Tools for full time cruising

I'm not new to equipment and boat maintenance and am pretty handy at fixing and fabricating. However, I'm also aware that space is at a premium when living full time on a boat. My wife and I are selling our home/business and most of my tools will be going with it. I'm obviously going to be keeping my tools for doing electrical work and a couple tool boxes with hand tools (wrenches, socket sets, screwdrivers, ect...) and since all the impacts here are pneumatic, I'll be trading up for battery powered tools there. I wouldn't imagine I have any justification for bringing a welder, especially since I'll most likely end up with a fiberglass boat. Other than a cordless drill what else do folks keep on board? Sawsall, grinder, sonic crafter type tools, hole saw? Thanks!

This will keep you busy until the most current answers start popping up:

https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/search.php?searchid=5892267

search > advanced search > "tools" > search titles only

Thanks. Should have searched harder I see. Sorry about that.

Frozen said:

Thanks. Should have searched harder I see. Sorry about that.

Click to expand...

No problem. Even a slope foreheaded, unibrowed, knuckle dragging lout like me picks a few things up over the years

If you really want to burrow to the bottom of the Internet rabbit hole, try...

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q="essential+tools"+trawler&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

by typing your search item, in this case "essential tools" in quotation marks, followed by your search area, in this case trawler outside the quotation marks, then hit enter/return.

Good way to fritter away some time!

It depends on the boat...lotsa wood, hardly any..?

For my 1988 trawler I have tools that pretty much mimick what I had in my house. They take up a huge amount of storage space and space that others may never think if or use as storage space. No stationary tools, but all the portable power ones. Plus hand tools all the way up to heavy equipment repair.

It also depends on if you cruise locally and have dirt type storage or plan on getting some.

Pretty much every hand tool you have ever used around the house or in the garage can come in handy sooner or later.

MurrayM said:

If you really want to burrow to the bottom of the Internet rabbit hole, try...

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q="essential+tools"+trawler&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

by typing your search item, in this case "essential tools" in quotation marks, followed by your search area, in this case trawler outside the quotation marks, then hit enter/return.

Good way to fritter away some time!

Click to expand...

I appreciate your patience. My Google Foo is very weak. If you need to drop a guy off in the wilderness with a boat load of tools and have him build you a home, I'm your guy. However, searching the internet and most other things involving tedious technology is not my strong suit.

Frozen said:

I appreciate your patience. My Google Foo is very weak. If you need to drop a guy off in the wilderness with a boat load of tools and have him build you a home, I'm your guy. However, searching the internet and most other things involving tedious technology is not my strong suit.

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No problem. I was a mild mannered hiker/paddler/boater until a massive industrial project threatened our town/river/coastline, then I became quite proficient at squirrelling around the Internet digging up information.

besides the obvious hand tools I keep onboard:

Vibrating saw/sander
Dremel rotary tool kit
Dremel mini circular saw
mini air compressor
battery operated drill and driver
mini wet dry vac
Heat gun

Frozen said:

I'm not new to equipment and boat maintenance and am pretty handy at fixing and fabricating. However, I'm also aware that space is at a premium when living full time on a boat. My wife and I are selling our home/business and most of my tools will be going with it. I'm obviously going to be keeping my tools for doing electrical work and a couple tool boxes with hand tools (wrenches, socket sets, screwdrivers, ect...) and since all the impacts here are pneumatic, I'll be trading up for battery powered tools there. I wouldn't imagine I have any justification for bringing a welder, especially since I'll most likely end up with a fiberglass boat. Other than a cordless drill what else do folks keep on board? Sawsall, grinder, sonic crafter type tools, hole saw? Thanks!

Click to expand...

SO I figured out what worked for me on a fairly space starved 49' sailboat and now on much more spacious MYs is
~One 24" - 36" tool box with;
~ electrical tools,
~same for mechanical tools
~ same for percussive instruments/saws
~small socket set
~120v drill
~cordless drill & cordless right angle drill

Then 12" X 12" X 2" multi-section boxes compartment boxes for;
~electrical fittings;
~stainless fittings;
~fasteners;
~plastic bits, cable ties etc.

