Tools!!!

[nursegrowl]

I have a sort of basic tool kit my Dad gave to me for Christmas along with other practical stuff (saws Etc). Just wondering if anybody can kinda give me a list of useful tools to have on a boat......and I can start getting these closer to the time....

Thanks

[Guest]

I have a sort of basic tool kit my Dad gave to me for Christmas along with other practical stuff (saws Etc). Just wondering if anybody can kinda give me a list of useful tools to have on a boat......and I can start getting these closer to the time....

Thanks

Here is my contribution:

 

I keep in the engine room (locked) a set of tools for engine type work. Metric ring spanners, socket set, allen keys, filter wrenches, feeler gauges etc., depends on your engine, you quickly acquire what you need. Screwdriver set. Then another box with woodworking equipment.

In the cabin, I keep a small toolbox with a couple of screwdrivers, hammer, pliers and things and a multimeter. Lives under the rear step.

[nursegrowl]

Here is my contribution:

 

I keep in the engine room (locked) a set of tools for engine type work. Metric ring spanners, socket set, allen keys, filter wrenches, feeler gauges etc., depends on your engine, you quickly acquire what you need. Screwdriver set. Then another box with woodworking equipment.

In the cabin, I keep a small toolbox with a couple of screwdrivers, hammer, pliers and things and a multimeter. Lives under the rear step.

 

Feeler gauges? wrenches? some of these thigs sound rude..............not sure I want to go into my local Machine Mart and ask for them?!?!?!?!

[NB Phoenix]

I have a sort of basic tool kit my Dad gave to me for Christmas along with other practical stuff (saws Etc). Just wondering if anybody can kinda give me a list of useful tools to have on a boat......and I can start getting these closer to the time....

Thanks

 

Car boot sales are good for second hand tools, but try and get good quality ones. As to what you will need? How long is this bit of string?

 

Are you fitting out your self or is it a refurb?

 

 

As a rule of thumb drill bits, good screwdrivers, more drill bits, clamps or cramps oh and drill bits. (Various sizes)

 

If you can get to any boot sales also look for cable (car type), glue (no nails etc) and any other come in handy. If you don't use it set up a stall at another boot sale and get some of your money back.

[Guest]

Feeler gauges? wrenches? some of these thigs sound rude..............not sure I want to go into my local Machine Mart and ask for them?!?!?!?!

King Dick are excellent spanners Seriously if you can pick them up secondhand they are brilliant. Stuff like Draper is OK for us amateurs , and CK. My mechanic son likes the Teng tool range.

Edited March 12, 2007 by Guest

[DHutch]

Well, it sort of depends on what your planning to do.

- Whichout wishing to state the obvouse, theres no point in having anything you not going to use, or be able to use.

- If you go into a machine mart and ask for a set of feeler guages, they will know what they are, and not look at you funny. But can you then put them use?

 

We obvously carry a slightly disproportial amount of tools (in both metric and imperial) for our enigine and the like.

 

However, there have been some past thread on this.

- Good frew screwdrivers are fairly essential, and somepliers.

- Decent set of spanners/sockets/etc is not a bad thing.

- Hammer, axe/hatchet, saw(s) you have.

- A mole wrench is always good.

- Maybe a cordless (or hand) drill, and drill bits.

- Then a random selection of screws/bolts?

- Multimeter of some description (see other threads, if you dare...)

 

Qualtywise. We cant all aford 'snap-on' tools (thats a brandname, btw)

- But as long as you dont get the cheap nasty stuff, which is made of cheese, you should be ok.

- Even hellfrauds (hallfords) own-brand sockets/spanners are good enough for light use.

 

Urrm, yeah... That sort of thing, im sure other will add to it!

 

 

 

Daniel

[Denis & Betty Anne]

I have a sort of basic tool kit my Dad gave to me for Christmas along with other practical stuff (saws Etc). Just wondering if anybody can kinda give me a list of useful tools to have on a boat......and I can start getting these closer to the time....

