Tool kit list

[dolphinchaser]

Hi All, I am renovating my Jeanneau 49. I mostly due coastal cruising. I want to re-do my tool kit. Does anyone know of a list of suggested tools to carry aboard?

Many thanks,

Dolphin Chaser

[Zanshin]

The J49 has sufficient room for tools and a lot of spares. While I do more cruising in areas where I need to be able to do repairs and thus have a more extensive list of tools than you would need, I did receive some advice about tools which I took to heart: If you haven't used a tool in (1,2 or 3 years - your choice) then get rid of it. I changed the method a bit, I now have two tool boxes. One is for my recently used tools and the other for items rarely, if ever, used. I've found that the bag (yes, a heavy cloth bag) with the recently used tools is pretty small compared to the big box with the other stuff.

Apart from the full set of screwdrivers (including small watchmaker ones), adjustable spanners, socket sets (both imperial and metric), hex-keys (again, both standards), Torx drivers I have magnet-on-a-stick, mirror-on-a-stick, hammer, magnifying glass, small and large flashlights, full set of dentist picks, 3 sets of pliers and a small cheap multimeter with electrical tape.

I have a full electrical kit (good multimeters, soldering tools, connectors, crimpers, etc.) in another box and the big tool box has such things as a huge spanner (needed when I changed out the heating element in the water heater), rubber mallet, saw and blades. Then the more specialized tools like oil-filter wrench, circlip removers and the like which don't get much use, but haven't reached their shelf-life limit yet.

There's also my favorite toolbox, which is my splicing kit that has everything you could imagine for splicing line and nothing in there gets discarded...

[Don Reaves]

Since my SO35 is much smaller than Zanshin, my approach is to leave unusual tools home, but I like his two-toolbox approach.

Aside from the basic things Zanshin mentioned, I have a rig tension gauge plus a drill and a good set of bits. For oil changes, I have a funnel and an oil change pump.

[jy51]

Dec 26, 2020 1:31:20 GMT dolphinchaser said:

Hi All, I am renovating my Jeanneau 49. I mostly due coastal cruising. I want to re-do my tool kit. Does anyone know of a list of suggested tools to carry aboard?

Many thanks,

Dolphin Chaser

Yes....everything barring the kitchen sink!  Joking aside, this is a very personal subject and every sailor will have his own ideas based on the kit he has to service on his own boat.  But start with spare oil, oil and fuel filters and water pump impellers, and of course the means to change them.  After that it’s as many tools and spares you can comfortably store on the boat.

[Zanshin]

I forgot to mention various boxes - I have an oil change pump with tubing as well as a big Dremel kit and an electric drill and electric Sander and some huge bolt-cutters, too But I tend to be old-school and have a manual drill (which sucks compared to an electric one, but it doesn't need power) along with chisels and even a wire-saw which could double as a garrote. I even have refrigerant and a pressure-gauge system for the fridge and A/C, but those are non-critical systems and aren't even close to being on a list for coastal cruising...

I keep a list of all my tools and ALL of my spares in an Excel sheet with many tabs, the sheet contains not only the item name, quantity, date-of-purchase but also the location of everything (e.g. "forward port guest cabin sole", or "main cabin stbd settee, forward section") because it is so easy to forget what you have and where it is when under stress!

All all honesty, I think that some system of triage to weed out unused tools is important in any size boat, and keeping a written list of items on board and spares can be life-saver in troubled times.

Oh, I forgot to add an "impeller-puller" to the list of tools. The engine impeller has a tendency to fail when you really need it and the puller makes the process go a lot easier. Unless all the tines have broken off, which makes the impeller easy to pull - but means you need to access the heat exchanger in order to collect all those broken bits of plastic. Luckily that usually only requires a simple wrench, but you need to be a contortionist to get at it

[dolphinchaser]

Thank you all. Your comments have been super-helpful. I really appreciate it.

