What tools are appropriate?

[wheelerwbrian]

Vague title, I know, but wanted to create a bit of discussion.

In the past, my shed was jammed with tools I used on a regular basis for boat maintenance and repair. I sold the boat a few years ago, and downsized getting rid of a lot of items, to the benefit of my brother

No I’m looking at reconstituting my tool set, but without the luxury of shoreside storage. What tools are must have onboard?

Here’s the criteria.

No need to include the obvious, such as screwdrivers and wrenches to fit the fasteners onboard.

Must be able to run on an inverter, or not require power.

Also if working in a DIY boatyard, are tools typically available for use or rent? I know that sanders and dust control vacuums are usually around, but how about routers, sawzalls, etc.

Goal is to carry what I need, and not much else.

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

[dcondit]

I believe there may be some threads out there already for onboard tool kits. In my opinion, it's based on a huge number of confounding variables. What i found useful was perusing others' tool lists and seeing if anything jumped out at me. In light of that, here's my list:


Grease gun
Torque wrench
Strap wrench
Soldering iron
Blow torch
Multimeter
Electric heat shrink
Alligator clips
Wire connectors
Wire
Electrical tape
Wire stripper/crimping tool
Wire feeder
Cordless impact wrench
Cordless drill
Drill bits
Wire brush bit
Cordless driver
Driver bits
Cordless metal cutter/grinder
Cutting and grinding discs
Cordless saws all
Saw blades
Magnetic pickup tool
Mirror
Small screw drivers
Long nose pliers
Vice grips
Tape measure
Level
Small paint brush
Wire brush
Punch
Hammer
Screw drivers
Pliers
Needle nose pliers
Dikes
Tin snips
Utility knife
Vice
Awl
Files
Socket wrenches
Sockets
Socket extensions
Socket screwdriver
Driver tips to include star driver
Allen wrenches
Adjustable wrenches
Ratcheting box wrenches
Pipe wrench
Wrench lever extension/breaker bar
Grommet kit
Tweezers
Small jack
Hack saw
Wood saw
Clamps
Bolt cutters
Razor scraper
Putty knife
Chisel
Funnel
Filter wrench
Anti seize
Lock tite
Gasket maker
EZ out
Tap and die
Small air compressor
Compressor hose
Infater
Blower
Square
Pry bar
Utility light
Extension cord
JD weld
Acetone
Silicone lubricant
WD 40
PEX cutter
PEX crimper
PEX connectors and elbows
Channel locks
Scissors
Hose clamps
Sledge hammer
Dremmel
Hole saw
Spring grabber
Rubber mallet
Needle nose vice grips
Fiber optic camera
Vernier calipers
Infrared thermometer

[LoudMusic]

I had a quick skim of that list and the first one that comes to my mind that I didn't see (maybe it's there?) is a rechargeable battery powered work lamp. Nine times out of ten it was the first tool I got out.

[dcondit]

It's on there as "Utility light". I have DeWalt tools and have a utility/shop light that uses the same rechargeable battery as everything else.


A note about my list -- it likely does not have all my items as they are all spread out and were not easy to inventory when I did so a while back. I also likely have items listed more than once as this is a running list, and my memory is a little weak (according to my wife...at least I think that's my wife...can't remember.)

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by wheelerwbrian

No I’m looking at reconstituting my tool set, but without the luxury of shoreside storage. What tools are must have onboard?

Varies widely depending on the individual and their skills and motivations.


