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Argonauta
 
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Default opinions sought for full-time cruiser Tools and Spares selection


How about a list of stuff that broke while cruising and tools you
wished you had but didn't...



Other things to have spares /tools for:

1x19 SS cable of various sizes and a swage tool with swages. This can
come in handy for anything from a broken life-line, to emergency
replacement of shrouds, etc.

I always kept some 1/4" thick aluminum, 1/8" copper, and 1/16" and 3/16"
steel on board. With a hacksaw, file, dremmel (with small inverter),
you can fabricate many emergency parts. I had to make a prop key one
time. The aluminum worked great till I could get a real brass one. You
also should have a small clamp-on vice that you can use to hold your
piece while you work.

A dremmel is a very valuable tool to have and will work on a cheap 300W
inverter. A boat yard in La Paz told me that there was no way to remove
an old through-hull that was leaking. They couldn't get a grip on the
outside and there were no gripping keys on it. I used a cut-off wheel ,
and in 10 minutes had it removed by cutting from the inside of the
through hull.

Lots of various sizes of stainless steel screws, washers, and nuts.

Drill bits, copper wire (18 gauge magnet wire), and a hand crank drill
will work under water to drill and sew an emergency patch onto the hull.

EZ out set. I broke a bolt on an engine mount and luckily had an EZ out
set in my tool box. Good luck finding a set when you are in a remote place.

Extra line for running rigging. You'd be surprised at how much chafe
you can get on a loose line in a gale.

Extra blocks heavy enough to be used for anything from lifting a person
or engine, to using a a replacement turning block for the one that
exploded during that gale.

2 or 3 more impellers/filters/zincs than you think you will ever need.

And always, always have at least one complete rebuild kit for any pump
on board -- especially the head.

Argonauta