hammer
really massive hammer
Boltcutters
bench vice
flat files
500 assorted cable ties
300 piece socket set
32-piece toroid set
torque wrench
240 v hot knife
2x 6.5 litre Pella pump
Paper towel
slide hammer for pulleys and impeller
spare impeller and lots of other spares
2 x sucky thing for lifting glass,panels and holding on the hull for hullwash
3 x sweeping/cleaning brushes
assorted paint brushes
2 x 240v 20 metre extension lead
large number of different shorepower plugs
wire connectors and stripping set
240 v drill and big box of drill bits, and another big box of assorted s/s screws
rip saw, tenon saw
Dremel
4 x funnels
basin wrench
Open/socket spanners for sizes 24mm-36 mm
3 x pliers, assorted
ptfe tape
assorted fuse tape
lots of duck tape
5x tins of wd 40
spray grease
assorted wetndry sandpaper
240 v glue gun and 50 glue sticks
super glue
assorted vice grips
6 x assorted chisels
nail punch
tap and die set
2 x stanley knives and spare blades
2x very massive screwdrivers
copper/plastic mallet
special scraper
breathing masks
4 x boiler suits
pack of 100 dispossal gloves
assorted rags
copper and s/s steel brush
silicon spray lubricant
vaseline zip lubricant
hacksaw and blades
hacksaw - junior
240 v lamp
axe
2 x monkey wrench

Duct Tape
Scissors

woodworking tools
saw
Wood glue
small plane.
sail mending kit
rope splicing gear

hand cleaner
A/F & WHIT spanners
"self-amalgamating tape
silicone spray
roll of monel wire
sail repair tape
sailmakers needles ( assorted)
"feeler gauges ( imp + metric)
long magnitic thing
socket set imp + metric
box spanners to fit keel bolts + long tommey-bay
Nigel Calder boat maintenence book
[no thanks] file
rat-tail file x 2
various copper washers

waterpump pliers.

12v Soldering iron & solder
Blowtorch
Hole cutters
Pop riveter & assorted rivets

Sikaflex
Araldite

WD40
ring, open ender mm spanners
long nosed pliers
electrical wire

assorted stainless nuts bolts washers & self tappers.


A big over size adjustable spanner, big enough for gas bottle and stern gland, also great when leverage is required.

A cold chisel (long)

A shackle key

Electricians screwdrivers, especially for wiring up 12v lights etc.

Wire, a small reel to do an emergency repair to get you home, assorted crimps.

Cotter pins

Torch (mag light)

A good, serrated, sawing knife! Wire cutters

sailmaker's palm

Grinding wheel for your drill bits.

Oilstone for chisels and planes.

Penetrating oil

Leatherman

rigging knife
marlinspike
crowbars
punching tools for eylets and all sorts of eyelets
Serving board and serving mallets
Sewing machine
Boltcutters
ratchet screwdriver thing with bit and sockets
Crimping tool for electrical connectors
Digital multimeter
12V or gas soldering iron

Adjustable wrench (shifting spanner to those in the trade)
Electricians screwdriver
Chisel

oil filter removal tool
solder sucker

Apart from a few things such as the car jack, we carry most of the list on a 40 foot boat and it takes up surprisingly little room. Obviously not needed for day tripping, however.

John

 

[jhr]

tcm has not mentioned Pela Pumps. This may be modesty on his part, as I am given to understand that he has several of the little blighters?

 

[tcm]

yes, i have two, but only because one of them pretended to be broken, but then cured itself, altho i sort of don't count them as tools.

 

[Rum_Pirate]

[ QUOTE ]
at least 17 crosshead screwdrivers, some of which are in the toolkit
a spare small box of tools for little tasks around the boat
a hammer
a copper hammer
a really gigantic hammer
a really gigantic screwdriver
ptfe tape
wd40
duck tape
insulation tape
some strip connectors
avometer
glue gun
staplegun with stainless steel staples
electric hotknife thing cutting nylon lines
various throway paintbrushes
a set of massive boltcrops big enuf to chuck a seized anchor or cut rigging
a big set of sockets, including toroids
a set of teeny weeny screwdrivers
a shorty screwdriver, crosshead and flat
a tape measure
a rip saw
lots of stainles steel nuts and bolts and screws
lots of adapters for hosepipes
lots of adapters for electricity
some more spanners, esp M14, M10, M12 and M17

most important: yerknow that thingy you need and usually don't have - yeah, you know, that thing, YES THAT'S IT, PERFECT!

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
<font color="red">most important: yerknow that thingy you need and usually don't have - yeah, you know, that thing, YES THAT'S IT, PERFECT! </font>

[/ QUOTE ]

You mean like pliers, vice grips, Leatherman and a hacksaw?

 

[tcm]

leatherman

i do have the items you suggest tho am not quite as patient as you with memory games!

I try to avoid buying any combo-tools which always seem to be a poor screwdriver/whatever and a poor knife/other things combined. Also i have plenty of ways of slashing my hands a bit without needing a Leatherman...

 

[Twister_Ken]

Bizarre question

Personally, i would expect my bosun to bring his own toolkit.

 

[chrisc]

I do have all the items mentioned below ,on my boat,including the bent coathanger....Am now going to collect a boat in Uk ,this will have on board an adjustable spanner and a bent screwdriver ..keep my fingers crossed .