Tool kits

ShinyShoe · 02 June 2024, 20:29

I seem to eat tools.

The rib certainly eats them.
You can go up expecting a 5 minute job and 4 hours later you are still rewiring, screwing or whatever.

I never have the right tools with me. And anything left on board dissolves.

Has anyone found a decent box that stops them dissolving (bearing in mind at some point it will get opened in anger with waves breaking over the bow)

And anyone found a "ready to use kit" that actually has the stuff in might need.... ... maybe a motorbike one or something?

Steve509926 · 02 June 2024, 20:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

And anyone found a "ready to use kit" that actually has the stuff in might need.... ... maybe a motorbike one or something?

Has anyone ever found a "ready to use kit" for anything. The one thing I can guarantee is, that the tools I think I need for any job are never the tools I need to complete that particular job!

The tools I take with me on my sib are sprayed with WD40 then wrapped in a cloth which is also sprayed in WD40. A little slippy, but at least they work and are rust free.

Peter_C · 02 June 2024, 22:18

I keep a "Save-A-Boat_Dive" kit in a Pelican case. Seems to be holding up almost two decades later. Keep everything dry and salt free. I prefer to not work on the boat on the water.

ShinyShoe · 02 June 2024, 22:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter_C

I prefer to not work on the boat on the water.

So do I. But sometimes needs must!

ShinyShoe · 02 June 2024, 22:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve509926

Has anyone ever found a "ready to use kit" for anything.

That's true!
I guess the Pedal cyclists have sorted the basics for roadside repairs.

I guess if you were designing a boat from scratch you'd pick on type of fastening. I have of course got posi, Philips, straight, Allan and Machine boots.

Quote:

The one thing I can guarantee is, that the tools I think I need for any job are never the tools I need to complete that particular job!

You sure you weren't working on my RIB today?

Quote:

The tools I take with me on my sib are sprayed with WD40 then wrapped in a cloth which is also sprayed in WD40. A little slippy, but at least they work and are rust free.

I've always assumed that makes it harder to undo the seized screw?
Is your cloth just a cloth or a tool roll?

Fenlander · 02 June 2024, 23:31

OK so mine are just 20hp and below portable outboards but when I first get a new OB to me I go over it and see if I could undo all the nuts and bolts with the standard supplied toolkit. If for reasons of tightness or access that's not possible I look out or customise old spanners to suit (I have a large stock of duplicates). Such as cutting a double ended spanner in half to fit a tight space or grinding the end of a ring spanner to half its thickness to access a nut. Some things like carb nuts can be a devil to get to and for those I carry the correct size 1/4" drive socket, a knuckle if reqd and appropriate length extension bar. If the tickover mixture screw is in a small recess I make sure to have a small stubby screwdriver that fits perfectly. Similarly if there are any Torx fixings I put those tools in the box which is always a rubber seal air/water tight small lunch box.

For holidays or weekends away I have a slightly larger tool set with spares that is also in a sealed sandwich box labelled 'Shoreside".

And I know it sounds a bit nerdy but if water, salt or fresh, gets into either tool box then when at home it all gets wiped over dry with a hint of WD40 on the cloth.

Steve509926 · 02 June 2024, 23:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

I've always assumed that makes it harder to undo the seized screw?
Is your cloth just a cloth or a tool roll?

It can do, but if the screw is that seized I wouldn't be doing on the sib/rib repairs, it would be in the workshop.

"Is your cloth just a cloth or a tool roll" -

That's quite a sore point! My old man had a 3ft square piece of sail cloth (cotton) which probably came from his old man, which probably came from his old man, which was passed on to me along with numerous little tools. Over the years I added to those tools. You know the type of thing, small upholstery hammer, the bent spanner that just fitted that bas...d of a place to undo the nut, the off set screw driver, the specially ground down spanner to fit that ultra thin gap, you get the drift. Some SCUMBAG broke into the back of my truck, in broad daylight last year, and nicked all my tools. Close on £3000 worth with all the electrical tools. Obviously all replaceable (but not insured) apart from the 100 years worth of odds and sods of hand tools that can't ever be replaced, along with the 3ft square oil soaked sailcloth, which will now be buried in landfill.

I now have a new 2ft oil soaked cotton square with brand new bits and bobs of tools. Not the same and I keep finding out what tools I once had, because I no longer have them, but it does the job.

Fenlander · 02 June 2024, 23:42

>>probably came from his old man, which probably came from his old man, which was passed on to me along with numerous little tools.

I'd be fuming to lose that lot. Likewise here I have some interesting one-off stuff. Much missed late father-in-law repaired Spitfires (yes a cliche but true) and other WW2 aircraft from battle damage to get them back in squadron. I have his aircraft tools with loads of little one-off things they made themselves for awkward corners.

In a similar vein I have my late grandfathers woodworking tools from the early 1900s which are in constant use here and well valued. If you want to drill a 3/4" dia hole through an 18" thick timber beam I'm your man.