Thanks

 

I made myself a member of 'River Canal Rescue' (a bit like the RAC for boats) who sort things out if I can't manage the problem, worth every penny to me as I'm not the most practical of chaps being disabled. Some basic tools though are handy, spanners the right size for your engine bits, some electrical insulation tape and lengths of wire for repairing a broken wire, some gaffer tape's always handy and then just one of those tool kits you can buy at B & Q or Argos that have in them the general tools you'd have in a house.

 

If you're really in a jam other boaters always offer help if asked and often ask you if you can manage it anyway so don't be afraid to ask. If you're confident in handling tools and such then you can kit yourself out with tools for almost any eventuality, but really you don't need that many, just don't forget the spare parts for the most crucial parts of your boat, something to put on a leaking water pipe, something for wrapping around a leaking fuel pipe, some spare fuses and light bulbs, a torch is really useful, as is a headlight that fits round our head so you can see what you're working on if it's dark, some gloves to stop you from either being burned by a hot pipe or to protect your hands from fuel or oil, a book of basic boaty systems is handy as well as aquainting yourself with what's where on your boat.

 

Denis.

[nursegrowl]

I don't intend to fit it out myself, but would like to up grade/change things etc, also would like to carry out minor reairs etc. I hardly know which end of the screw to use at moment, so might be an interesting time.......!!!

[NB Phoenix]

I don't intend to fit it out myself, but would like to up grade/change things etc, also would like to carry out minor reairs etc. I hardly know which end of the screw to use at moment, so might be an interesting time.......!!!

 

The pointy bit sticks into the wood and the flat bit with the slot or cross (this is called the head) sticks out. If the head is on the wrong end you can use these on the other side of the boat.

 

Sorry nursegrowl but I couldn't resist that one.

[carlt]

The pointy bit sticks into the wood and the flat bit with the slot or cross (this is called the head) sticks out. If the head is on the wrong end you can use these on the other side of the boat.

 

Sorry nursegrowl but I couldn't resist that one.

I wouldn't be without my caulking hammers and caulking irons, I use the ship wrights maul a lot, my adze is vital and a drawknife always comes in handy.

 

Ok OK I'll get my coat!

[Bones]

Toolkits tend to evolve over time, the basics are probably what your dad gave you, anything else you need you can buy it when you need it.

[John Orentas]

One of the most useful tools I have on the boat is an old fashioned soldering iron. no not an electric one but the type you heat over a gas ring. Plus of course solder, multicore for electrics and stick type with a tin of flux for other jobs.

[carlt]

Toolkits tend to evolve over time, the basics are probably what your dad gave you, anything else you need you can buy it when you need it.

One thing I did, over a hundred years ago, (for the mechanical side of things) is buy a cheapish Halfords 'complete' toolkit. Which had most things necessary for most jobs and, gradually replace the stuff with quality kit and tools which I've found I've needed which Halfords didn't provide. And yes, being a man, I bought lots of tools which weren't much use but were :-

SHINY and PRETTY.

[DHutch]

Toolkits tend to evolve over time, the basics are probably what your dad gave you, anything else you need you can buy it when you need it.

Yeah, that deffonatly very true indeed.

- As someone else said, you dont have to be doing it long till you end up knowing what you need and can make use of.

 

 

One of the most useful tools I have on the boat is an old fashioned soldering iron. no not an electric one but the type you heat over a gas ring. Plus of course solder, multicore for electrics and stick type with a tin of flux for other jobs.

Yeah, we have 4inch lenght of copper pipe with a bit of a pointy end. Stick that in the mole wrench and you'd be supprised what you can get done!

 

Insulating and gaffa tape are also very usefull! As is some ptfe tape if you into that sort of thing. (plumbing)

 

- We have, as of this year, taken to gaffing up the rear hatch to prevent rain ingress. Worked well that did, good tip of anyone with a leaky cruser stern or aft deck hatch.

