Tips for an emergency bits and bobs box...

M

matnoo

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Solihull, W.mids
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Just getting into sailing, having given up climbing a year ago.

When climbing I had an emergency bits bag which I took on expeditions, which included small pieces/portions of:

Spare webbing,
duck tape
a small mirror
superglue/araldite
a zip
a couple of round keyrings
sewing kit
wire
wax
2 zip ties
a small ali tube
tin foil
a bit of bluetac
a plastic bag
chewing gum
Leatherman

for boating.. what stuff should I include? Clearly having a boat, the repair kit doesnt have to be so light weight!

Im a great believer in having a few things that 'will just about get you home' when faced with a problem. As having assorted seemingly random items often proves far more adaptable and flexible than specific tools (when combined with a bit of ingenuity and desperation!!!)


Obviously, Ill also be carrying a specific boat tool kit, but are there any things that youd suggest keeping on board that might help me get out of a sticky (unforseeable?!) situation or help with things onboard?


The kind of insider info, like I always took a black bin bag for climbing, put snow in it, and cos its black, in the sun it heats up and you get fresh water without having to waste gas/time in boiling it.


that kind of thing...
/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

What do you always keep around.. just in case?



Mat
 
You dont really need that kind of when on a boat as you'll have almost everything you need on board already. You'll probably have all the tape, rope, wire, glue, sewing stuff, and tools you could need.

What people usually have on board instead is 'grab-bag' which is designed to be easily accessible should the worst happen. These will contain things like some food/water, flares, portable VHF, and a million other things that I'm sure others will point out.
 
I'm assuming that the boat, whatever size she is, is yours. If you are crewing on someone else's boat then you can't really take all that much with you. A lot depends on the size and style of boat, and the recommendations for racing a Dragon at weekends are going to be wildly different to, say, a six week cruise to St Kilda in an ocean going ketch.
I prescribe to the "you can't take too much" school of thought, and try and have as good a set of kit on board as I would in my garden shed. Though I draw the line at the lawnmower and gardening tools!
The things that I've noticed are sometimes in short supply are: spare lengths of rope, esp. a long (100') bit; a good set of good spanners and allen keys, a multimeter, a sharp pocket knife (or two).
Things I find most useful are various tubes of araldite and sikaflex, a big can of WD40, a couple of small G-clamps, a good selection of s/s self tappers, nuts, bolts and washers and ditto solid brass screws (not the brass plated ones from b&q).
Things that are essential but almost never used are a spare impeller for the engine, spare bulbs for the nav. lights, a zillion candlepower spotlight and a tube of underwater setting epoxy.
And a small but readily replenished quantity of bottled beer, for when the job is finished. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Grab bag Good. ONE emergency bits and bobs box-you should be so lucky.
Now take a tour round your new vessel and note what tools and spare bolts,parts ,unguents,diagnostics,manuals etc you would need to fix/lash up every single component on the boat...Now do you a)panic and just charter,b) make a serious attempt to carry said articles ,c) decide what you can live without if it breaks or, drastic d) remove stuff before it breaks..
Oh .One of those headband flashlight thingies will leave both hands free at night. Heavy duty work gloves are good for fixing stuff when your hands are wet, soft and cold..A good block and tackle and jammer can replace many a length of bust rigging and fittings.
Try a ybw search,there have been articles and piccies on this by those far far more experienced.
 
In you are going offshore for any period....

You've got some good lists above, I'd add that you can never have too many torches on a boat nor spare batteries. A strong breadknife makes a useful rope cutter. I'd also add a set of screwdrivers and mole grippy things.

In terms of spares, jubillee clips in all shapes and sizes and good sized rolls of self amalgamating tape and duct tape.

We also carry a 'wrecking kit' comprising a small sledgehammer, crow bar, bloody great screwdriver and mole grips to bash our way through joinery in the event of a holing in a less than obvious place.
 
