Boating and Sailing.pdf - Moja ladja

276
Part 6: Boating Maintenance
The first tool you’ll want in your basic one-size-fits-all box is probably the venerable
locking pliers, which works both as pliers and a wrench when necessary. Get two of them,
a 9-inch and a 5-inch, and you’ll be ready to tackle most anything.
Crescent wrenches are equally useful. Get a 12-incher, an 8-incher, and a 6-incher, and
you can cover most jobs, down to tightening the nut on your trailer hitch.
Third in your one-size-fits-all box is a slip-joint pliers, about 10 inches long, that allows
you to lock on to pipes and large nuts.
Other Tools You’ll Need
One of the first tools any boater should buy is a magnetic “wand” designed to retrieve
bolts or other tools that fall down into the bilge under the engine. It’s worth its weight in
gold at times, and available at most automotive parts shops.
You’ll also need large and small Phillips-head and flat screwdrivers. It’s a good idea to get
an extra flat driver with a 12- to 14-inch shaft if you own an inboard or stern drive; the
extra reach is often handy in the tight confines of the engine box.
It’s also useful to carry a set of ratcheting socket drives (U.S. or metric, depending on the
nuts and bolts on your engine) in 3 /8'' drive.
A set of hex keys, ideally all fitted together into a single tool like a locking knife, will
often come in handy.
A claw hammer is occasionally useful, as well—fiberglass-handle models give fewer problems
around the water.
Boat Bytes
A tool most anglers will
want is a pair of stainlesssteel
side-cutter pliers.
These are used for making
wire leaders for toothy
species, cutting mono-filament
lines, and removing fish hooks.
Wear them in a holster on your
belt so they don’t get misplaced.
A pair of electrical pliers, including wire strippers and
screw cutters, will pay for themselves dozens of times.
A torque wrench is a tool with a meter for measuring
the amount of pressure put on the bolt or nut being
tightened. Torque wrenches are essential for adjusting
cylinder head bolts because uneven tightening can cause
leaks and/or damage. They’re also a good idea for
installing spark plugs, if you haven’t done it much—it’s
very easy to strip the threads by overtightening.
You can get most of these tools in a fitted plastic kit for
$50 to $80, and the kit has slots so you can always keep
everything in place.