Must have tools/supplies

[OceansFive]

Whatever tools you decide to buy, do some research and buy the best you can afford. As When it comes to tools, I can't afford cheap.
The right tool for the job makes the task easier and the quality of work done higher.
Having said that, i purge tools from time to time if I haven't used them often enough - or they are not critical enough - to justify their space and weight aboard.

[haiqu]

Originally Posted by StuM

Geez guys, 16 replies and no one has yet mentioned Duct tape and WD 40

And for the kiwis, number eight baling wire.

[Reefmagnet]

Good tools are nice. But I have to say I've got a rollup set of the cheapest and nastiest Indian made tools comprised of metric and imperial spanners of all types, screwdrivers and pliers onboard that I purchased on special at the local auto parts store that were so bad all the pliers/cutters had to be replaced under warranty (with another brand) because they bent on first use. However, now that's sorted, the spanners are great and after three or four years onboard not only have I not lost a single tool from the kit (proof that the cheaper the tool the less chance it will go overboard when dropped!) none of it is showing any signs of rust.

[Schooner Chandlery]

We brought just about every tool we had on land and then some. If you've used it, or thought about using it, you will likely need it at some point. We have a range of quality--from Snap-on, through Craftsman down to cheap sets from Harbor Freight. They all work. When I break a drill bit, tap, or die, I put it on the shopping list and replace it quickly. We have a few pneumatic tools aboard, a small pancake oil-less compressor that can be used for the Hookah diving (cleaning the hull), and we have a few different kinds of drills. Also, a Milwaukee V28 set of drill, angle-drill, small circular saw, metal cutting bandsaw (with a couple clamps it becomes a bench-top bandsaw for us), recip-saw, then there's the jig saw, the angle grinder and bench-top disk sander...a big vise...oh yeah, and we're the people with the little ox-acetelene tanks (on deck tied to the back of the mainmast fife rail) for braise/welding bronze that we have a lot of aboard. Then there's the electrical stuff, soldering irons, wire crimps, power supply, the "tiny tools" for electronics...Then there's the woodworking tools: Delta 12-1/2" thickness planer, power and hand planes, router, chisels, gouges...and on and on. We have enough sand paper and abrasives to fill a small rubbermaid bin. We're more tools than anything else. LOL but we're also a 30T+ boat... Don't forget the rigging tools--we have wire splices so a small rigger's vice, and then there's the prop-puller. We had it so we brought it along...We did rebuild our boat and just sort of took all the tools from the boatyard onto the boat with us.

[neworleansrich]

The most used tool on the boat: 5/16 nut driver.

You know if you use Ideal Hose Claps.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by haiqu

And for the kiwis, number eight baling wire.

I always knew it in NZ as No 8 fencing wire.

[Haylands]

I maybe talking rubbish here as I don't yet own a boat (I'm working on it) but having built and renovated houses and cars in the past I would have thought that one of these would be a great time saver

MultiMaster - Products - FEIN Power Tools Inc.

I've also built one of the first late model off road Range Rovers in the UK and use this product to seal moisture out of it's 20odd ECU's, it's brilliant for keeping water out of anything delicate... stays around much longer than WD40 as well

Corrosion Technologies

I also wouldn't go anywhere without a set of these, they are superb at removing rusted or damaged nuts and bolts

13-pc Professional's Industrial Set - Tools - IRWIN TOOLS

Or will I not need these on a boat...???

[bletso]

+ 1 on the Fein. The handiest tool for difficult jobs.

[Canibul]

Originally Posted by bletso

+ 1 on the Fein. The handiest tool for difficult jobs.

I've looked at those multitools and wondered if they would be useful on a boat. I've never used one, but had thought they were mostly for grinding and removing old grout for re-tiling. What else can they do? I see they list "circular" blades for cutting wood. Really? How does a vibrating blade move in a circle? I've got an armload of 3/4" thick mahogany planks on board and I'd love to rip them into trim pieces for the cabinetry on the boat. Can you do that with a multitool? I hate to buy a circular saw, so if one of these would work it might be worth it.

I love the pneumatic idea. Those air tools are well designed for a marine environment, being aluminum and well lubricated. Running the hose is a hassle, but a small compressor and short hose would be manageable. Don't they require a fairly high CFM to work well, though?

