If you could only take one tool out on your cat for emergency repairs and jury-rigging, what would it be?

A hammer! That way it would be easy to scuttle it and collect the full insurance check.

a flat-tipped knife with a serated edge on one side with a slot cut in the middle.

I take my stainless steel Craftsman all-in-one "handy tool" along, which includes a knife, pliers, screw driver heads, etc. Funny how the only times I've needed it, though, are when I've forgotten to bring it along. Why is life like that?

Can a beer keg be considered a tool? Just kidding'

I actually carry a pretty complete emergency tool/spare part kit in my port 6 inch deck port. It is in an air tight tube and weights about 3 lbs. It is loaded with flat/philips screwdrivers, a few bolts, pins, a small ratchet driver and a few ratchets, box cutter, small flashlight, pool (2 part) epoxy, spare drain plugs, ring dings and a few shackles and a few other items.

I learned to carry spares after a shroud anchor bolt snapped on me in the Gulf of Mexico. My friends towed me to an island and I used a spare G-cat bolt to re-rig. Funny enough my friend demasted the next day on a supercat, and with my new spare kit, I was able to provide the needed equip to repair him!

In my starboard port, I have a similar tube with medical gear. band aids, bandages, gauze, hydrogen peroxide, gloves, etc. I learned this lesson the hard way too. I had 2 foot infections last summer from cuts I received on my feet. I time a blister from new beach shoes became infected walking through the muck going to an island. The second time was a small cut I received somehow on my boat but became infected from walking through the water near a protected nesting area (lots of guano in the water).

It is amazing how a small blister or cut can get so serious. I ended up seeing a few doctors, had fevers, getting blood work, and lots of discomfort (actually very painful). I could barely walk and was very unpleasantly surprised how serious it became... all from a blister and small cut.

Little leatherman type all in one tool. Never leave the shore without it. I have fixed many things with that little tool on different boats. Sits in my pocket on my PFD with a 1-2 foot length of 1/8 high tech line. You can fix almost anything (replace shackles, etc) with that piece of line.

I use a rigging knife, but after reading these posts, the leatherman-type tool seems to be the way to go.

One question. I sail mainly is salt water, and no matter which brand of stainless knife I've tried, they all corrode and become difficult to open. What is the best technique / product for cleaning and protecting these tools from this problem?

Mike

Something oil based ? Or silane based surface treatment chemicals. I used "clearshield" treatment for glass, and it works with other polished hard surfaces.

I had all my tools rusting up on me too so i started to use an air tight container ... but they wont fit in a pocket.

They are plastic containers that held chocolates. I think any screw on lid type container will work. Especially if it was ment to keep liquids.

I can't remember the brand but mine has stood up well to the salt water. I usually take it out after sailing if it got wet and rinse it off then splay the parts open so that they dry.

Yes and they all make the same bloody plop as they hit the water so buy a cheap one and expect to replace it often

The Gerber is one of my faves, the jaw action is totally different than the Leatherman, which likes to jam up and leave you with the handles moving, but not the jaw. The SOG is great too, has a bendy jaw you can reach under corners with, both did pretty good on corrosion. I always carry two of whatever kind if I can, so you can hold one end of whatever and twist the other end...

How bad is the emergency?
The no hope, S.O.L. type emergency? One of these:


All others, I really like the Leatherman Wave. I've lost a couple of them.

On my Quad I always had a pack of condoms and a roll of toiletpaper in the tool compartment, I guess I would carry the same on the boat. But the question was for only one...condoms. You can always find something to take the place of toilet paper, right Chris Green? Remember...safety first!

Lee Wicklund/Team Chums

I'd take my Gerber safety knife. There is a slot on the blade that can undo a shackle, the blade is serated and will cut through pretty much anything - probably even a shroud at a pinch. Many things on a cat can be jury rigged using line, but you need a knife to cut it.

And as Lee says, toilet paper is optional - socks can always be sacrificed when the going gets tough.

Chris.

Old style Ronstan shackle key only, tied to the boat near the centreline. It can pretty much undo everything on the boat except beam bolts and we've never had a need for anything else. We've de-rigged once, pretty much completely, in the water with just the shackle key, after breaking a bow off.

Having said that, we never sail somewhere we can't rescue ourselves from, unless there are rescue boats around.

The local twelve foot skiff sailors carry a length of 6mm spectra onboard for emergencies.

Re: If you could take only one tool.....
Wouter?

But then you'd have two! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

This one looks promising, but I'll bet the screwdriver bits and the rasp are not stainless.

Picture


GARY

I LIKE it! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> Who makes it? Where do I find it?