Mounting a vise

[northgirl]

We are looking for ideas of where I can mount a vise on our boat? We have a 1988 Ericson 35 MKIII and are just packing up to move onboard. Aside from all my tools, I would like to bring a vise, but am looking for ideas on where or how to mount it. I had heard about vises that mount into the winch, but am worried about damaging the winch and have only seen old threads about that. Anybody have a vise onboard?
Thanks!

[JPA Cate]

We have a vise onboard. On our 36 footer we had before this boat, we mounted it in the "V" between the two sides of the V-berth. Jim made a wood channel to support it, screwed to the sides, and then we slid it in, upside down, and had a cushion made for it, so it also widened the bed at the head end. This gives you a hefty piece of gear that you can take out to the cockpit or onto the dock for doing all sorts of work; it has been very useful over the years. On this boat, it lives in a locker under the berth in the guest cabin.

Ann

[ZipTie]

Been using a Stanley Tools Swivel Base Vise for 15 years now. They work well and mount anywhere, which is important on a boat

[lancelot9898]

I have a full lazorette with a shelf both port and starboard which house 8D AGM batteries. On the port shelf I installed a vice by thru bolting it to that shelf.

[roverhi]

We have a vice mounted on the edge of a 2' x 2' board. It was stored in the lazarette until needed which it wasn't often. To use, would put it on cockpit seat overhanging the foot well where it was okay for most uses. If I needed it to be more stable, would have my wife stand on it.

Another vice you may want to look at is the Zyliss vice. The manufacturing rights have been sold to a company in NZ and now called Z-vice. It's a clamp on vice with a lot of versatility though they aren't cheap. They sell used from $50 on up on Ebay or a couple hundred new. You need an overhanging lip or a separate board to clamp the vice to so keep that in mind. Z-VISE, formerly Zyliss Vice, a multi-purpose portable clamping system

[model 10]

I have a vice mounted on the bottom of a locker cover. I turn the cover over and have the vice and a small work bench area.

[stillbuilding]

Originally Posted by Guy

I have a vice mounted on the bottom of a locker cover. I turn the cover over and have the vice and a small work bench area.

Now that is a very clever idea for a hatch which is not used a lot. Good thinking.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forums lily hhrn

[belizesailor]

I used to have a suction cup based vise that was pretty handy.

[UNCIVILIZED]

You can make a (semi) dedicated, collapsing work bench out of a 2"x12" or 2"x10". Cut your worktop to a length which is stowable somewhere onboard, & then use the rest of the board to make 2 legs.

You attach the legs with hinges; piano, door, or quick detaching, & they can fold up underneath of the part which you sit on. That, or if you use quick detaching hinges, then the legs are removable.

The final piece, is a longitudinal to fit between the legs when they're folded down, so that they stay in a locked open position.
A picture of which can be found in Bruce Bingham's The Sailor's Sketchbook. The longitudinal for the bench's legs, plus his version of a workbench. Albeit I don't thik that his version is collapsable, or multi-mountable.

And of course, on one end, you can mount the vise. Permanently, or not. That, & if you go with the detachable legs route, you can design it so that the worktop portion fits/can be bolted to one, or several locations in/on the boat. Be it in the V-berth, akin to what Ann describes. Or to a certain spot in the cockpit.

Plus, it's mobile. You can take it ashore, or over to another boat for a job, in a snap.

Or, there are the pre-made variants. Arguably less sturdy, but still handy:
Black & Decker's folding Workmate's.
And Brion Toss's "Utility Vise", the BTYR VISE - Z-Vise Brion Toss Yacht Riggers, Sailboat Rigging::Rigging Tools

[JohnV]

I always thought a drill press vise would be good on a boat. Lower profile, and some have different angles. I usually want a vise for holding small items. Doesn't help with the original question,though. I often work under the main hatch and thought to make a portable bench of 2x6 or x8, one end of which I'd rest on my fairly sturdy companionway ladder.

[hpeer]

Not a vice but a bench, we use a folding aluminum bench as a work platform and a step stool for various tasks. We could mount our vice to it if needed. Now that I'm thinking about it, that makes a lot of sense.

For our center cockpit boat, the bench also serves as a seating area under the arch.

But we are not overly "boat proud" and this quasi industrial look would not work for most.

[Schooner Chandlery]

We have two vices on the boat. One is a big thing that we used for a variety of projects at home and in the boat yard pre-launch. We just mounted it on a big chunk of wood and keep it stowed below when not using it in the cockpit. The other is this little drill press type vise that came aboard with us and we use it with our tiny little drillpress frame (an old Sears thing) and a hand drill.

Here's a bit of info about installing a new liner on our old windlass brake that has the pics of both vises in use.

The little one gets clamped onto things using whatever clamps we have at hand. At the time of this pic, we still had our "little burrow" sawhorse so it was clamped to it.





The big one

[belizesailor]

I am currently shopping for a new vise, but in the meantime I'll just stick with my usual vices: beer & cigars.