Instagram icon
Sign in Subscribe
Gear Guides Gadgets & Gear

Tool Bag Essentials

Jason

Jason

— 5 min read
Tool Bag Essentials

There are sooo many tools you MIGHT need on a boat.  It's easy to get swept up in thinking:  I better buy this just in case.  But those three words, just in case, can rule your life on a boat.  Before you know it you're carrying a thousand pounds of (debatably) unnecessary tools, spare pumps, fiberglass matt, paints, old parts that maybe-could be ok, random bolts, wires and plumbing. 

Trust me, it’s not hypothetical.  We had too many spares and crappy old tools on our last boat.  Before I knew it we had filled all the empty bilges, the entire closet in the guest cabin, and the forward V-Berth with extra stuff that we kept just in case. 

I'm not a hoarder by nature, but boat life can be a slippery slope when it comes to preparing for anything and everything.  And most of those "extras" we didn't touch until we donated them after selling our boat.

After 6 years of cruising in our last catamaran I learned some things. 

  • There are only a handful of tools I use often. 
  • With certain tools the brand (quality) really matters and you get what you pay for. 
  • The cruising community is generous and generally people are happy to loan a tool to a sailor in need. 
  • There are hardware stores in most cities around the world. 
  • DHL and FedEx can ship almost anywhere. 
  • And most importantly:  Islanders are crafty, you can always find someone to lend a hand or figure out a way to temporarily fix most problems.

So with that in mind, I'm only going to list the tools that I use the most, or feel are absolute necessary. 

Strippers, Nippers, Pliers, Tethers

We had Knipex on our last boat and they absolutely impressed me.  They are the highest quality tools I'd ever owned and they held up in the salty, humid marine environment.  Look closely when ordering because some tools have a 'tether' option which allows for a quick connect safety line to be attached for jobs up the mast or when you're hovering over the water.  Many of their tools come in standard and 1000v insulated.  Because our new boat is more tech forward we chose the insulated versions which I've linked below.  They have standard versions which are less expensive, but they are built to the same quality standards.  There are other brands that look similar on Amazon, but I can't imagine they are built with the same precision.

Rachets, Screwdrivers, Wrenches...

I first saw Wera tools in Nikki's cousin Matt's garage.  It was love at first site and the quality is on par with my Knipex tools. Wera has some very boat friendly Stainless Steel tools, 1000v insulated tools and compact smart tools that I use for most projects.  And anyone that touches my L-keys is seriously impressed…totally worth the investment :) 

Power Tools

On C1 we had Milwaukee tools.  They were great, I had no complaints with the quality or how long they lasted.  But after sailing a third of the way around the world, I noticed Makita tools were available in every country (even in Tonga).  Most recently, Nikki decided she wanted an orbital sander for waxing 🤷🏼‍♂️ and finding one here in the Philippines, along with a few accessories was no problem.  Makita has a great reputation and they've served us well so far. 

One word of caution if you plan to sail about the world: Choose your brand wisely, for example DeWALT and RYOBI may be huge in the USA, but it's difficult to find their power tools outside of the Americas.

AMP Clamp

I went a little overboard with my amp clamp. I purchased it before the boat was complete and I didn't know how things would be wired.  It's a great AC/DC multi-meter and amp clamp, it's super accurate, has Bluetooth for remote measurements and an iFlex current probe.  It's feature rich, but technically it's made for commercial and industrial electricians. It's above my paygrade and Nikki had a mild heart attack when she saw the credit card bill. But hey, ask for forgiveness, not permission. Right?

Multitool

Kent from Just Catamarans used to give me crap because I always used a Gerber. One day he couldn't take it anymore and gifted me a Leatherman. Just for the record I think they're both great.  However this Leatherman is stainless and it's a tool I keep for quick access and take in the dinghy. Because often it's the only tool I need to get random jobs done.

Butane Torch

Huge fan of dual purpose tools on a boat.  Toast a sweet crème brûlée or melt the tip of a freshly cut line, or carefully melt the heat shrink onto a tidy wiring job.

Infrared Temperature Gun

I use it to read everything from the temperature of our windows in sun, the solar panels mid-day, cold beer, freezer temperature, battery temperatures, engine temperatures, etc.  This little $20 version has worked great for us. 

Endoscope Camera

See up the mast, down tubes, in all the hard-to-reach places.

Flexible Grabber

Surprisingly helpful, the magnet is strong enough to help grab even stainless steel nuts/bolts.

Smart Soldering Iron

I've only used this a couple times, but it is tiny and works like a champ.

Mini Saw

Sometimes I need to cut stuff.  This one is multipurpose and small, but still gets the job done.

This list isn't comprehensive, or everything we have stashed in our workshop, but it covers what I think are the essentials. That said, if there's a tool or two that you feel is a must-have, please share in the comments below.

The links in this gear guide are mostly to Amazon.  We may get a small affiliate commission if you add it to your cart and purchase same day. But the main reason we use Amazon is because it's the easiest way for us to link to most any product and they have "stores" around the world.

Read more