 

 

Daniel

[Big Steve]

Make sure it says "CHROME VANADIUM STEEL" on any spanners or screwdrivers you buy.

[CampinGazz]

Even if you have a full 20 drawer tool chest full of tools of every type, you can guarentee that when you break down, the one tool you need to fix the problem is the one you don't have

 

I've got a motorhome not a boat (yet.. someones gonna have to tell me to stop posting on here untill i get a bot soon) but i've got a couple of tool kits,

 

A plastic tool box which has a top with slots and rebated bits in it to hold things when sawing them off etc, it's also strong enough to stand on when what i'm working on is just out of my reach, and sit on when it's low down.

 

That tool box houses my engine tools,

The lift out tray has got a 3/8 and 1/2 inch drive socket set, from 6 to 22mm and the equivelent in imperial even tho my van's european, the imperial bits are handy when i need to undoo a slightly mangled nut that's gone between 2 metric sizes, couple of different length extension bars, a couble of wobble joints (very handy for when you cant get a straight line to an awkward nut) a set of hex headed sockets as my engine has a few of them,

 

The wobble joints, short extensions and hex heads were added to by me when i found out i needed them. i also have the big hex adaptor i need to get at the diff, gearbox and engine oil drain plugs.

 

Then in the main bit of the tool box i have a set of spanners, mainly metric ones, from about 4mm to 32mm, i have 2 x 13, 17 and 19mm spanners, as they are the most common ones i need to double up on, i.e. undooing a nut and bolt whenre neither side is fixed, a big adjustable spanner... even tho if my old boss saw me using it he'd give me a length of steel bar and a hacksaw and file, and make me make a spanner of the correct size, but in an emergancy an adjustable can be handy.

 

I've got a specific spanner i need to get at one of the bolts on my injector pump, so i carry that with me all the time.. even tho i dont carry the DTI with me to time the pump back up should i have to take it off.. i have hammered a mark where it's timed tho, so i can set it roughtly back to normal wothout the DTI.

 

Screwdrivers, and electricians type flat head.. the type that lights up when touched on sommat thats gonna bite you if you touch it, a selection of cross heads, couple of star drivers, a very long shafted cross head that i seem to use the most, i also have an impact driver set, and a great big old battered flat head screwdriver with a metal striking head, gets used as a chizel more than a screwdriver.

 

Can't forget the big lump hammer can we.

 

Low voltage tester, my one and only mac tools tool, screwdriver shaped but pointy at the end, and 2 croc clips, connect to both pos and neg of a battery, and you can probe for posotive and negative along a circuit, green led = neg, red led = pos, helped me find a few bad connection points that were giving me strange symptoms.

 

Pliers, needle nosed, snub nosed, rounded jaw types for pipes, cutters and a pair of those expanding jaw jobbies at a 60 degree angle off the handles, oh and a couple of mole grips.

 

An all in one wire cutter, stripper and crimping tool, not as good as my ratchet crimper, but better than trying to use pliers to crimp terminals.

 

Tape measure, steel ruler, feeler guages, and an odds and sods tin which has in it:

nuts and bolts of varying lengths and sizes, self tapping screws, washers, lengths of wire, crimp terminals of all sorts, electrical tape, self amalgimating tape (very handy stuff, waterproofs electrical connectors and can be used to bandage a split radiator hose) i've got a long length of wire with croc clips on either end, fuses, a buse....

 

A buse is a fuse which you've soldered a 10 watt bulb accross the terminals of a blown blade fuse (this is for 12 volt or 24 volt DC circuits only btw, and the bulb to use is one of those halogen jobbies with 2 pins that stick down from the capsual, and you solder the pins to the fuse at the end you hold when pulling it out, needs a fuse that you can pop the plastic cover off and put back on when made.

 

To use, Plug it into a circuit that keeps blowing the fuse, and it'll light up brightly to show there's a short, but reduces the power to the short so it dosent dammage it, when you find the short.. by wiggeling wires, the bulb goes dim indicating you've found the source of the short, and if your wondering, BUlb and fuSE = buse

 

I also have certian other tools not of use on a boat, like the wheel brace, which is a 3/4 inch drive head, a 4 foot breaker bar and a 27mm socket, anything less wont budge the wheel nuts.