The multi boxes from "the container store" are amazing and have lasted me 16 years with no failures to closures or hinges.

I generally only need to take one or two boxes to a project since I HATE having to constantly retrieve tools.

~A

psneeld said:

It depends on the boat...lotsa wood, hardly any..?

For my 1988 trawler I have tools that pretty much mimick what I had in my house. They take up a huge amount of storage space and space that others may never think if or use as storage space. No stationary tools, but all the portable power ones. Plus hand tools all the way up to heavy equipment repair.

It also depends on if you cruise locally and have dirt type storage or plan on getting some.

Pretty much every hand tool you have ever used around the house or in the garage can come in handy sooner or later.

Click to expand...

Good points and info. Thanks. I'm sure we will buy some land somewhere in one of the areas we frequent sooner or later but I'm in no hurry. To build and operate the facility we have here, where we deal with boats, snowmachines, and both fixed and rotary wing aircraft as well as their fueling needs, I've accumulated lots of "tools". I realize it's a boat so continuous maintenance is a requirement, but compared to the 22 engines I need to keep running and serviced here, (not to mention the lodge and other structures) a boat and tender seem like a breath of fresh air. So, i'm going to avoid anything that adds additional labor if at all possible. Wood is beautiful, but if I can avoid any exterior wood I will. I'll be sure to grab my torque wrenches for sure. (Almost forgot about those. Thanks for making me think of it. It was the reference to heavy equipment. )

I appreciate your input. Thanks again.

Ksanders and Alant, thanks for the suggestions. I genuinely appreciate it.

Hey MurrayM, tried to send you a pm. Doesn't look like it worked. Perhaps my post count is to low. Don't remember if this forum has a minimum post count before PM's are enabled.

Frozen said:

Hey MurrayM, tried to send you a pm. Doesn't look like it worked. Perhaps my post count is to low. Don't remember if this forum has a minimum post count before PM's are enabled.

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The PM worked...I was just away from the computer doing Real Life stuff.

As we are going to close on our house in about a month and packing what we’re keeping and selling the rest, tools have been an issue I’m working on also. We’re also still shopping for a boat. Maybe ‘zeroing in on one’ would be better said. I just sold 6’ of my 12’ of tool boxes. The other 6’ will go into storage with the leftover house stuff and an Alfa Romeo.
When looking at a boat, and in the engine room/s I’m looking at what tools are already on board and comparing it to how long the current owner has had the boat, figuring he/she has kept it well enough for me to consider buying it, and obviously has the ‘correct’ tools I’ll need also. So, I want the box and boxes and all the tools and supplies that are there. And I’ll take pictures at closing of everything so hopefully I’ll know what’s needed, just in case I can’t work into the deal.

An aligned question is where to keep them?

I've got the luxury of a large engine room, soon to be even larger when some gensets disappear. I'm also converting a small cabin into dedicated storage. I'm thinking that I spend a lot more time making and repairing items inside than in the engine bay so I'll make that the toolstore/workshop. I'll be able to squeeze in a small bench and have access for longer items.

What jobs do others spend most time doing and where do they find best to store everything?

Let me know if this is thread drift and I'll repost elsewhere

Cheers

What a question! My experience is you cannot have enough tools.
I think the question is in two parts. Where you plan on cruising. And your competency.
I cruised the eastern Caribbean for 7 years. During that time I took my port engine out twice (120hp Lehman) The first to fit a new oil pump and the second time to change a camshaft and cam followers. local mechanics with the ability are rare. And certainly not reliable. Sit down and write the jobs you think you are capable off. Then make the list of tools required. I carry enough tools to build a boat from scratch. Some table saw, radial saw etc, I buy and sell after i've finished the job. I probably carry 15-20 110vac tools.
Long distance and explorer cruising, the only person you can rely on is yourself. Do the engineering courses for your engines. Make sure you feel competent in stripping any of your equipment, and have the spares to repair and or replace. We carry a plumbing toolbox, a electrical toolbox. 2 large mechanical tool chests. a woodworking chest. around 15 plastic screw box's full of nuts , bolts screws, electrical terminals etc. Spare circuit breakers. Oil , oil and fuel filters, spare fanbelts , Distilled water, And so much more. Luckily I also have a large stand up engine room.

