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Recommended spare parts

The following are a bare minimum of spares for running repairs.

- copper washers to seal bleed valves on a diesel's fuel filters and fuel pump as they should be replaced every time they are unseated
- crimp connectors, butt and terminal type, 12 & 14 gauge wire
- Bostik Dri-Cote is a lubricant for cutting tools that is apparently virtually indistinguishable from McLube. Use it for luff grooves, sail slides, etc. It's about 1/4 the price of McLube.
- drive belts for alternator, fresh water cooling pump
- duct tape
- electrical tape
- fuel filters, primary & secondary
- gaskets for water pump and carburetor
- gasket compound
- heat-shrink tubing
- fuses appropriate for engine panel
- fuses appropriate for DC panel (if used)
- hose clamps (selection)
- impeller(s) for motor water pump
- motor oil
- miscellaneous fasteners
- miscellaneous line
- miscellaneous wire
- needle, sailmaker's palm and whipping twine
- penetrating oil
- rigging pins & rings
- sail tape
- shackles
- sealant
- spark plugs, points, condenser for Atomic 4
- starter switch for Atomic 4 instrument panel (prone to failure as they age)
- Teflon-based marine gel lubricant
- WD-40 or in the US only, 3M Spray Penetrant (Universal sailor's remedy: if it's supposed to move and it doesn't, WD-40 it; if it moves and it shouldn't, duct-tape it.)

...And 2 tool boxes – one to keep your tools in, one to keep your spares in (plastic ones are inexpensive and don't rust or scratch surfaces). If things are rattling around loose, they'll get dirty or damaged. Ziploc freezer bags are ideal for things like filters or electrical parts that you want to keep particularly clean and dry.

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Damage control

A limited selection suitable for coastal/Great Lakes waters.

It's probably just as important to think seriously about dealing with emergencies as it is to have emergency gear. For instance, the cockpit drain hoses on a 27 are internally wire-wound and tough, so they won't split easily, but if they did split and you couldn't close the seacock, you'd have to cut the hose away before you could put a plug in your seacock from inside. How would you do that?

Visualizing a problem and a solution is said to lead to a propensity to act when action is required and helps avoid situations like this sinking: a C&C 30 sank in Lake Ontario a dozen or more years back and the people on board nearly died of hypothermia. The owner, an experienced sailor, acknowledged that he panicked and never attempted to locate the source of the leak in the half-hour it took for the boat to sink.

- wooden plugs for each seacock plus a mallet and seizing wire to secure plugs once they are in;
- epoxy-impregnated tape (from plumbing supply houses – will patch a leaking pipe or hose even when wet).

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How good should your tools be?

You may feel that you don't know how to use some of these tools or that they are too expensive and "just for pros". Even if you can't adjust an engine, the kind fellow who is trying to help you can do a better job given the right tools. Also, many other jobs are insanely difficult if not impossible in the confined spaces of a boat without the right tools (for instance, snugging up stanchion or toe-rail bolts is a misery without a socket set).

Experienced marine mechanics swear that top-quality tools like Snap-On have an uncanny affection for water, the deeper the better, not shared with such vigour by mid-price tools. No one likes cheap tools – they damage your hands and the part you are working on. Multi-tools belong in your kitchen drawer (except the Picquic; see above in screwdrivers).

One yacht-building company currently recommends Sears tools as a quality target – these are good mid-price tools that often go on sale. Canadian Tire also sells comprehensive mid-price socket sets for C$70-$100 that are more than adequate for most weekend mechanics; their mid-price screwdrivers and wrenches are also good value. Canadian Tire often has tool sales, plus you get Canadian Tire money to misplace around the house.