Steve509926 · 03 June 2024, 00:07

That has to be a hand cranked swing drill? Stupidly I threw away a load of woodwork hand tools when I was a teenager and obviously knew that they were worthless.

Edit: sorry for the thread drift shinyshoe.

smallribber · 03 June 2024, 06:49

Whatever tools you take you need somthing else

spartacus · 03 June 2024, 07:59

I only carry a few tools. I have a box of spares, bulbs, spark plugs, little wire brush and so on in a plastic container, but my actual tools are limited. Draper 12 -piece socket set including the obligatory spark plug socket, large flat head screwdriver if the trim ever decides to bail on me, and a Draper large jaw adjustable claw grip that I really rate. That all goes in a dry bag. I have a cyclists multi tool that has early signs of corrosion, but the way I see it, these are emergency tools. You really don’t want to be stripping something down when the wind gets up.

Nasher · 03 June 2024, 09:04

There has been some good threads on this in the past.

I personally use a Solent plastics box to keep my tools and spares on the boat in good condition. It's got a decent seal on the lid and is very sturdy:
https://www.rib.net/forum/f8/solent-plastics-65496.html

As for the tools themselves:
https://www.rib.net/forum/f8/what-to...ard-34088.html
https://www.rib.net/forum/f8/carrying-spares-28788.html

fastasfox · 03 June 2024, 15:38

I keep a set of cheap tools on my boat in a dry bag along with wd40 Easy start, grease a few odds n ends and a special little set of home-made jumper cables designed to go from an 18v drill battery to the starter motor in an absolute emergency. I haven't had a big problem with rust as yet.....You should see the collection of tools and spare parts I take with me when we go down Cornwall on holiday....more tool's than the AA man lol.

jeffstevens763@g · 03 June 2024, 15:38

Had my tool kit 20 plus years kept in a flare box WD after use no problems

smallribber · 03 June 2024, 15:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by fastasfox

I keep a set of cheap tools on my boat in a dry bag along with wd40 Easy start, grease a few odds n ends and a special little set of home-made jumper cables designed to go from an 18v drill battery to the starter motor in an absolute emergency. I haven't had a big problem with rust as yet.....You should see the collection of tools and spare parts I take with me when we go down Cornwall on holiday....more tool's than the AA man lol.

I can second that about the tools and parts. I just unloaded from out 10 day trip to Devon with the Rib and the oily bag as we call it weighed several KG's. Her indoors could not lift it

Kristoff · 04 June 2024, 12:22

I use a pelicase 1400, that I keep on the boat full time. I have a lid insert that holds a multimeter, punches, torch, tape, wd40, cable ties etc... and the rest of the tools are just thrown in the case.

Works well for me. I've refined it pretty well over the years to only hold stuff that's useful. Spending some money on quality tools where needed has served me well in terms of keeping the box small. Knipex plier wrench and Klein multi driver for example. TBH just those two tools, a knife and a strap wrench would do 90% of the jobs I need to do on the boat or trailer.

Kristoff · 01 August 2024, 16:10

I had to break the tool kit out last week, when my Highfield lost steering. Turned out the hydraulic fitting on the back of the helm had come loose and was leaking fluid. By the time I realised, the steering was virtually non-existent. Anyway, managed to nip it up and carefully nurse it back to port, well down on fluid. An easy fix that could have been done with an adjustable spanner to be honest, but access was tight and I was glad to have the small knipex plier wrench in the kit.

Thought I'd share a couple of photos of the mini tool kit, just in case anyone is interested in putting something like this together. Good to have on board for sure. Doesn't take up much space, and the organisation helps a lot when you are in a hurry.

Steve509926 · 01 August 2024, 17:18

For a minute there Kristoff I thought it was a complete knipex toolkit! I thought "someone's got a bit of dosh to flash in Anglesey"!

Pikey Dave · 01 August 2024, 17:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve509926

"someone's got a bit of dosh to flash in Anglesey"!

Nah!, now if it was Wera kit, that would be different

User name · 01 August 2024, 22:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kristoff

I had to break the tool kit out last week, when my Highfield lost steering. Turned out the hydraulic fitting on the back of the helm had come loose and was leaking fluid. By the time I realised, the steering was virtually non-existent. Anyway, managed to nip it up and carefully nurse it back to port, well down on fluid. An easy fix that could have been done with an adjustable spanner to be honest, but access was tight and I was glad to have the small knipex plier wrench in the kit.

Thought I'd share a couple of photos of the mini tool kit, just in case anyone is interested in putting something like this together. Good to have on board for sure. Doesn't take up much space, and the organisation helps a lot when you are in a hurry.

Lovely little kit you put together there. Ya can't beat Peli cases. Does it still float with the contents in?

I'm a big fan of Knipex too. The little 125mm Cobra is my favourite little tool.