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Pete C wrote:

Hi,

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

Mine has that. The most troublesome things are belts that stretch or
slip on the engine driven refrigeration, etc. And the other recurrent
problems are electrical (mostly loose connections), and wear an tear
on the cockpit enclosure causing stitching to rot or give way which
leads to leaks.

When we left on the first trip south, the refrigeration and the VHF
didn't work. We used the old VHF until we figured out the problem
with the new one (inadequate wiring). We used ice until we got the
refrigeration fixed.

The throttle cable broke, and Bob jury rigged one until he could get
to a marina to get a new one.

Various engine gauges lie about what the engine is doing. He uses the
infrared thermometer to ascertain the real situation.

Alternator bracket broke while we were under power and he got it
rewelded and ordered a spare when we got in to the marina.

Depth gauge didn't work because of a loose connection and barnacles on
the transducer.

Water pressure pump broke making the passage offshore from Charleston
to Florida, and was replaced when we got to port.

Bob has rebuilt the marine head and replaced the joker valve at
anchor.

Things that we wished we had which we have now - mast steps. After
the time I cross the lines on the winch (not knowing about the fact
that it doesn't reverse) with Bob about 10 feet off the deck in the
bosn's chair. Not exactly a tool I guess. He also found the bosn's
chair very uncomfortable and now has a climber's harness which is
padded.


Incidentally, Lynn Pardee addresses this in her books (don't remember
which one) but they have a lot more wood working tools than most would
have because Larry does earn cruising money by building boats etc.


grandma Rosalie

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

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

Hi,

Thanks, that's food for thought. The IR thermometer is a good one,
could also be used to check exhaust and alternator temps.

cheers,
Pete.

Hi,

Thanks, that's food for thought. The IR thermometer is a good one,
could also be used to check exhaust and alternator temps.

cheers,
Pete.