Skip: I sent you my spares inventory off list in a Word document, if your
e-mail isn't spoofed. The most useful thing I have on board is a good
cordless drill. As far as "special" tools, I have one of those big razor
cutters that looks like a big pair of scissors, but with a long razor blade
on one side as the cutter. I use it all the time for hoses, ropes, etc. I
also use an infrared thermometer to take all kinds of temp measurements.
Things like the alternator, each injector on the ME, the shaft log, the A/C
units, etc. I have a HUGE crescent wrench, 24" I think that is worth it's
weight in gold occasionally. A chain type vise grip gets used sometimes;
almost nothing else will do. I also have a strap wrench that gets used
fairly often. I have a Fein multimaster that is great for finish sanding,
working on teak decks, and other things.

--


Keith
__
"My sister's expecting a baby, and I don't know if I'm going to
be an uncle or an aunt."
-Chuck Nevitt , North Carolina State basketball player,
explaining to Coach Jim Valvano why he appeared nervous at
practice, 1982.
"Skip Gundlach" wrote in
message ink.net...
Well, the reality approaches, and while I have a pretty well equipped
landside tools and spares selection ("Dad's hardware store"), I'm curious
what those who have done it would suggest.

It's a 46 foot ketch with a Perkins 4-154 and a Northern Lights 8kw
genset,
both in the "mature hours" segment of their lives but surveyed as sound.
It
has the usual assortment of electrical stuff which I hope to mostly keep
happy with ample solar and some wind generation plus more storage than is
currently (pardon the pun - about 440AH) available, as peace and quiet is
high on my list (vs running engines and gensets). Unfortunately to my
taste, a great deal of the electric stuff is 110, but it's got lots of
inverter capability, so the trick will be to keep power happening (see
solar, etc., peace and quiet, above).

The storage available is pretty good, so space isn't a particular
challenge,
though, of course, every boat has a limit. For at least the expected
first
year, we'll be island hopping, working our way from Ft. Lauderdale or
equivalent to Trinidad or so, and back to our expected Saint Thomas base,
ETD/ETA Nov 04/05.

So, the question is, for a full-time cruising boat equipped as above, what
tools and spares would you bring along? Would you bring specialized tools
(such as some electronic diagnostic/reading stuff) or spares (ability to
rebuild stuff)? If they're not commonly available, I'd appreciate
sources,
as well.

Thanks...

L8R

Skip and Lydia

--
"And then again, when you sit at the helm of your little ship on a clear
night, and gaze at the countless stars overhead, and realize that you are
quite alone on a great, wide sea, it is apt to occur to you that in the
general scheme of things you are merely an insignificant speck on the
surface of the ocean; and are not nearly so important or as
self-sufficient
as you thought you were. Which is an exceedingly wholesome thought, and
one
that may effect a permanent change in your deportment that will be greatly
appreciated by your friends."- James S. Pitkin