For You Tool Geeks.

[er9]

I came across this today searching for something completely unrelated. Tool storage and organization has been such a huge challenge and pain in the butt. think im gonna order a couple of these.

i had to share...i know a few cruisers who carry their workshops aboard might appreciate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP57...ature=emb_logo

[Adelie]

At $145 on Amazon, you need to really want this.

[LittleWing77]

A year or two ago, they had an article in Good Old Boat on how to make your own tool roll...

LittleWing77

[Nicholson58]

The hinges and closures are most probably plated steel. I have had to toss all such boxes. I now use several canvas masons tool bags. They fit in any crazy space. Buckles, nozippers.

Exceptions are this all plastic Craftsman socket box replacement for grandad’s steel box.

I also use Harbor Freight plastic ammo boxes for screwdrivers and spanners.

BTW, only ever consider 100% plastic zippers. The normal aluminum sliding thingy always rusts tight in place.

[Franziska]

We use two old Samsonite cosmetic boxes for most of our hand tools.

One for frequent use and one for rare use.

They hold up very well, certainly much better than most other plastic storage boxes.

[CalmSeasQuest]

Love the Yorktown rolls, but the pricing was a bridge too far. We found soft bags and rolls on Amazon to work great at a fraction of the costs.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Dickies-Work-...2422595&sr=8-9

[Exctyengr]

My wife made me several tool rolls out of canvas. They work well and very inexpensive. I only recommend that the tools are oiled after use as they are put away.

[LobeliaBlue]

Harbor Freight has small natural colour canvas bags for 10 bucks.
They call it a 15 in. Canvas Riggers Bag. I have several for each general task: woodwork, plumbing, electric, engine.

They fit most places and are handier than opening everything for one tool.



I've also got a few of their round canvas bags and they've held up well over a few years.
They don't make shoes to match tho.

[er9]

The canvas bags are nice because they squish in weird shaped places against the hull. I have all my stuff in soft bags but tools are spread out over half a dozen bags and is such a pain pulling everything out of the storage space to get to that one tool bag for tool hardly ever used. Be so nice to consolidate it all into one or two of these roll up bags. I will keep the canvas bags for spare parts.

[jharding]

that tool role looks pretty nice, I have not had any luck on bags with zippers, keep them lubed well and they might be alright. I put a machinist tool box on my boat and it works great, it is made of oak and the drawers are lined with felt which keeps my tools from rusting, I have it lashed down in my salon, it makes a good coffee table and tools are very easy to get to.

[Fortytwo]

[Moontide]

The tool roll looks like it could get heavy fast. I use a smaller bag like LobeliaBlue posted with an assortment of tools which probably covers 90%+ of my projects. I like the ease of moving the smaller tool bag around vs. a heavy one that contains everything. I especially like the individual pockets as I can tell someone exactly where the tool I need is, or get it blind when hanging upside down in an engine room.



Have a separate larger bag for larger box and socket wrenches and other heavy tools. Also have a separate small plastic box for electrical tools.


Thanks for the post LobeliaBlue. Have used one of those for years and it is showing its age but I couldn't remember where I got it.

[Fortytwo]

Having a bag with separate pockets is priceless.

[Fortytwo]

And keep your eyes on Amazon and eBay for roll top waterproof bags to keep your tools in. 40L roll top bag for $20 is what I’m talking about to extend the life of your tools... especially the electric ones...

[Marathon1150]

About 25 years ago I read a review of a soft-sided tool bag for boats that has slots and pockets inside. The review mentioned that the bag was impregnated with a rust-inhibiting chemical. I bought one and tools in that bag never rust. Unfortunately, the bag is on our boat in Papeete which we consider to be inaccessible at the moment.

Now on our local boat, I use tool rolls rather than open bags because it is so much easier to locate and extract individual tools.