Of course I’m a tool junkie, I’m a guy, I have purchased more tools for my home wood shop than I’d like to admit. There is a personal thrill in using multiple tools that are on hand to correctly finish a project (thereby, justifying the tools purchase).
When we rebuilt our sunken houseboat, there would be many times where shore power was not available so I acquired a plethora of cordless saws and drills, even a cordless miter saw. An additional perk was the houseboats huge storage capacity which allowed us to keep all the building tools on the boat. Weight concerns were never an issue. I could stow all the tools and be underway in minutes.
Now things are different, weight and storage are now a big factor and I’m back to the days of offshore sailing on small boats where you had to decide what was a necessity and what was a luxury. With the exception of a small cordless drill, there are few luxury tools on the new boat, and even less space to store them.
The self sufficiency of cruising on a boat is part of the appeal and has kept all cruisers searching for the correct and best tools, tools that may not be appropriate for a mechanics shop but can serve multiple uses. Furthermore, I have never justified a reason to buy Snap-On tools but will often search out Foreign and German made high quality tools like Wera screwdrivers, twice the price of a hardware store driver but the design and quality allows for a smaller single tool to do multiple jobs.
The first grab in the tool chest
At the top is a hand held temperature meter with a laser pointer. The laser pointer is very handy for checking engine temperatures, a possible overheating outboard, or trouble shooting an engine. A perfect use is pointing the meter at the thermostat housing where you can tell quickly if the thermostat is opening and closing correctly by the temperature reading. Without the meter one would have to take apart the thermostat, heat the element in hot water and see if it opens correctly. This can be a real time saver in initial engine diagnosing. I also use the meter on the hourly engine checks, making a note of different areas like exhaust elbows and mufflers. I’m not sure if this can tell you detailed info but it’s good to have an idea of how hot these areas run.
The safety knife: I probably have 15 pocket knifes, but the one that will be most handy in cutting a line off a prop or quickly cut a line under load is the yellow Gerber. The serrated edge cuts fast and the rounded point will prevent stabbing injuries. The other knife kept onboard is a fixed blade Myerchin straight blade which is good for smooth cuts in lines, and sharp enough to slice through the new synthetic lines like Dyneema and Spectra.
I can’t say enough about Knipex pliers. The quality and design is well worth the price paid. Get one for grabbing pipes and round objects, and the one below for grabbing flat items without scratching.
Wera screwdrivers, top of the line but worth every penny, once you use it you will buy another, the first one extends in length and holds multiple bits inside the handle, the second one is a ratcheting version which is always useful.
Tekton 3/8 drive socket set: What I love about this set is the molded case that is not bulky and the sockets lay in the case without being locked in. I hate a case that takes two hands to remove a socket !!!
The quality is great. I have added a set of short Tekton stuby wrenches with ratchet ends and a stuby 3/8 ratchet.
The Purdy pocket tool! Designed for painting, this has been used for years as a first grab for scraping gaskets off machinery to barnacles off a hull to opining a beer. I have owned a few of these, the most handy multi tool on board.
The “Crescent” wrench made by Channel Lock. I have the 8” and 6” version. Better than the typical crescent, these open to a much larger size than normal, which gives it 5 stars on a small boat.
Ok, a luxury tool is onboard, but how could I pass up such a cool looking saltwater fishing pliers. Lightweight titanium with a holster and leash, I’ll need this when If ever bag a Marlin !!