Now off to the hardware store. :-)

Dolphin Chaser

[wildfire]

I would add a pair of digital vernier callipers, incredibly useful for checking thread sizes, shaft and pipe diameters etc. Less than £20 in the UK. 

[Charlie-Bravo]

I attempt to keep tools on board that can get me back up and running should electrical or mechanical problems arise , which could be fixed at anchor or whilst still sailing along, everything else stays at home and gets taken to the boat as projects dictate.
The actual tool list will depend on your boat and also your electro mechanical prowess.

I figured out which tools were going to be needed ( but I seem to keep adding tools and extra 'might come in handy' bits and bobs) and purchased replicas of my home shed tools, the storage is though different, at home a large tool chest with many draws, and wall boards ,  on the boat I use a selection of tool rolls, these I find better than tool boxes, they keep the tools organised, each tool has its own home and is easy to find, with tool boxes the tool I need is usually hiding at the bottom of the box and I end up with tools all over the place.

Tool rolls don't seem to slide about on deck, they are soft and don't knock into things, they are also smaller for the ever growing quantity of tools, and the tools don't ever jingle jangle or crash about from one tack to the other.

I did make a small error with my tool rolls, so excited was I at finding just the right size and quality I purchased 4 ,  all the same, absolutely identical , so had to add colour strips so I know which one was which , apart from that they are great and I will not be going back to boxes,
The only tools that don't fit in the rolls are the bolt cropper ( which might get replaced with a lithium angle grinder) and stilsons so they have a cloth tool bag into which all the tool rolls go.
Happy tool shopping.
CB

[dolphinchaser]

Thank you so much for these insights. Really helpful.

Dolphin Chaser

[rxc]

One suggestion. Buy 6-point sockets and wrenches and avoid 12 point, if you can. You might think that 12 point gives you more flexibility, but for some nuts, 12 point will not bear properly on the flats, and you will end up with rounded nuts.

[julestools]

Dec 26, 2020 1:31:20 GMT dolphinchaser said:

Hi All, I am renovating my Jeanneau 49. I mostly due coastal cruising. I want to re-do my tool kit. Does anyone know of a list of suggested tools to carry aboard?

Many thanks,

Dolphin Chaser

ahhh tools...my favourite subject


a teng socket set - excellent quality with everything in its place - its got 1/2 and 1/4 drive sets in there plus spanners and screwdrivers 
an extra set of spanners - often need two of the same size me thinks
wera kk20 screwdriver - small and compact for the chart table with nearly everything on it to do most tasks
long nose pliers and a good adjustable, a strap wrench for the filters and a set of water pump pliers 
magnetic flexible grabber with a light in the end too....good for fishing cables and dropped bolts from difficult areas
magnifying glass with a light(!)
folding bolt croppers - saves space
bosch 10.8v/12v drill in a soft case (saves space) with a range of drill and screwdriver bits (they have new one now with various angle heads etc)
dremel 10.8v (takes same bosch batteries) in a soft case
bosch 10.8v torch/lantern (same batteries)

also a selection of 316/a4 stainless self tapping screws, bolts, washers, shackles etc alongside the essential engine and other spares

I'm going to add the 10.8v sander/multi tool to the kit when the jobs come up and possible their mini grinder ...all quality compact kit and on the same battery platform

owning a tool shop helps btw 

[dslittle]

I am in the unfortunate/fortunate position that my boat is now ‘abroad’. This means that ALL of my best tools are on board and I now find myself either borrowing or buying new tools as I need them at home... Additionally I have spare tools ‘just in case’. If I apply Zanshin’s three year rule - my boat would probably float a foot higher in the water!!!

[dbostrom]

Hacksaw, vise grips. Channel lock pliers are often very useful as well. A pair of small (to fit in roll/box) reversible bar clamps (the reverse feature comes in handy surprisingly often). 

[michaeljh1965]

I read your advice and realized that it's time to update the repair kit))