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Tools and Spare Parts

chawakee

chawakee

Robert McCabe
Having just purchased my 1983 Morgan 384,and having never
cruised before I am preparing for next year. Spare parts and
Tools were on my list. Is there any special tools that should
be carried on my 384? What spare parts would be recomended?
Anything else that I may need that with my lack of experience
may not be smart enough to ask?

 
John,
You ask a good question, but a good answer depends heavily on what kind of cruising you'll be doing. If you never leave sight of shore or if you're planning on a 2-week cruise, you can get away with much, much less than if you were planning on crossing the Atlantic and cruising the Med for a couple of years. Maybe you can share a bit more of your plans?
I'm working towards a several-years long cruise myself and will be interested in what others have to say.
Regards,
Jim McEntyre
 
<div>John
My wife and I cruise our 382 in the Northeast usually for a 2 to 3 week cruise and weekends during our sailing season. I keep an itemized list of the tools we carry on board. If you send me your e-mail address and which word processor you use I'll send you a copy of the list. It may help you plan your own tool boxes. Jim
Saildana@aol.com
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<div>Go to the hardware store and get a reaching tool that has a plunger type top and at the bottom, when you push the plunger on the top a clawlike devise extends out the bottom to pick up stuff that you drop into places that you can't reach. Don't know what it's called. This is one of the best $1.00 additions that I have made for my toolbox. Get a set of open end boxes both American and metric. Buy Craftman because they are guarented for life without question. Several sizes screwdrivers philips and slot. Hammer, large and small. Bolt cutters. I'll add to this list as I think of stuff.Capt Robert E
Evening Star
Morgan 38
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<div>John,I carry a standard set of wrenches (metric & US) up to 1 1/4" and 24mm, 2 pipe wrenches for stuffing box, 3" stuffing box wrench for rudder post stuffing box ($14 at West Marine), set of alan wrenches (metric & US), Fealer gages, spare hose in varing dia., 2 spare belts for alternator, assortment of hose clamps, wire ties of varing lenghts and dia.( I use wire ties to seeze my anchor shackles), 2 spare oil filters, 2 spare fuel filters, spare water pump and impeller, distilled water for batteries, assorted plyers and vicegrips, electrical kit and assorted wire and end fittings, Mini-tourch instead of a sordering iron, spare bulbs, spare bildge pump, 12v drill and assorted bits, misc. screw, bolts, nuts, etc.I'm not as organized as Jim. I do not have a prepared list. I do carry one other thing that is handy. I bought a "whole house" water filter at Lowes and plumbed it to fit a std. garden hose. I pre-filter all the water that goes into my tanks. The water at my dock is well water that has been under water from the storm surge from more hurricances than I care to think about so the filter I use includes activated carbon. If your water is good quality then you probably will not want to use carbon (carbon takes out some of the stuff treatment plants put in to protect the quality of the water). Prefiltering the water really helps both in taste and just keeping the crud out of your tanks.Fairwinds & Rum Drinks,Vic Copelan
Oconee 382
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<div>Jim,We are planning on starting out in the great lakes. Probably Lake Erie and Houron next year. My navagating experience has been very limmited. We figured that in the great lakes we'll either hit Canada, Chicago, or at least some where in the US where they speek the language.
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Cruising World or Sail Mag. recently published a list of recommended tools and spare parts to carry. Check it out. A lot of it depends on room you have.
 
John,
Sailing on the great lakes is nice because it means you're relatively close to sources of parts and supplies, therefore you won't have to stock up very much at all. For example, you'll need only enough oil and filters for one or two changes, maximum. You'll only need a couple of fuel filters since fuel is pretty clean in this part of the world (a boat cruising to Mexico will carry a dozen or more fuel filters). I'd think primarily about spares for things that will get you back to port after a breakage, such as spare hoses, fuses, lamps, etc. You won't need to carry things that are seldom used, such as spare rigging. Instead carry a length of high strength line to temporarily replace a broken shroud -- plus it has any number of other uses. Things that move tend to wear out and break sooner than static things, so bring along replacement parts for the things you use the most. A rebuild kit for the head and fresh water pumps, and probably an impellor for the engine fresh water pump, would be a good start. No need for a spare salt water pump since those give lots of warning as they begin to fail. If you've sailed your boat for more than a couple of seasons, odds are you've got a good start on the sort of inventory you should have for near-shore cruising.
Tools are a whole other thing and what you bring depends largely on what mechanical skills you have and what makes you feel comfortable. If you're a diesel mechanic, for example, then a decent set of mechanics tools will probably find their way on board. At a minimum you'll need all the tools that the various spare parts require for proper installation. It's convenient to have a battery powered drill and various sizes of bits, including screwdriver bits. I have an invertor, thus some of my tools are of the 110 Volt variety. A hacksaw and spare blades is a must, plus cable or bolt cutters in case of a dismasting. You may want some electrical repair tools on board too, such as a 12 Volt test light, multimeter, etc. Since you won't be in remote stretches of ocean, you don't need to be totally self-reliant, so a minimum tool assortment is probably fine.
I feel better with a lot of tools around, so I tend to have more than most people need, including myself.
If you plan to go open-ocean sailing later on, a whole new level of preparation, plus many more spare parts and tools are required.
Good luck in cruising the Great Lakes!
 
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