The answer really depends on the boat.

Toting a welder on a plastic boat makes no sense .Likewise to a ton of woodworking tools on a fairly modern boat, no need.

Keep you favorite hand tools, wrenches, sockets, pliers, screwdrivers, etc. Get rid of EVERYTHING else. (Boy am I going to catch "flack" on that statement)

Once you are on the boat buy brand new tools for sanding, grinding, screw pushing, etc. You will absolutely need these but a brand new set of battery powered tools with matching batteries, (which are also new) and a single charging station will be very nice.

pete

Yachtman, GoneDiving, Martin, and Pete. Lots of good thoughts here. A large "spacious?" engine room is one of the attributes I'm looking for while researching different hull layouts and manufacturers. Don't hesitate to throw in additional questions that parallel my original post, as long as it reasonably pertains to the topic at hand it's all informative. Pete, I wouldn't go put your flame suit just yet. That's kind of how I'm leaning. I'm trying to make decisions based off of a boat that is at this point imaginary. As much as I dislike the idea of needing to repurchase tools I already own, whoever buys this place will need them anyway, and then I can make sure what I need to store and pack around is absolutely applicable to the boat itself. I like the idea of purchasing and then selling especially larger cumbersome carpentry tools.

LOL I bought my Nordhavn46 down from Long Island to Ft Lauderdale FL. The condition of the main engine and get home engine was totally unknown to me.
Just incase, I bought a couple pliers, water pump pliers, couple of adjustable wrenches, one straight blade screw driver and one Phillips screw driver. Never had to use any of the tools.
When I settled in my boat slip, I started buying tools...... On the N46 I had lots of room for tools. On the American Tug34, very little room for tools. In the basement, I have 2 tool bags on board and one in the storeroom, I have one small tool box under a step. I would suggest a couple of pipe wrenches too. Now electrical ..... lots of crimp fittings, spools of wire of the appropriate size. Dont forget hose clamps and length of hose for the common dia. hose on board. I have a battery operated drill, 90degree adapter, set of drill bits with extras for the tiny drills and other commonly used drill bits. I have additional battery operated tools in the storeroom, all the same brand so the batteries can be swapped between tool.
What I have discovered is, I use very few of the tools.
Spare FW pump, alternator for the main engine. (someone has recommended a spare starter) Spare impellers for main engine and generator, rebuild kit for the head, belts, filters etc. Spare baskets for the SW strainers.
Try to remember where you put everything too. LOL
Enough oil and filters to do an oil change on the main engine and generator.
More than a few Racor filters for main and generator, 1 gallon diesel fuel to fill up the Racor filter housings

Dont forget a couple of wire coat hangers and long claw gadget to retrieve things you have dropped into the bilges.
That should give you a fair start.

OldDan1943 said:

Dont forget a couple of wire coat hangers and long claw gadget to retrieve things you have dropped into the bilges.
That should give you a fair start.

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Lol. Yes, the first new tools I had to run out and buy when I bought my first “inboard” boat was a couple different styles of pick up devices.

All that I listed and I forgot to mention, gasket material.

A couple of years ago I went from my Dewalt battery powered tools to Ridgid battery tools. No affiliation. But I love that they have a lifetime warranty if you register them online within 90 days, including batteries. I have some fans that run off the batteries or 120 volt. They will run on low for a couple of days. I use the multi tools a lot. Drills and drivers are a must. I keep a couple of each on board. Portable LED lights that run off the same batteries. We have a complete set of mechanics tools, including 1/4”, 3/8” and 1/2” drive socket sets. I have attached Bob Smiths recommendations for tools needed to maintain Ford Lehmans.

