Poey50
Well-Known Member
Big +1 for a cordless angle grinder that you can use one-handed. Some practice needed as it is also a weapon of mass destruction.
Whick Toolkit?
- Thread starter Cheeky Girl
- Start date
Big +1 for a cordless angle grinder that you can use one-handed. Some practice needed as it is also a weapon of mass destruction.
vyv_cox
Well-Known Member
Some years ago a friend lost his mast off the north coast of Anglesey. The motion of the boat was so violent that he dropped his bolt croppers overboard. Mine are equipped with a wrist lanyard just in case.
Poey50
Well-Known Member
That's a good point. I will put a lanyard on my grinder forthwith.
PhillM
Well-Known Member
I have a few. Each setup for a specific job:
1) Engine tool kit with multiple service kit items and a few spares.
2) Electrical toolkit - everything I need to deal with anything 12V wire based. inc fuses, bulbs, spare wire, croc clips, and so on.
3) Woodworking toolkit - wooden boat, says it all.
4) General toolkit - for all other sorts of jobs.
5) Rigging kit, includes sewing lit, with spares
6) Spare tool bag with some general purpose tools that can be grabbed for jobs. This one has the mole grips and other bodger bits and might be the one I would lend you if you asked me nicly.
All the tools are cheap and get replaced when they start to show signs of rusting.
1) Engine tool kit with multiple service kit items and a few spares.
2) Electrical toolkit - everything I need to deal with anything 12V wire based. inc fuses, bulbs, spare wire, croc clips, and so on.
3) Woodworking toolkit - wooden boat, says it all.
4) General toolkit - for all other sorts of jobs.
5) Rigging kit, includes sewing lit, with spares
6) Spare tool bag with some general purpose tools that can be grabbed for jobs. This one has the mole grips and other bodger bits and might be the one I would lend you if you asked me nicly.
All the tools are cheap and get replaced when they start to show signs of rusting.
ctva
Well-Known Member
I'm pretty much the same except your last sentence. Cheap tools will inevitably fail when you need them or round off nuts etc. There is a reason they are cheap.
I have good tools and just look after them. After 20 odd years of our own boat, very few of the tools have any rust marks and if they do, I sort them. Waterproof tool box and oil if they've been we, simples.
PhillM
Well-Known Member
By cheap I mean from a local DIY store and not some Snap on or specialist/professional gear.
DJE
Well-Known Member
That mention of Snap-On reminded me of one of the most useful tools that I have on the boat.
It's a radiator hose pick and great for getting hoses off spigots but lots of other uses too.
It's a radiator hose pick and great for getting hoses off spigots but lots of other uses too.
mjcoon
Well-Known Member
Billyo
Well-Known Member
These are amazing, but be careful using them on an old hose. When the old hose inevitably splits the pick, being pointy, will go straight through your hand.
Its surprisingly painless but you'll bleed like a stuck pig.
Its surprisingly painless but you'll bleed like a stuck pig.
john_morris_uk
Well-Known Member
Ahem, I think you’ll find a full size torque wrench in our boat too. And I’ll raise you a two and three legged puller.
On a more serious note, we carry a Halfords pro socket set with 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2” sockets plus hex keys etc. I’ve added the appropriate socket to remove the injectors in our MD2040 as well.
This with a tool box with screwdrivers and sundry other tools and hacksaws fixes most things.
One of the most useful items is a cordless drill and a small portable vice but I do a LOT of boat DIY.
Last edited:
KellysEye
Well-Known Member
What I found is you need open and ring spanners.
Humblebee
Well-Known Member
That's a good idea, sorting tools according to their usage. Mine are all in together, not convenient and often the one I need is buried under others. Thanks for the tip.
PhillM
Well-Known Member
It does mean that some tools are duplicated, like 10mm sockets, but I don’t mind that as it means I always have spares of critical/important items. Perhaps not one for the racers where every kilo counts.
pagoda
Well-Known Member
If you can find them, sockets and OE / ring spanners which drive on the flats rather than the corners do exist.
They are often a life-saver when you risk rounding off a nut or not. Full hex sockets are also useful.
I have three sets of tools, home/garage, boat and our island house. I frequently loose track of what is currently where....
rogerthebodger
Well-Known Member
I have most of my common used tools in a rack I posted above. This helps me find the required tool quickly and also allows me to determine if any tool is missing so I can find it before searching when I need it for the next job.
Stemar
Well-Known Member
I think this is a good starter, though I'd add a basic multimeter. Lidl/Aldi often have them at prices that won't make you weep if it goes swimming, but are adequate for 12v troubleshooting.
Get half-decent combination spanners - really good ones are no better at swimming than cheaper ones, and the pain it the wallet is far greater, but good screwdrivers - cheapos are worse than useless. A decent crescent wrench is a useful investment, as are plain and needle nosed pliers.
Generally, I'd say don't worry too much, and wait until you've got the boat and can see what you need before getting more than the basics. Sod's law is very specific about the absence of the tool you need, no matter how big your kit is.
Once you've got the basics covered, you can build. Sooner or later you'll want a pop riveter, but get it when you need it, same with a lot of other stuff. You may need the big wrenches for things like engine mountings, but not yet, and the likelihood of needing them at sea is pretty remote, so keep 'em at home.