My advice is simple:

• Base your kit on high-quality compact, flexible tools.
  • Socket set with full coverage and only selected end wrenches.
  • Look at Klein's 11-in-1 screwdriver and their other multi-tools like the 5-in-1 stubby and the 6-in-1 tap.
  • Look at Wiha's 27-in-1 screwdriver that holds bits in the handle
  • Look at Wiha's 4mm hex drive electronics screwdriver sets, very comprehensive, very compact
• Use battery tools. Get good ones. I use Milwaukee M12 and M18. There are other good choices too. They will perform as well as electric or air tools and are much less of a hassle for boat work. 12/24vdc chargers are available or you can charge with an inverter.
  • The best systems have various battery sizes with compact choices for drills and drivers, and larger batteries for sanders, routers, and saws.
  • The (expensive) Milwaukee M12 right angle die grinder is perhaps the most valuable tool I have for fiberglass work, aside from basic things like a drill.
  • Get worklights that can run from your tool batteries. They are also useful for general lighting if you are having electrical problems of one kind or another.
  • A battery vacuum is a useful thing on a boat, for bilges and other watery mess as well as general cleanup
  • A battery fan is useful for drying things that are wet
  • A small inverter that runs off your tool batteries can replace many extension cords and will run things like soldering irons/guns for which good battery equivalents are unavailable
• Think about tool storage from the outset.
• Get a fast charger or multi-charger from the outset. It will reduce the number of batteries you need to buy.
• If you use a cutting torch, look at portable oxy-propylene rigs. They are far more compact than oxy-acetylene rigs of similar capability, and while they cannot weld, they are useful for cutting and brazing.

Also if working in a DIY boatyard, are tools typically available for use or rent? I know that sanders and dust control vacuums are usually around, but how about routers, sawzalls, etc.

Depends. I am presently a member of a makerspace that has more or less everything you could want but quality varies from one tool to the next. I guess there are some similar yards, but not here.

[thinwater]

And not one response to the OP's question.


Goal is to carry what I need, and not much else.


I think he explained that he used to have one of everything, and knows how to use them and what they are for. No point in giving him my list or your list of what we have.


Rent or available, marina. From what I have seen, marinas may have vacuum sanders and extension cords, but that is about it.


Rent or available, tool rental. You can read the catalogs on-line, but quite a lot. Certainly ladders, scaffolding, and big grinders.


I would think about carrying the bits and attachments, and buying the power tool if really needed. The stuff that makes a tool work is more compact and more expensive than the tool in many cases! The tiny bit can also be the more difficult thing to find in the field. Counter sinks. Die grinder burs. Small files. Small pipe taps. The stuff you can't borrow from a fellow sailor and can't get at the local Home Depot. Also small bits of materials for gaskets, spacers, shims, and repairs. Finding a little scrap of plastic or aluminum can be a pain.



The basics you know. Electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and rigging. Should fit in a few small kits. I value organization over quantity. Then buy the rest if something major comes up. But if the boat is well maintained before you set out, there should not be big projects. If it happens, buy what you need.


Some of these lists would sink the boat an inch.

[deblen]

Radiator pressure tester to help find coolant leaks.

[Flatswing]

Originally Posted by Jammer

Varies widely depending on the individual and their skills and motivations.


My advice is simple:

• Base your kit on high-quality compact, flexible tools.
  • Socket set with full coverage and only selected end wrenches.
  • Look at Klein's 11-in-1 screwdriver and their other multi-tools like the 5-in-1 stubby and the 6-in-1 tap.
  • Look at Wiha's 27-in-1 screwdriver that holds bits in the handle
  • Look at Wiha's 4mm hex drive electronics screwdriver sets, very comprehensive, very compact
• Use battery tools. Get good ones. I use Milwaukee M12 and M18. There are other good choices too. They will perform as well as electric or air tools and are much less of a hassle for boat work. 12/24vdc chargers are available or you can charge with an inverter.
  • The best systems have various battery sizes with compact choices for drills and drivers, and larger batteries for sanders, routers, and saws.
  • The (expensive) Milwaukee M12 right angle die grinder is perhaps the most valuable tool I have for fiberglass work, aside from basic things like a drill.
  • Get worklights that can run from your tool batteries. They are also useful for general lighting if you are having electrical problems of one kind or another.
  • A battery vacuum is a useful thing on a boat, for bilges and other watery mess as well as general cleanup
  • A battery fan is useful for drying things that are wet
  • A small inverter that runs off your tool batteries can replace many extension cords and will run things like soldering irons/guns for which good battery equivalents are unavailable
• Think about tool storage from the outset.
• Get a fast charger or multi-charger from the outset. It will reduce the number of batteries you need to buy.
• If you use a cutting torch, look at portable oxy-propylene rigs. They are far more compact than oxy-acetylene rigs of similar capability, and while they cannot weld, they are useful for cutting and brazing.