As far as stowage...most people wouldn't think of it, but I store most of mine on and alongside of my 2 fresh water tanks that fill most of the room under my queen master berth.

I have what many homeowners have squeezed into the 8 inches above the tank and the spare room all around. Lift the mattress and a piece of plywood and have ready access to dozens of battery powered tools, hand tools, miter box, etc...etc...etc....

Comodave said:

.

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Ah yes, you expand the list even more.....

Definitely a battery-powered Sawzall. One has saved me great heartache a couple of times. I actually wrench, too. Milwaukee has a great line of all sorts of tools. Consider a Fein vibrating tool also. Another must have.

Frozen said:

I'm not new to equipment and boat maintenance and am pretty handy at fixing and fabricating. However, I'm also aware that space is at a premium when living full time on a boat. My wife and I are selling our home/business and most of my tools will be going with it. I'm obviously going to be keeping my tools for doing electrical work and a couple tool boxes with hand tools (wrenches, socket sets, screwdrivers, ect...) and since all the impacts here are pneumatic, I'll be trading up for battery powered tools there. I wouldn't imagine I have any justification for bringing a welder, especially since I'll most likely end up with a fiberglass boat. Other than a cordless drill what else do folks keep on board? Sawsall, grinder, sonic crafter type tools, hole saw? Thanks!

Click to expand...

Yes, my oscillating multi tool has become somewhat of a go-to, largely leaving my sawzall languishing in its bag. Most of the stuff I used to use the sawzall for, the oscillating blade does just as well, with much better precision. Of course if I wanted to cut a boat in half…

Great stuff guys! Very helpful. Even though I have it on the shelf here, I know I'd forget to grab more RTV until I found myself needing it.

psneeld, when you say miterbox, are you toting a 12" compound chopsaw, or an actual miter box with hand saw? Just curious.

I was wondering about at least having the sonic/oscillating tool along. It'd be nice for enlarging holes in fiberglass if need be or other tasks like that.

Does anyone ever find themselves needing to thread pipe? I can think of a time when it wouldn't be either plastic or stainless, but figured I'd ask.

Thanks again for all the responses!

Frozen said:

Great stuff guys! Very helpful. Even though I have it on the shelf here, I know I'd forget to grab more RTV until I found myself needing it.

psneeld, when you say miterbox, are you toting a 12" compound chopsaw, or an actual miter box with hand saw? Just curious.

I was wondering about at least having the sonic/oscillating tool along. It'd be nice for enlarging holes in fiberglass if need be or other tasks like that.

Does anyone ever find themselves needing to thread pipe? I can think of a time when it wouldn't be either plastic or stainless, but figured I'd ask.

Thanks again for all the responses!

Click to expand...

You know, the one thing I appreciate the most, and gets more use than you might imagine is a bench vise. On my last boat I had to remove it from storage, set it up in the 3rd cabin and then clean up my mess and put it all away - I still got use out of it. On my current boat I have a permanently installed vise which I used yesterday, and the day before and last week. So its big and heavy and rusts like a demon if you don't look after it but it has made my list.

AlanT said:

You know, the one thing I appreciate the most, and gets more use than you might imagine is a bench vise. On my last boat I had to remove it from storage, set it up in the 3rd cabin and then clean up my mess and put it all away - I still got use out of it. On my current boat I have a permanently installed vise which I used yesterday, and the day before and last week. So its big and heavy and rusts like a demon if you don't look after it but it has made my list.

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From looking at videos people have done on their boats, I often see a vise mentioned. It seems like a great addition even if you really don't have dedicated space for it. You've clearly found a way to make it work. Have you tried keeping your vise hosed down with some CRC spray of some kind to help fight the rust? Or keep it wrapped in a towel loaded up with any type of corrosion inhibitor? You could use a small action packer to make it easier to store and move without having the lube make a mess of everything it touches. Just a thought.