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Essential tools you need to bring along for your sailing trip

While many believe that all repairs can be done with WD 40 or duct tape, it's wise to carry a little more on your vacation. In fact, having the right spare parts and tools on board when you set sail for a few weeks of vacation can be a lifesaver. It's a shame if your boating vacation has to be paused (or even canceled) because you forgot the most essential tools to carry out a few emergency repairs to your sail, rig or engine.

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Practical things to bring on board

  1. WD-40 is an excellent cleaner and rust dissolver. It is also excellent for lubricating blocks, carabiners, etc. that are sluggish or stuck as a result of not having been maintained with the right maritime lubricant. However, WD-40 is not a real lubricant and it would be a good idea to apply a Teflon spray after cleaning with WD-40.
  2. Duct tape is a strong and durable adhesive tape that can be used to temporarily repair sails, seal leaks or attach various objects on board.
  3. Strips - also known as cable ties, are great for temporarily securing loose or broken items. Keep an assortment with you in different lengths and thicknesses.
  4. Insulating tape is always handy to have on hand - especially for emergency wire repairs. Unlike duct tape, it is pliable and elastic.
  5. Clamps in different sizes for repairing hoses on board is also always good to have on board.
  6. Silicone or butyl is handy to have on board to stop leaks. The silicone can also be used as an emergency universal glue.
  7. Good lighting - An extra flashlight or headlamp with fresh batteries can be useful, as boats rarely have lights where you need to make repairs.
  8. Manual oil pump - in addition to oil, it's useful to have on hand for extracting dirt from e.g. the bilge and other places where you may need to pump out small scale where it's difficult to get to.

Important spare parts for the engine

If you're not an engineer yourself, it's a good investment to invite your boat mechanic on board your boat well in advance of your vacation sailing trip - both to check the engine and to make sure the right spare parts are on board.
If you're stranded somewhere and need your engine repaired, you can find a boat mechanic, but it can take a long time to get the exact part that fits your boat.
  1. Impellers are an important part of the engine cooling system, which can become worn or damaged on the road and a spare complete set should be on board. There are typically two different causes of an overheated engine. One is that the sea water filter is clogged - the other is bad impellers. Every time the engine is started or if the engine overheats while sailing, check to see if there is wake coming out. If it's not, and if the sea water filter is not clogged, it's most likely the impellers that need replacing.
  2. Fuel filter always keep a spare fuel filter on board. If you go out in rough weather, sludge in the diesel tank will mix with the diesel oil and clog the filter, which will affect engine performance and in the worst case cause engine failure.
  3. Brakes bring a set of spare belts to pull the generator and water pump. Check regularly along the way that they have not become "slack" or look damaged.
  4. Oil filter - a spare oil filter should always be on board in case you need to perform an oil change on the road.
  5. Engine oil - check the oil level regularly while sailing. Always carry an extra liter of engine oil in case it needs topping up. If you run out of engine oil along the way and the oil light comes on, you can use cooking oil on the engine in an emergency to get safely to port. This is a better solution than running out of oil. However, you should not continue sailing until you have had a professional mechanic carry out repairs and change the oil.
  6. Radiator coolant is not essential to have on board. If the engine loses cooling water, you can always top up with tap water until the leak is found and the cooling system repaired.
  7. Electrical installations - make sure you have a small box with common types of fuses for the boat, a couple of junction boxes, and a multimeter for troubleshooting to find out if there is the right voltage or continuity in the electrical installation. It's always a good idea to get a marine electrician to do an electrical check on your boat.
A good tip: Make sure all your spare parts are in their original packaging and stored in a good dry spare parts box so they are always protected. Then you'll always have the correct part number for the spare part you need to reorder.

Important spare parts for the rig

When it comes to standing and running rigging repairs, not everything can be fixed with duct tape and zip ties.

  1. Blocks and hoists - carry a few extra blocks and pulleys of different sizes to make temporary repairs.
  2. Extra lines and ropes - bring some spare lines and ropes of appropriate size and length for temporary repairs.
  3. "Ring-dings" - keep a box with extra shackles, locking rings, carabiners, etc. on board.
  4. Rigging yarn - is a strong wax-coated thread that can be used for emergency repairs to sails, guardrails or rigging when something that needs to withstand a big pull breaks. For example, if a water screw for the sea rail has broken - you can make an emergency repair with an appropriate number of lashings of tackle yarn.
  5. Possibly something long Dyneema ropeswhich can be used as a backup for shrouds and stays. You can actually choose to permanently replace the standing rigging with Dyneema instead of the traditional wire ropes. However, there are some pros and cons that you need to familiarize yourself with before going for a permanent replacement.

Good to have in your toolbox

Depending on what skills you have to carry out repairs yourself, there is likely to be some correlation with the amount of tools that make sense to bring.

For small simple repairs you can often use a Leatherman (multi-tool)
If you have the courage to carry out service and repairs yourself, invest in the "big complete" toolbox. But be sure to buy a relatively compact waterproof box - preferably in hard plastic that is easy to stow away on the boat.
As a minimum, you must have:
  1. One set of screwdrivers
  2. Parrot tong
  3. Allen wrenches
  4. Wrenches (small and large)
  5. Bidet forceps
  6. Downpressor
  7. Sharp knife 

With these tools, you can solve most repairs while on the water. Once in port, you can always grab the right tool or a repair kit at any time boat mechanic.  

The most important thing is to continuously prevent and maintain to avoid major repairs along the way. Putting off maintenance can result in a serious lack of safety, but can also end up being a costly affair.



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