[Blue Crab]

A scuba tank will run an impact wrench, etc. Big time. Gotta have one anyway for wet work.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Mirror on a stick

Magnet on a stick

Something to cut shrouds

[AiniA]

We have a set of three little pointed tools: one straight, one with a right angle bend, and one with a curved bend. Found them to be quite useful. Also a couple of surplus dental pick tools. We keep all of the little tools in the same small box. Means they don't get lost among the bigger tools. Before you buy sets of tools in plastic containers consider where you will store them. A set of wrenches (spanners) in a cloth roll-up is much easier to store than in a plastic case with a snap in spot.

Also need a few saws: conventional hack saw, mini-hacksaw. We also have a small, good quality Japanese pull saw that has been great.

[Schooner Chandlery]

Originally Posted by Canibul

I've looked at those multitools and wondered if they would be useful on a boat. I've never used one, but had thought they were mostly for grinding and removing old grout for re-tiling. What else can they do? I see they list "circular" blades for cutting wood. Really? How does a vibrating blade move in a circle? I've got an armload of 3/4" thick mahogany planks on board and I'd love to rip them into trim pieces for the cabinetry on the boat. Can you do that with a multitool? I hate to buy a circular saw, so if one of these would work it might be worth it.

I love the pneumatic idea. Those air tools are well designed for a marine environment, being aluminum and well lubricated. Running the hose is a hassle, but a small compressor and short hose would be manageable. Don't they require a fairly high CFM to work well, though?

As you can tell, we're tool hogs--and we haven't found an excuse to have one of the Fein multi-tools aboard the boat. It, along with our tile-cutting wet saw, table saw, and joiner are sitting in storage. For a long time we had our power chop saw (miter saw) aboard but it is now in storage. A space-wasting tool, but if you're doing joinery you'll end up wishing you had one aboard too...

To rip wood into trip pieces you need a table saw or a guide/rail system. We have an aluminum guide (two 48" lengths that can be combined into one 84") we can use with the little V28 circular saw if we're not near anyone we know with a table saw.

The first power tool my husband and I ever bought was a drill. The second was a circular saw. Circular saws, for woodworking, are valuable tools.

Pneumatic tools are great. A small pancake compressor is all it takes. We have an extra air tank but you don't need it. Our compressor will not run w/o AC so that means a Honda EU2000 or the boat's built-in generator or shorepower.

[Schooner Chandlery]

Originally Posted by Kuan Yin

Whatever tools you decide to buy, do some research and buy the best you can afford. As When it comes to tools, I can't afford cheap.
The right tool for the job makes the task easier and the quality of work done higher.

Depends on the tool. Saw fences, go high quality, impact sockets, buy at Harbor Freight. Breaker bar for the sockets? get the Snap-on brand one. It really varies. When you need a screwdriver, the $4 orange-handled multi-bit one at the Home Depot checkout will do just fine. We have some very high quality tools but we also get the throw-away tools when we can make do with them.

[exMaggieDrum]

One of the tool sets I am always needing is a set of regular and metric ignition wrenches. Some electrical panels and other equipment have small nuts that you will not find a wrench for in a "normal" set. And sometimes even a "normal" size like 1/4", the wrench is too wide to get in to a tight spot. The best part is the pouches take up minimal room. I also like to use interchangeable bit - phillips, slotted, recessed head, etc. of various sizes and drivers that take the bits. As in screwdrivers, power drivers. With extensions of various lengths, from 2" to 12". Sometimes the only way to get to something is with an extension. Take extras of every size bit - lots - you will lose them or bugger them up. And extra drill bits. And pry bars. Plus the tools that others have surely mentioned. Absolutely essential in my book is a good battery-powered driver with its charger. And some sort of cable cutter - for steel cables of various sizes.

I grew to love my stubby wrenches too. Sometimes you can't get a socket on something and a normal size wrench is too long.

Another essential - nut drivers in two sizes that fit the two sizes for hose clamps. One is metric (10mm?) and the other SAE (5/16 or 3/8"). Sorry can't remember exactly but one in my kit is yellow and the other is orange.

Slip jaw pliers have been mentioned but sometimes you want to undo or tighten a hex or square tubing connector or thru-hull fitting or whatever and jagged tooth slip pliers will work but bugger up the nut if they work at all. So I have a new favorite tool I found:
Knipex 8603250 10-Inch Pliers Wrench - Parallel Jaw Adjustable Wrench - Amazon.com

They slip but lock in to a size and have jaws on either side that are square. Great tool.

I am also a tool nut so take it with a grain of salt, but except for the slip pliers, I couldn't do without all the items I mentioned. Plus all the standard stuff you'll see in books and other lists.

Rust is your biggest enemy to your tools though. Keep them dry, clean and coated with something. They can rust beyond use sometimes.