A boat is nothing less than a small factory. The size and accommodations of your boat will determine how many pumps, switches, valves and fittings it will have. Let's take a look at a typical twin-engine 40-foot powerboat with a generator, two state-rooms, two heads, a galley, a wet bar with ice maker, an exterior shower or wash down, an onboard oil change pump and air conditioning. Doesn't sound too complicated, right? Well, this roughly translates to about a minimum of 21 fluid-handling pumps, 31 valves, and hundreds of fittings! This brief overview of mechanical and electrical systems is not intended to alarm you about your pleasure craft. Once you get the hang of it, you'll be enlightened about the simplicity of your boat and how, with the right tools, you can maintain and repair items using your very own tool chest. Let's divide our tool chest into three groups:

Daily Tasks

• Spanner wrench (Fuel fills and sea strainers)
• Flashlight
• Gloves (good mechanic's gloves)
• Ear muffs (sound deadening)
• Infrared thermometer
• Locking blade pocket knife
• Bottle opener

Emergency repairs

• Day-to-day tools
• Adjustable wrenches suitable for conventional rudder boxes and shaft logs; Allen wrenches or other specific tools required for the various dripless shaft seals (know your needs and provide proper tools)
• Wrenches necessary to secure various seacocks into a closed position. (Some seacocks require tension adjustment to secure an open or closed position)
• Adjustable wrenches or clamps to prevent an inboard shaft from turning if engine power is lost
• Assortment of wire connectors, a crimping tool, various sizes of heat-shrink tubing and a nonelectric device to produce heat for shrinking
• Set of wood plugs to fit various through-hulls and a mallet
• Nut drivers, sockets with drive tool or screw driver for all onboard hose clamps
• Diagonal cutters or electrical pliers with side cutter for electrical repairs and cutting wire bound hoses
• Good set of jumper cables (long enough to reach the most distant batteries)
• Filter wrenches (all required for oil and fuel filters)
• Multimeter (voltage AC/DC, amps AC/DC, ohms)
• Assortment of vise grips,including needle nose
• Stainless-steel brush (toothbrush size meets most needs)
• Prying tools suitable for tensioning belts

Maintenance

• Day-to-day tools
• Emergency repair tools
• Full set of combination wrenches (1/4 inch to the largest required)
• Full set of sockets,extensions and drive tools
• Full set of screwdrivers (Phillips #1, #2, #3 and slotted 1/8, 5/16 and 3/8)
• Miscellaneous pliers and adjustable wrenches suitable for any plumbing repair
• Ball-peen hammer and mallet
• Hacksaw with spare blade
• Set of Allen wrenches
• Fuel-line wrenches
• Injector wrench for diesel engines, sparkplug wrench for gasoline engines.

Ok, now that we have a basic set of tools, it's important to get them organized. Tools are only as good as your storage system. If you can't put your handon a particular tool, what's the point of having it on board? Find a good spot to secure a tool chest, preferably in the engineroom. Purchase the biggest chest you can secure in the area. It may seem more than what you need at the time, but eventually you will use all the storage capacity. A separate portable plastic toolbox or Cordura bag can be used for your day-to-day tools. You can spend just about as much as you want on a good tool chest, but about $250 will buy you a real nice set of drawers.

Reviewing this list,you may have questions concerning some of the suggestions. For example, the infrared thermometer is a handheld, battery-operated device that reads temperature by merely shining its laser at a surface. Locate the engine thermostats to check for proper operation. Check the raw-water temperature at the strainer, at the end plate of the raw-waterpump and the exit port of the pump. Knowledge of the change in water temperature as it progresses through the pump can head off a pump impeller failure. Shoot all exhaust flanges and fittings; an unusually high reading at a particular spot could indicate a hazardous exhaust leak.

There are many uses for this handy tool; shoot the iced-down beer for the coldestone, check your peanut oil before dropping in the fish and check your wife before you tell her you're buying a bigger boat-many uses! You can purchase these from any of the tool trucks such as MAC, Snap On, and Matco or at any good tool-supply company such as Grainger or Sears.

About the time I turned 40 is when I started to rethink my ideology of immortality. A well-fitted, good pair of mechanic's gloves has helped prevent hands from cuts, burns and bruises. It's hard to imagine even Arnold referring to me as "girly man" in my gloves in a hot engineroom. A good pair of quality mechanic's gloves will cost you about $25, but they will last a couple of years if confined to use on the boat. Shop at your local NAPA store for Mechanix-brand gloves or Sears for the Craftsman brand or one of the tool trucks for Snap-On, MAC, etc. The "impact" versions of these gloves aren't necessary-Įand thanks to their added padding, make working more difficult. You want your gloves to fit without extra fabric, particularly in the fingertips. You will be surprised how well you will adapt to working in gloves after a few projects in the engineroom. They clean up well in the washer and dryer, keep your fingernails clean and can even serve double duty around a hot grill as custom-fitted oven mitts.

Each boat has unique requirements when it comes to tools. Mechanicals such as motor mounts and couplings may require the use of two wrenches simultaneously due to clearances, in which case you will need additional tools not supplied in a set. In a cool engineroom, take your bottle opener, the locking blade pocket knife from the day bag and observe every part of the area. Note all parts that would require the use of two wrenches or a combination of wrench and socket tool, short wrench, and long wrench or socket extensions. Will a set of folding Allen wrench set work as well as a single or T-handle? Write down the additional tools needed to complete a well-stocked tool chest. Also, let?Ĵs say you have a situation you are not comfortable with and prefer to hire a pro. Having the right tools on board for your specific boat could help complete the repair in a more timely manner. An example is an injector wrench specific to your motors. And keep in mind any tools that might be needed for your dinghy or generator. You should also determine if metric tools are needed, which is often the case today.

There are varying qualities of hand tools. All too often I board vessels and find a hodgepodge of rusty imported junk in a bucket or a plastic toolbox doing double duty for mangled fishing tackle. Imported hand tools, for the most part, are molded from crude castings, and sizing is often sub-par. I don't intend to sound like a NASCAR interview, but the Sears Craftsman brand offers the best bang for the buck, with a real warranty against breakage. Craftsman has also recently introduced a line of tools specifically made for boaters. The company even has a professional line with a polished finish similar to Snap-on and MAC. You made a sizable investment when you purchased your boat, and I'll bet that's not a chuck steak grilling on the back deck. Investing in the right tools is money well spent and will spare you from aggravation down the road.

Oh, and the bottle opener and pocketknife? Did I really need to remind you to bring the Corona and lime? After all, the product of this small factory is fun! For more informationon any of the tools highlighted in this story, check out www.sears.com, www.snapon.com, and www.mactools.com for a complete listing of products.

*Steve Creel is a professional mechanic, yacht captain, broker and marine service professional. He lives in Tampa,Fla., and has operated services facilities for well-known yards such as Marlow Marine and Longboat Key.