Boat Tool Kit Essentials
Even if you only plan on doing day sails on your sailboat, a well-stocked boat tool kit is an absolute essential. But on a smaller boat space may well prevent you from carrying a whole host of tools, so what do we consider the boat tool kit essentials after 3 years of living aboard?
Why Do You Need A Boat Tool Kit?
If you’re wondering why you need a boat tool kit then you probably haven’t spent much time on a boat yet. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you feel about boat jobs!) what they say is true – boat ownership is just fixing your boat in exotic locations!
If you want to own a boat then you’d better get used to trying to fix it in all sorts of situations. Some of our favourites so far include an engine fix underway with 0 wind and huge swell, fixing the head on one of the hottest days of the year, and rigging up several bilge pumps to stop the boat from sinking!
If you are heading out sailing for even just a few hours then never assume that you’re in the clear. Carry a boat tool kit of essentials to get you out of jail in emergency situations – you’ll be very thankful that you did!
Boat Tool Kit Essentials List
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We haven’t included things like engine spares, spare lines, or hoses in this list – it is purely for tools that will enable you to do things like fit spares!
We’ve sorted the list into two sections. A basic boat tool kit essentials list which details what we would consider the bare minimum, for day sails or sailing along the coast where you’ll be able to get home quickly should trouble strike!
And a further list that includes the extra tools we carry as liveaboards, when we often make shorter multi-day crossings, anchor in secluded anchorages avoiding towns and cities or use boat yards to work on the boat ourselves.
Basic Boat Tool Kit Essentials
- Multi-tool
- Rigging knife
- Headlamp
- Mole Grips
- Line, String and Cable ties
- Wooden plugs
- Socket and wrench set
- Pliers
- Screwdrivers
- Tape
Extra Boat Tool Kit Essentials For Liveaboards
- Mask and snorkel
- Volt ohmmeter
- Epoxy
- Bolt cutters
- Sail repair kit
- Splicing fid
- Thread locking fluid
- Battery-powered multi tool
- Clamps
- Hex keys
Top Tip
We found this awesome boat tool kit on West Marine that has so many of the tools we’ve listed included. They come in a really handy storage case that will save you space onboard, and it’s a lot cheaper than buying all the tools separately. Seems like a no-brainer and I wish we’d found it before we bought everything we needed!
Included are:
- 3/8″ drive ratchet handle
- 3/8″ drive x 3″ extension
- 3/8″-1/4″ drive adapter
- 5/8″ spark plug socket
- 10 SAE and metric wrenches
- Sixteen 3/8″ drive SAE and metric socket set
- Twenty-four 1/4″ drive SAE and metric sockets
- Magnetic bit driver
- 50 driver bits
- 5 driver bit holders
- 6 SAE and metric hex keys
- 2 hex key holders
- #2 x 4″ Phillips screwdriver
- 1/4″ x 4″ slotted screwdriver
- 8″ adjustable wrench
- 6″ slip joint pliers
- Wire stripper/crimper
- 40 electrical terminals and Molded storage/carry case
Basic Boat Tool Kit Essentials
#1 Multi-Tool
If you’re struggling for space on board then a multi-tool is a must-have bit of kit. It won’t give you ‘the best’ of each tool, for example, the hammer won’t work as well as a regular hammer, but it will be good enough to get the job done in a fix. A multi-tool like this will only set you back $20 and includes a whole host of tools, including a hammer, needle nose, and regular pliers, a wire cutter, knife and screwdriver set.
Check out the best knives for sailing
#2 Rigging Knife
A rigging knife is a great boat tool kit investment – ours has saved our bacon many a time! Go for a rigging knife with a marlin spike included and keep it close to hand for emergencies. A lot of sailors attach theirs to a belt, we keep ours in a bag on the bimini. It’s always within easy reach! This one from West Marine is cheap and of good quality. Not two words you hear together often!
#3 Headlamp
Even if you don’t plan on sailing at night we would thoroughly recommend you get your boat a decent headlamp. There are so many dark, hard-to-reach spaces on a boat and the last thing you want to be doing when something breaks is trying to get a torch to stay put so you can actually see what you’re doing.
A headlamp gives you light and the ability to use your hands – two really useful assets when trying to fix a boat under pressure!
We’ve written a full guide to headlamps for sailing, but a great mid-range option is the Black Diamond Storm. This is a quality headlamp that can be used for all those dark boat spaces but will also be perfect for night sailing.
#4 Mole Grips
Adam swears he could do pretty much every job on the boat using mole grips alone. He’s exaggerating, obviously, but this love affair with his beloved mole grips does stem from the fact they’ve got us out of many, many tricky situations.
Some people will say we’re heathens for not using spanners and socket sets, but honestly, who has time for all that in an emergency!? Get yourself some mole grips and you can thank me later!
#5 Line, String and Cable Ties
Keep line and string onboard for all sorts of reasons. Line can make a great tool for many emergency jobs on the go. Even just having some string around to tie tools to yourself while you’re hanging over a deck is something you’re bound to use it for, as well as the obvious jobs like tying things down in a blow.
Cable ties are cheap, easy to store, and can be used for a range of purposes. It’s well worth having some of these lying around onboard and you’ll be amazed by what you end up using them for! They are a great substitute for string if you find you’re lacking and you can even use them to replace a jubilee clip in a pinch.
#6 Wooden Plugs
These come high up on the list for me now after nearly sinking the boat! Wooden bungs have a very obvious purpose, to stop water from getting into the boat through a hole. The best practice is to keep appropriate-sized bungs next to each through-hull just in case.
If your bilge is wetter than you’d like then you can get plastic bungs that won’t soak up the water. The only trouble with these is that they won’t expand as they get wet to create a better seal.
