GL: $$$ on a simple repair

[Ron Rogers]

Well little "bv," your friends are nuts. You might be able to have a very 
small machine shop for five grand. Perhaps they are thinking of an auto shop 
where special, dedicated tools are required. On a boat, you are maintaining, 
fixing, and improving using basic carpentry and mechanical skills. For the 
engine and mechanical things, you can buy a very good mechanic's kit with 
socket wrenches, open and closed end wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers, and 
both metric and SAE (American) hex keys. These sets usually max out at 7/8" 
so you may need a few extra wrenches or sockets for a few big bolts and nuts 
on the steering gear or, sometimes on the engine.

Most work on a boat involves attaching things with screws and bolts or 
tightening/replacing same. A decent cordless drill-driver is very useful on 
a boat. Cordless power tools are much safer to use on a boat as you avoid 
the hazard of electrocution. DC electrical work is often required for new 
installs or to cure problems. A cheap multimeter, some tape, a wire 
stripper, and compression wire fittings will be used.

On the diesel, you will be doing the same things that you do (or don't do) 
on your car: change oil and filters. It's nice to know how to change the raw 
water pump impeller which pushes cooling seawater to your engines heat 
exchanger. Problems with your fuel injection system are best left to an 
outfit that services truck diesels - cheaper than "marine" repairers who 
probably take it to the same truck service outfit. Those calibration 
instruments cost money.

Some of this you may never do as your engine may not need repairs - just 
regular maintenance. If I were just cruising in the local area, I'd start 
out with a $125 tool set by Crescent or similar sold by big box stores. 
Those sets are cheap for what you get. It will cost allot more at Sears on 
sale. There is more to it than that, but I'm getting tired. Find another 
boat owner who has solved the same problem you have and find out how it was 
diagnosed and fixed. Limit purchases for contingencies to spare belts, 
impellers, filters, oil, and line.

If you are crossing an ocean, you need allot more than tools.

Ron Rogers

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "bv" <bvcom at mac.com>


|I agree. I even think about going to a mechanic school for a few weeks at
| night, but then, it costs quite a lot of money to buy all the tools, no ?
| Some friends say tools can cost 5000$ and more, and still, you can't do
| everything.
|
| Maybe a rowboat is fun too...
|
|
|
| > Bryan,
| > This is exactly why the more you can do the better off you are.
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