The Boat Improvement Bible

If you’re doing improvements on your boat, you’ll need a variety of tools and products. Over the past couple of decades tools have become significantly cheaper. Many can now be found second-hand, too, so there’s no excuse for not having the best tools for each job.

The starting point is a set of hand tools. It’s possible to do any job with these, they will never break down and they won’t run out of power. But be aware that with hand tools a ‘one size fits all’ philosophy never works – a wide range of sizes and types of screwdriver and spanner, for example, are typically needed so that you have one to fit every size and type of fastening on the boat, engine and electronics.

It is worth having your own set of ‘boat tools’ so that you are not always moving all your tools between locations. However, unless you are a professional who uses tools every day, there is no need to aim for professional quality tools to keep on board. For the occasional boat improvement project, budget tools will be fine as long as you keep them in good order.

Proper maintenance of your tools on board, whatever their quality, is vital. Make sure you keep your boat’s interior as dry as possible, either through good ventilation or by using a dehumidifier if mains power is available. And don’t keep tools in a damp locker. It can be a good idea to keep them in stout plastic boxes with a lid, as they will tend to get thrown around when out in a rough sea.

Keep a bag of essential tools you might need for home and work to carry with you while keeping a main set stored on your boat.

Keep tools in plastic boxes on your boat for easy removal when needed. Keep them dry rather than storing them loose in a locker that may be damp.

In addition, all moving parts should be lubricated with a light oil to prevent them seizing up; this will also help to keep rust at bay. Tools should be kept sharp, too – chisels and planes benefit from being kept super sharp, although in today’s throwaway society we tend not to sharpen drill bits or handsaws.

When working with hand tools make sure you have thoroughly familiarised yourself with the tool first. Ensure that the material you are working with is held firmly, ideally in a vice or clamped to something that won’t move. Here are some tips for using hand tools:

Keep the blade sharp – a sharp blade is much safer when working than a blunt one.

Always ensure that a sharp tool is put away safely so that you don’t cut yourself searching for it. Retract the blade if possible as soon as you have finished with it or wrap a protective cover around it.

Even tools with blunt blades, such as screwdrivers, should be treated with caution.

It is essential to keep your chisels sharp, so ensure you have a good sharpening stone and use it frequently. If possible, use a workbench when there’s chiselling or similar work to be done. In either case, ensure the item can’t move while you’re working on it.

Powered tools help speed up progress enormously, as well as removing much of the physical effort required when using hand tools. However, it is important to be aware of the inherent dangers of using mains power tools outdoors.

Safe handling of tools should quickly become second nature, yet many people take potentially dangerous shortcuts. In particular it’s vitally important to keep hands behind and clear of any cutting blade, whether it’s a chisel or an electric saw. Make sure that any item you are working on is held securely before you start drilling, cutting or planing. A portable workbench incorporating a vice, and three or four clamps, should be sufficient for this.

Ensure the mains supply has circuit breakers so that the current can be cut off immediately should any fault occur.

Try not to work in the rain or over water. Extension leads should have all-weather connections to keep them dry.

Extension leads should be fully unwound so as not to act as a heater element by being coiled up.

If the trigger can be locked ‘on’, think carefully before you do so. In the event of an accident it will keep running, possibly with dire results.

If the tool has a safety guard, always use it, even if it seems inconvenient. If you can’t do the job with the guard in place, it is the wrong tool for the job.

Take care with mains-powered tools to ensure you don’t cut or entangle the power lead.

When you release the trigger, let the tool stop rotating before you lay it down. High-speed rotation can cause a strong gyroscopic effect on the tool as you move it, and you may drop it while it is still rotating.

A mains powered drill is a powerful tool and well suited for heavy or repetitive jobs.

A battery-powered drill is useful for light jobs.

A power planer is one of the most useful power tools for working with wood. Be sure to wear eye and ear protection when using this tool.

Angle grinders are useful for working on a fibreglass hull.

It’s also worth considering cordless power tools – most are now available for a modest price from DIY stores. The tools you need will vary according to the type of improvement work being undertaken, but by far the most useful on-board electric tool is the cordless drill/screwdriver. They are low voltage and do not have cables to hinder operations.

Indeed for many projects it’s worth having one for drilling holes, and the other to use as a screwdriver – as this eliminates the time needed to repeatedly swap between drill and screwdriver bits. For a big project consider getting a model that’s sold with two batteries so that you never need to wait for one to recharge.

Next on the list for most boatowners are electric sanders. A good starting point is a standard random orbital sander; although many boatowners eventually collect a range of models, including a triangular detail sander for work in intricate corners. Beyond this, serious fibreglass repairs often require an angle grinder, while jigsaws and circular saws are useful for projects involving woodwork.