Do carry a can of ACF 50 and give your tools a squirt of it a couple of times a year. Unlike WD40, it sticks around and continues to protect from damp and salt. It's also a good penetrating oil.
Daydream believer
Well-Known Member
I looked at my tool kit earlier this year & realised that there is no point in carrying most of the carp that many of you are bragging about in this thread.
I took a long hard look at spanners & decided which ones I actually needed for the engine. No point in carrying the largest as they only fit the engine bearers. I then removed the ones not needed. I retained a pair of mole grips & an adjustable spanner.
I removed the screwdrivers & now have a slotted, a philips plus a small electrical of both patterns.
A set of allen keys
A small tin of 3 in one & a small tube of grease.
3 spare impellers. 2 spare of each size of filter & a spare belt
A slotted bolt for a filter wrench
A hammer
A special box spanner & extension bar for the prop.
Long nosed & short nosed pliers plus a pair of pliers in the hatch
Then I looked at the boxes of bolts & screws.
I removed most of those & have 3-4 of each size of bolt that I might need with nuts & washers attached to each. About 5-6 self tappers of each length, A metre length of 2 core electrical wire & an assortment of electrical connectors. Electrical tape. one of each size of jubilee clip. A pair of electrical wire cutters & a Stanley knife. HD jump leads. Rig cutters.
3 pairs of disposable gloves paper towels & hand cleaner
I have whipping twine, needles, a palm, a lighter & a small size Swedish fid
I saved Lbs in weight & if I am somewhere & find that I need anything then I will just go & buy it. I am hardly likely to want to drill holes & do major repairs at sea. Things like boxes of drill bits & drill, hose, cramps, saws, have all gone home.
None of my tools have ever gone rusty, so that is not a problem to me.
I hate sailing about with "clutter"& it just slows the boat.
For instance I have bought a Ridge Monkey & discarded the cast iron griddle pan & frying pan. Saved a few lbs. I have cut down on loads of spare gear because it just was not getting used.
It is amazing what one can get rid of, if one just sits & abandons the "it is handy even if I never use it" mentality
I took a long hard look at spanners & decided which ones I actually needed for the engine. No point in carrying the largest as they only fit the engine bearers. I then removed the ones not needed. I retained a pair of mole grips & an adjustable spanner.
I removed the screwdrivers & now have a slotted, a philips plus a small electrical of both patterns.
A set of allen keys
A small tin of 3 in one & a small tube of grease.
3 spare impellers. 2 spare of each size of filter & a spare belt
A slotted bolt for a filter wrench
A hammer
A special box spanner & extension bar for the prop.
Long nosed & short nosed pliers plus a pair of pliers in the hatch
Then I looked at the boxes of bolts & screws.
I removed most of those & have 3-4 of each size of bolt that I might need with nuts & washers attached to each. About 5-6 self tappers of each length, A metre length of 2 core electrical wire & an assortment of electrical connectors. Electrical tape. one of each size of jubilee clip. A pair of electrical wire cutters & a Stanley knife. HD jump leads. Rig cutters.
3 pairs of disposable gloves paper towels & hand cleaner
I have whipping twine, needles, a palm, a lighter & a small size Swedish fid
I saved Lbs in weight & if I am somewhere & find that I need anything then I will just go & buy it. I am hardly likely to want to drill holes & do major repairs at sea. Things like boxes of drill bits & drill, hose, cramps, saws, have all gone home.
None of my tools have ever gone rusty, so that is not a problem to me.
I hate sailing about with "clutter"& it just slows the boat.
For instance I have bought a Ridge Monkey & discarded the cast iron griddle pan & frying pan. Saved a few lbs. I have cut down on loads of spare gear because it just was not getting used.
It is amazing what one can get rid of, if one just sits & abandons the "it is handy even if I never use it" mentality
Last edited:
vyv_cox
Well-Known Member
With my UK based boat my philosophy is exactly the same because it is only a couple of hours from home. In Greece it is a very different situation, although on Leros itself there are excellent options. Not the same on other islands. I have used every one of the tools in my photo in post #4 countless times. I replaced my toilet last year and needed hole cutters for that. I could have bought a set on Leros but what then? Throw them away? Not likely.
Stemar
Well-Known Member
One small detail: Phillips screwdrivers are not the same as Posidriv. Using one when you need the other will end in damaged heads that will be a royal pain to remove and result in much blueness of the air.
European stuff tends to be Posi, American stuff, Phillips. I carry a set of decent Posi screwdrivers and a couple of Phillips, mostly used on electrical stuff.
Very much agree with the leave it at home plan. The basics to change a filter or hose, or a bulb, plus a few spares should be on board, but most of the heavy stuff can stay home, at least until you know what you're actually likely to want on a cruise.
European stuff tends to be Posi, American stuff, Phillips. I carry a set of decent Posi screwdrivers and a couple of Phillips, mostly used on electrical stuff.
Very much agree with the leave it at home plan. The basics to change a filter or hose, or a bulb, plus a few spares should be on board, but most of the heavy stuff can stay home, at least until you know what you're actually likely to want on a cruise.
Last edited:
Daydream believer
Well-Known Member
Actually - "get rid of them" - is a bit misleading. I have a well equipped workshop, so they all go back there. I only live 4.4 miles from the marina so winter projects are easy. However, I certainly do not take unnecessary extra gear when cruising - which might be up to 600 miles plus from home.