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As all boat owners are probably aware, merely owning the boat is the introductory base goal: Next, if you don’t want the thing to collapse gently around you and in the end sink, you have got to keep it in good order. In other words, you have to maintain it. Usually, the end result is that the boat stays safe and keeps going, a bit like your car. Whilst the word ‘maintenance’ is synonymous with ‘work’ there is commonly the hard way to approach it or the easy way. The hard way is to grovel around in the dark, without the proper gear, using a kitchen knife to try to undo a screw that has been screwed tight sufficient to stop the undercarriage dropping off a Jumbo jet! This will not do. We have to be totally prepared for most scenarios and this is where a bloody good logical, sensible, onboard tool kit comes into the picture. I might add here, the special and significant stress is onboard. Not under any circumstances, to be taken ashore, to double up as gear for fixing the lawnmower or, God forbid, the fridge. This important ‘piece of equipment’ may save you and your boat at a great deal of point in the future so it ought to always be at arm’s reach, night and day, a friend in need, as it were. If you were to take any two boats in a marina and do a spot check on their tool kits you may be in for a shock. All owners appear to have differing priorities when it comes to D.I.Y. onboard. Remember too, we learn as we live. If you see something that might save your bacon on a terrible night, buy it and add it to the stash without a second thought. SOME BASICS (NOT NECESSARILY IN ORDER OF PRIORITY!) Lighting – A rechargeable torch from someone like ‘Kambrook’ with thousands of candlepower units that may light each corner with stunning brilliance…even in daylight. More lighting! – A ‘miners lamp’ type of headset torch may leave the hands free even in rough weather for tricky jobs. Knife – A good sharp knife is a must. It matters not if the blade folds or is open, as long as it may cut well. A device for sharpening the blade is a must, like a Swiss tungsten steel ‘Istor’ for example (To be found in good hardware stores). Scissors – In fact various dissimilar sizes, a good deal of throwaway, some good steel, they come in handy for all sorts of things and cut wire in a pinch. Pliers – I like electrician’s heavy-duty, insulated handles with cutting blades made from good steel. They are costly but invaluable. A good back up are needle nose pliers at least four inches long. Screwdrivers – Every one has a screwdriver on board, don’t they? Trouble is, they are always too long, too short, bent and covered in grease or paint. Get a full-boxed set, flat bladed and Philips head and make sure they are at least ‘Stanley’ quality. Some people like reversible bladed types but beware the ‘Taiwan terrors’ that melt on contact with a screw head. Oh oh! Don’t forget a little set of watchmaker’s screwdrivers for those maddenly tiny screws that live in the back of electronic gear. Hammers – Four dissimilar hammers are a priority. A nylon/rubber headed type for inflicting blows without damage, a little ball peen ‘toffee hammer’ type and a pointed ‘ice pick’ or welder’s hammer for rust and scale. The last is a good heavy sensible hammer for severe thumping when required. Vice Grips – Two pairs, one eight inch, good quality stainless and a little pair of needle nosed type for awkward corners. Don’t be tempted to buy cheapo here, you will always regret the decision later. Wrenches or adaptable spanners – Two or three types necessitated here. Cheapos wear quickly and grant play to demolish the keeping quality of these tools. Two roughly the same size grant a nut and bolt to be undone. One genuinely huge one is handy for unexpected jobs such as loosening a tightening the gland nut on the stern tube or even the prop nut. Drills – Two types here. One a cordless drill with a charger. Always use a keyless chuck. A drill without a chuck key is when it comes to as useless as the Titanic with an outboard motor. Note: If you have a cordless drill that the battery has passed from physical life on, you may revive it by soldering two wires, positive and negative, onto the two battery terminals inside the drill handle. These wires may integrate two alligator clips and be attached to a battery and the drill be used anywhere. Ensure the leads are at least a metre long. Finally, a decent set of metal twist drills with at least two spare little size drills must finish the set up for drilling. You can, if room allows, fetch a hand drill for emergency use. Spanners – It