#7 Socket and Wrench Set
See above for the perfect toolset that includes a socket and wrench set big enough to suit most needs.
We use our socket and wrench set mostly on the engine, but there have been times we’ve needed it for other things too. It’s an incredibly useful tool and you’ll almost certainly need a set on board at some point.
#8 Pliers
Grab yourself a few different pairs of pliers to keep on board. We use them all the time for unexpected things, like jammed lines or even just to fish things out of small spaces! It’s amazing how handy these things can be. We find the needle nose pliers get the most use.
#9 Screwdrivers
Flathead and Phillips screwdrivers in a couple of sizes are a must have in your boat tool kit. Adam curses me for doing it, but they’re super useful for unusual purposes too like prying things open. You’ll find a good assortment in the boat tool kit listed above, or you can take just one of each if you’re trying to save space.
#10 Tape
Carry a range of different types of tape with you when you head off sailing. It’s a great tool for patching things up or joining things together. As a minimum we would recommend a role of electrical tape and duct tape. It’s amazing how useful such a simple thing can be!
Extra Boat Tool Kit Essentials For Liveaboards
#1 Mask and Snorkel
This should have perhaps made it onto the basic essentials list. A mask and snorkel might seem like an odd thing to include in an essential boat toolkit but it really does have more use than just enjoying the fishes! Unfortunately, not all problems on boats occur above the waterline.
A wrapped prop or rudder can be fixed much more easily and quickly when you can see what you’re doing.
#2 Volt Ohmmeter
If your electronics or electric appliances aren’t working Âproperly, then they may not be drawing enough current from your battery. Use a volt ohmmeter (or a multimeter) to find your current leak or short. Having one of these devices on board will potentially make the difference between a simple at anchor fix or a trip to the nearest marina to pay a professional a lot of money!
#3 Epoxy (and fibreglass repair kit if on a fibreglass boat!)
We always carry some West System epoxy onboard. It’s like super glue on steroids and will work with a large range of materials, including fibreglass repairs. This handy little tube is the perfect thing to keep onboard for emergencies, as you won’t need to worry about ratios or pumps.
#4 Hacksaw or bolt cutters
We actually count our bolt cutters as part of our emergency/safety kit, but thought they were important enough to deserve a mention here. You’ll find lots of uses for them I’m sure, but the main reason we carry a pair of bolt cutters in an easy to reach cupboard is just in case we lose our mast.
It’s a horror scenario that would be made even worse if we didn’t have the means to cut the rigging and free the mast.
#5 Basic sail repair kit
Hopefully this is yet another thing on this boat tool kit essentials list that you’ll never have to use, but just in case you’re sailing offshore and the worst happens, have a basic sail repair kit on board. A stitch in time saves nine as they say! And sail repair kits are super small and easy to carry on a smaller boat.
If you don’t think your stitching skills are quite up to scratch then sail repair tape will do until you can get somewhere for proper repairs.
#6 Splicing Fid
Until recently I didn’t realise just how useful it is to be able to splice lines. 50% of a polyester rope’s strength is lost in a knot and this rises to an incredible 70% in a Dyneema® rope.
Being able to splice line quickly has some real benefits, so make sure you get a splicing fid and start practicing now. Once you work out how to do some easy splices you’ll be hooked!
#7 Thread Locking Fluid
Designed to lock and seal threaded fasteners and prevent loosening from vibration, thread locking fluid can be a sailor’s best friend! This stuff protects threads and prevents from leaks, rusting, and corrosion and eliminates the need to stock up on expensive lock nuts and washers.
#8 Battery Powered Multi-tool
Of course, this is a bit of a luxury to have onboard but after spending our first season without one and our second with one, I can honestly say it’s one of the most used tools on the boat (after the battery powered drill-but that’s just because we’re lazy!)
You can use this tool for so many purposes, but obviously it does have a limited life before the battery runs out so you can’t use it for too long.
#9 Clamps
We use our clamps for a lot of purposes. The obvious – when we need to clamp two things together to dry. But also for more obscure reasons, like to engage our auto-pilot broke (don’t ask!) They’re a great thing to have onboard and are lightweight and easy to store.
#10 Hex or Allen keys
This is another item that’s included in the tool kit we talked about above, and super useful for lots of random bots of boat equipment. If you don’t have the right hex key then you’re not going to get very far tightening or loosening your screw!
More Food For Thought
Hopefully that’s given you a little boat tool kit inspiration! You will also want to think about keeping some of these essential maintenance must-haves on board just in case.
- Engine manuel for your model
- Outboard engine manuel
- Complete sailboat maintanence manuel
- Mechanical and electrical manuel for boatowners
- Sikaflex 291 (marine grade)
- WD40 (We use this for everything!!
- PPE (gloves, dust mask, goggles and overalls if you plan on getting messy!)
Top Tip: For haul out work like anti-fouling, buy your equipment there and then (you can get it delivered to the yard if there’s no (or expensive!) chandlery on site.
You’ll want a heavy-duty dust mask with spare cartridges,gloves, roller and tray, paintbrushes and pots, and whatever you intend to use to scrape off the anti-foul. A lot of it can be thrown away before you set sail again.
It’s a VERY nasty job and honestly, even on a very limited budget, we would be tempted to pay the yard to do it professionally for both the environment and our health. So before you get stuck in just enquire about prices!
Let us know in the comments below if you include any other essential boat tool kit items in your tool kit or if you found this article useful. We always love to hear from you!
It’s helpful to know what kind of tools we’d take with us when sailing in a boat. My dad and uncle bought a boat last month, and it’s about to arrive. I believe they’ll benefit from putting together a tool kit before they take the boat to the sea, so I’ll recommend they follow your advice on carrying epoxy onboard for fiberglass emergencies.