For a smaller boat. ie 21ft. Experience tells you what you may need. I make a point each w9inter of removing all the excess and tidying up the tool kit. The tools incidentally sit behind elastic on the inside lid of the cockpit locker.
Tools are a pair of slip joint pliers. Really sloppy no amount of rust can seize them. Screw drivers phillips and blade and a knife. (allen key for winches) Spares are.... spare shackles 3/16 and 1/4ww (long) bolts and nuts WD spray can of lubricant , winch grease a bit of SS lock wire and some whipping twine and needle to suit. Of course there are always bits of rope for reefing, tieing hats on and other larger bits for towing etc.
My sailing is generally only for a few hours and sans engine however we have done some major repairs at times mid race.
The most remarkable was reattaching transom mounted rudder pintle mid race. Fortunately after the mount screws broke we were on down wind leg and were able to replace bolts (albeit smaller size) and get it all stable agian without stopping and only disadvantaged by not flying spin that leg.

It is all good fun repairing boats on the run good luck olewill
 
Sleeping Pills (see time)...

But seriously.

We carry what is now known on board as the bit box, one of those briefcase sized partitioned type from B&Q.

What happens now is that when I need one item (cheap stuff) I buy 3, or more concerning washers and the like.

It is hard to quantify, as we also have a pile of Tupperware tubs with bits and bobs in such as tie wraps and tapes. I will list some prominent stuff I can remember, maybe it will kick me off to sleep too...

Shackles, various sizes from tiny to mooring sized (for making up bridles)
rings (can't remember trade name) like a keyring but easier to apply (various)
spare slides for main (including sail clip assy)
lots if big needles and sailors palm
some threads and whipping twines
a squilion different sized washers and spacers mostly stainless (collected over years)
An ice cream tub full of screws various, usually spend £20 a visit to the screw man at the jumbles, I have a bit of a SS screw fetish.

Various sized bolts including a couple of stud irons under the saloon seats.
Lots of nuts, especially m6 and m8 most common, selection includes nylocs and standard, possibly 100 odd of these, you always drop them over the side or into the bilge.

spare rollers for the traveller
a couple of different sized blocks
a few small cleats
spare turnbuckle thread tubes
a massive box of electrical crimps of various types and crimp tool
wing nuts
spare brass hinges
some of those plastic MFI type corner fixings, to screw two boards at right angles
spare thimbles various
separately wrapped Stanley blades, done myself, appear to still be clean, oiled too
same with hacksaw and coping saw blades
some quick release hooks.
split pins
those studs used on fork ended turnbuckles or swivel blocks
different sized chocolate blocks
big bag of fuses, including all types used on board (a pair of fuses for the VHF taped to the top of it so they are there!
spare kill switch keys
spare engine keys
thread tape
plumbers paste
plumbers olives and straight connectors.
spare copper pipes
spare gas pipe
Electrical wire, ranging from a bag of bits to reels of different sizes
heat-shrink
Engine impellers
log impeller
spare windcups
12v car type plugs
snap shackles
various funnels from micro to fuel
drip tray for working on engine, or dropping oil
various sized rivets

GRP materials including resins, hardener, acetone, mat CSM and woven.
Gel coat filler and plastic padding
araldite rapid
epoxy

Repair kit for tender
a big sheet of that woven waterproof fabric, dead handy for laying under the boat if you are dried out to work, or for protecting anything from the weather, such as sods law, it always rains if you have just painted outside.


OM12
spray ptfe
wd40
grease waterproof and engine
silicon grease
Vaseline
lanolin

rag bag (ultra important this one!) never, never grab a galley towel.
heavy duty gardening gloves usually kept in flare tub

CDRom with electronic versions of every manual for equipment on board.

Ropes is a given, collect as you go, my latest addition is a new piece of 100m 14mm left as is. Could be long shore line or tow rope. Shore lines are not generally this long, saves digging the anchor line for that time you need something just a little longer. I think I might be able to walk past the jumble rope man on my next visit, but as he knows me by name now I doubt it /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I have been renovating my boat so am carrying a fair amount more than is strictly necessary, but so far I have always been able to hobble something to sort out day to day failures.

A pile of other bits I can't quite remember but have as they look handy, I have a shed full of stuff too, always tear apart for spares just in case.

Quite what I need broken iron elements in my shed for I don't know, but you sound similar.



String bag ( 25 years worth of handy bits of string for lashings etc.)
Bungee bag
 
And I thought I was the only "collector" of odds and sods.
I get badgered by you know who but I always retort "you never know"!!!
 
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