always seems like you have never got sufficient of the things. Ring spanners, metric and imperial, good quality, on a folding roll. Electrical nylon ties – What a outstanding invention these things are! Ensure you have various sizes from 30 cms to 5 cms long. They are lifesavers for just regarding each occupation where things need to be secured either permanently or temporarily. A quick snip with the pliers frees them instantly. I in truth invested five bucks on a packet of ‘re-usable’ ones but the ones I purchased from Bunnings actually work loose… a great idea, but no cigar this time! Adhesives – Several types are a must. Super glue tubes, at least two or three. A tube of silicon or similar. Also a tube of 3M 5200 marine glue. I have likewise found that the two-pack waterproof epoxy all intention ‘knead it’ by Selleys is superb for all kinds of quick repairs. Especially in wet areas, it will even heal underwater… a must! (Note: They have various in their ‘knead it’ range so make sure you get the one that states AQUA for wet areas). Tape – Masking tape, electrical, brown parcel tape and self-amalgamating tape for those ‘must be dry’ jobs. Axe – A good axe for severing ropes, cables and breaking free in an emergency. Lubricant – A may of grease and a may of moisture displacing lubricant like WD40. Also a little jar of petroleum jelly for such jobs as reluctant ‘O’ rings and hose pipes. Hose Clamps – A plastic box bull of respective size stainless steel hose clamps… as a great deal of as you may afford. Electrical necessaries – These may be some and varied but you can’t go defective with the basics. Good quality electrical connectors and crimping tools compensate huge dividends in the long term reliability. A good pair of ‘side cutters’ with insulated handles for all size cables is also indispensable for quick and effective repairs. Red and black electrical cables (different amperages) and the means to solder them is actually important, exceptionally if cruising. A little butane or propane soldering torch (refillable) is advisable. Don’t forget heat shrink tubing for waterproof joins and it is in truth primary that an electrical ‘multimeter’ be purchased and a good book on how to distinguish and fix onboard electrical problems. (Don Casey’s book on boat electrics called ‘Sailboat Electrics Simplified’ published by International Marine – McGraw Hill available from Boatbooks, (Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne would be a good guide). A working cognition of how to grasp and fix basic electrical errors could be the divergence amongst disaster and success on any offshore trip. Also, don’t forget the soldering wire, self fluxing is good for fast, effective joins. Today we are lucky to have access to actually good cheap 240/12 volt invertors to run your power tools. The popular power tools may be carried onboard but we won’t go into too much detail in this article in regards to what to carry. Number one on my list however, would be an angle grinder/sander. Hardware – This may vary enormously but must incorporate a heap of of the following: · Stainless wood screws (assorted) · Stainless nuts, bolts and washers (assorted) · Stainless split pins (assorted) · Spare little size drills · Fuses (if applicable) · Bulbs for lights and torches · Files, metal and assorted (needle files too) · Iron or steel wire · Plastic spring clips (large and small) · G-clamps (assorted sizes) Before you begin writing…..I recognise that each and each person may have priorities but I have left to the very end two additions to the above so they may stick in your mind. One is a total must, the other a luxury, but nevertheless, worthy of note. The sheer will have to is a set of severe bolt cutters for disengaging fallen rigging along with a good hacksaw and blades. The luxuriousness item that I love above all is my variable speed, Ryobi and Bosch grinder and sander. I may say they have saved me more time and effort sanding, cutting and repairing boats that I care to think of….. Your onboard tool kit is more than a convenience, it is a total number one priority to be treated with respect and care. Ask a mate of mine, Kenny, who foolishly balanced his tool kit on the coaming whilst he unlocked a hatch after a break down at sea. After realising what the huge splash was, Kenny drifted for two days until he was came upon by chance. Kenny (whose box of tea bags went down with the tools) ruefully recalls that “Most people don’t grasp you may get fifteen cups of tea from a applied tea bag”….. Personally, I think he was lucky, very lucky! 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