 

In the drawer under the drivers seat i have a set of very heavy duty jump leads (not that i need them my self, i fitted an emergancy start button on the dash, pressing it powers a heavy duty solenoid that connects the house batteries to the starter battery allowing me to start the engine with a flat starter battery without lifting the bonnet)

also have a spare bulb set and selection of fuses... just to save me getting the main tool box out, a big maglight torch is also near to hand from the drivers seat, doubles as an ilumination devise and a self defence item.. the 6D cell maglights are pretty hefty and would put a bit of a dent in someone who tried it on, easier to explain why you had it with you than a baseball bat.

 

Thne there's another tool box inside the van, that's got things i use for making alterations to the interior.. we fitted out a coachbuilt shell ourselves like people who do a lines sailaway... just we provided the coachbuilder with the van and they chopped the body off the back and built a larger flat sided new one in it's place,

 

But i have things like a half size tennon saw, junior hacksaw, stanley knife, set square, drill bits, tube of silicone sealant, tube of fast grip builders adeshive, masking tape, bodge tape, foam double sided tape, super glue, 5 minute epoxy, ptfe tape, some of that leak stop putty stuff, 10, 13, 17 and 19mm spanner to save me getting them from the engine toolbox,

a multi cutter thing, plier type thingy with a blade and interchangeable bases, almost my most used tool at the moment, cuts pex pipe straight, angles in the mouldings and trim i'm putting up, cuts thick bundles of wires in one go and more One of these

 

Tie wraps, gas powered soldering iron, nails, small hammer, screws, wall board fixings, screw in hooks, a 3 pin mains plug with fuse, couple of 12 volt plugs that i use in the van (hella DIN type) few lengths of electrical wire, couple of push fit water fittings i use on my plumbing (90 degree elbow to replace any that die, and a straight joiner for repairs) few odd lengths of the pipe used in my plumbing.. both water and heating, can of ptfe spray for lubing things, WD40 for driving out moisture and freeing things off (wd40 is not a lubricant)

 

a battery drill... very very handy thing, mines an old 12 volt battery drill which the battery pack died on years ago, i took the batteries out of the battery pack housing, and put a socket in the bottom of the housing, wired up to the old battery contacts, a 5 meter length of coily wire rated for about 20 amps, and a hella plug on the end, plug the lead into a 12 volt outlet in the van, and i have a battery drill on a lead, with a massive battery pack, i went the socket in the empty battery pack route so if i ever stumble acfross a replacement battery pack, i can revert the drill to cordless, and have the option of corded off the 12 volt outlets in the van

(i could use a mains drill off the inverter, but if you do what i do with mains drills... that's flip it to reverse and pull the trigger for a second to stop it taking 5 seconds to spin down after using it, you'll pop the inverter.. usually permanantly, this is cos of the massive back emf pulse that goes back to the inverter if you do that)

 

I probably have even more junk... i mean tools and things in the van than i've mentioned, but what i've mentioned get's me by.. doing emergancy repairs, routine mantinance, modifcations and even adding new things when were out touring,

 

When we were in Germany last year, we decided to build a model boat, so we added some model making tools, little pots of paint and brushes, what i didn't buy was a cover for the table, which can now be hung on the wall as a modern abstract painting... hmmm.. a storage solution for those with island leg/fold away tables

 

I'll stop writing now, as this post is waaay too long, feel free to delete it moderators if it's gonna clog the board up.

[Dr Bradley]

Don't buy anything until you need it, and have some idea how to use it.Then buy cheap - except spanners which will round your nuts. You'll soonhave a comprehensive kit though the learning curve may be steep.

[mutters]

Plus get a big magnet on a string for when you drop anything in the drink

[magnetman]

MAGNETS magnet magne magn mag ma m...