Depends. I am presently a member of a makerspace that has more or less everything you could want but quality varies from one tool to the next. I guess there are some similar yards, but not here.

I also second the Milwaukee set up - the three tools I use most are the 12v worklight, 12 v rt angle die grinder with 2" 3M Roloc pads -red & blue (amazing for cleaning every electrical connection, rebedding everything, small repairs requiring sanding/grinding/polishing). the compact brushless drill/impact driver. 1 charger takes care of all the batteries of the inverter. I also use the (expensive packout wet-dry vacuum everywhere) it is bulky though it makes a useful seat to work from & the hepa filta is easy to use wet/dry to dry bilge where bilge pump drains some back.

[ttex]

Milwaukee Hackz-all. I use this thing so much. It is very versatile.

Large size channel lock pliers.

[Van Der Beek]

If the goal here is to carry what you need, then the tools should all fit inside one or two portable tool boxes IMO. No more than that.

It should basically be a tool setup that's a jack of all trades but a master of none, just good enough for you to make it work until you can get access to a marina.

[hodgmo]

In addition to at least some (maybe most) of the tools listed in previous posts, I wouldn't go for an offshore cruise without cutters that I could use manually to cut any part of my standing rig; don't get me wrong: my 1st choice for that dreaded task would be a battery-powered disc cutter but they are electrical and I sail on salt water….

Another must have on my boat is a band-it tool (and a small supply of SS 1/2" strap and clips). During a crossing I used it to secure a loosening vang bracket to the boom (a temporary fix that I left in place for several years!). The primary reason I carry the band-it is for repairing a downwind pole (trade wind sailing is less fun without one), or to help the jerry-rig needed in case of a dismasting.

Regarding boat yards. In the San Francisco-bay and So-Cal yards I've spent (too much) time in, using the yard's tools wasn't an option. They provide electricity and air lines, and I have borrowed air hose without a problem. So I carry a few basic electric and air tools for yard visits.

[Bowdrie]

Sometimes the "tool" that comes in handy is "something to beat/pound on".
I keep a short section, (a few inches,) of Railroad Track on board.
Some may prefer a little HF anvil, a cheap casting of unknown quality.

[Manateeman]

Big rivet gun, saws-all, two angle grinders, Chapman 90 degree screwdriver kit, several channel lock pliers, led light, orca light. butane torch.
Not tools but great. Plexus, Tef-Gel, annealed stainless rigging wire thick and thin, wax toilet ring, tv magic tape, underwater epoxy
If aluminum boat. Miller inverter TIG and aluminum argon tanks and stainless filler rods. Silver solder, bronze rods.
Pizza bazooka.
Party hats, silly string, firecrackers, beads.
Movies : Jaws, assorted Film Noir, Titanic.
Because you can’t fix everything.
Mark and manatee crew

[Fore and Aft]

wheelerwbrian, I just have a collection of the most basic tools that can undo everything on the yacht and a cordless drill with drill bits. This does for most of the jobs I do onboard. Reading some of these lists I have never needed half of the stuff mentioned. I wouldn't even know how to use things like a radiator pressure tester.
Here in Australia you can buy generic brand power tools fairly cheaply so if I was on the hard and needed an electric sander or jigsaw I would just use it for the job and then leave it in the marina laundry after I have finished with it.
For me it is all about storage space and weight. I have always believed the heavier the yacht the slower you go?
Dugong lover I thought dugongs were only good for eating grass and drinking beer?
Cheers

[roberttigar]

The most important.......BAND AIDS.