A Tour of Our Tools on the Boat

You know, it’s kind of random to us, the questions people ask that we don’t even think about anymore. Like, what tools do you have on board? Luckily for you, that’s a question I can answer.

On the boat, we have what I would organise into three different types of tools, so let's go through those three groups!

The ‘Normal’ Tools

These are the ones that live in a tool bag, tucked away but still within reach in case something happens and we need to grab something.

Pretty much the basics:

• Screwdrivers (from every corner of the world… including one from a poor electrician who left his behind)
• Spanners / wrenches
• Pliers
• Vice grips
• Callipers
• Hammer
• Allen keys
• And other common-use tools

For general jobs, this is all we need… but boat jobs rarely end up being general, so we have other tools too.

Still, always have the basics ready and in relatively good condition (not so rusty that they don’t work). You never know when you might need them.

Power Tools

Yes, we have power tools. They’re battery-powered and definitely needed every now and again. We’ve had them for years and even flew them across the world when we changed boats because we knew we’d need them and saw no point in buying new ones.

A note here: We always aim to have the batteries charged so that in an emergency—like the mast coming down—we can use the tools to cut the stays. Or, like in our recent crossing when we lost a rudder (read about that here), cut pieces of wood and bolts.

So, what power tools do we have? There aren’t many, but we’ve rarely wanted anything more:

• Grinder
• Circular saw
• ‘Dust buster’ vacuum
• Two drills
• Jigsaw
• Small Dremel
• Unpredictable multi-tool

They live in a cupboard down in Finn’s room, and every now and then we pull them out and are super thankful to be able to quickly cut that piece of wood or sand down that plastic shim… you never know.

Also under there, we keep a few other things:

• Sikaflex — whether it's 5200 or 295, we usually have a rough supply of it
• Sandpaper — 80 grit and then finer from there. Not much, but great for surfboard repairs
• Engine oil… but that’s a whole other post

Random Tools

Okay, so there are some really random—and not so random—tools that we have. I’m trying to find the line between tools and spares, so bear with me here.

The ‘tool shed’ on our boat is a complete mess. No matter how many times, or who tidies it, it’s a mess. But it’s a mess that almost always holds the answer when you’re stuck on a problem with the boat. When we figure out a way to keep it organised we'll let you know.

So, what does this cupboard hold?

Great question, really. I’ll do my best (it’s a long list):

• Paddlepop sticks (or popsicle sticks)
• Nuts and bolts — we keep a range, hoping we have something that will work
• A claw-puller thing that works great for fixing our watermaker
• Spray paint
• D-shackles
• A few spare sailing blocks/pulleys
• Super glue
• Tubes of grease
• Gelcoat
• Kiteline/paracord
• Long measuring tape
• Level
• Drill bits
• Thin watermaker pipes
• Lots of other small things that are more specific to our boat

Like I said, this is a wild cupboard! I know those items were mostly focused on repair gear, but we often use them for fixes and as tools anyway.

• Head torches
• Epoxy repair gear and fibreglass
• WD-40 and other lubricants
• Two-part epoxy stick
• Paint brushes of various sizes
• Many different rolls of tape
• Rivets and rivet gun (had to use this several times on our boom)
• Volt meter 

Yes, those are kind of basics too, but now you know.

Final Thoughts

This is my best tour of our boat tools. Maybe not in full depth, but definitely a look at what we always have on board.

The thing is, on a boat, your tools are really related to the boat itself. For example, our watermaker needs a claw-like tool, so we have a claw-like tool. Or, to fix our saildrives, we need a 27mm socket wrench, so we have one.

The list goes on and on. There are so many things that end up being specific to your boat.

My point is: have the basics, and then know that you’ll have to get the tools that work for your boat.

Hopefully, this has given you a good place to start though! If you don’t know what some of these things are, once you live on a boat, you most definitely will.

Have questions, ideas, or thoughts on this subject? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear them.