Not a pretty sight but they get the job done
Issue 48 : May/Jun 2006
In addition to owning a sailboat of a certain age, I have other hobbies. I dabble in woodworking — a handy skill when it comes to maintaining an older boat — and I get a few magazines and a lot of catalogs devoted to the subject. The glossy pages are filled with beautiful images of tools made of polished hardwoods and shiny brass fittings that gleam: items that are both functional and works of art. In general, they are built to do one task extremely well and often an esoteric task at that, such as a plane designed to chamfer the edge of a board. These tools are destined to sit in felt-lined drawers in a shop with a built-in dust collection system and a spotless, waxed floor.
In short, they have practically nothing in common with boatyard tools.
The tools you’ll find in a boatyard have been used, and they wear the signs proudly for all to see. There may be a chip missing from the jaws of the locking pliers where they gave out before their target did. Or the shaft of a screwdriver may show traces of the bottom paint left behind when it was pressed into service as a paint stirrer. Or perhaps the handle on the wood chisel reveals a little of the cotton rag used to jam the chisel blade’s tang in the handle after it had worked loose over the years. And any tool with a handle will likely show traces of caulk or paint acquired in a heated moment when a project was close to getting out of control.
You won’t find these tools neatly laid out in an oak tool chest with gleaming metal fittings. Instead, they are more likely to be jumbled inside a well-worn canvas tote bag, or perhaps a large fishing tackle box. They often won’t be the best of breed. Instead, they tend to be the mismatched conscripts deemed expendable in a more-organized inland workspace and thus become consigned to boatyard duty. Some will show signs of customization, such as the deep sockets with the edges ground away so they can reach and grip the hex nuts on the bolts that hold a jib track onto a molded toerail.
Abused tools
And these tools will also show signs of abuse. I was brought up to use the right tool for the job. This means that you don’t use a flat-bladed screwdriver to open paint cans; you use a bottle opener or similar device that is intended for prying. When working with boats, however, the rule is modified with the clause “unless you don’t have the right tool handy.” So screwdrivers do occasionally open paint cans.
And the largest box wrench in the collection may have some dings along the back edge because when you’re perched at the top of the mast and a reluctant rigging pin must be convinced to enter (or exit) a hole promptly, the backside of a wrench will do just about as well as that hammer that is still in storage down below in a locker under a cushion covered by a small mountain of spare sails. Necessity is the mother of invention and, when working on a boat, this often means finding new ways to accomplish tasks with the tools at hand.
The luckiest of boatyard tools are the ones that survive the inevitable winnowing process at the end of the spring outfitting and are deemed important enough to stay aboard for the sailing season. These hardy veterans have proven that they are versatile, durable, and worth the valuable space they take up in the tool locker. They may lack the luster and elegance of fine woodworking equipment, but they stand ready to tackle whatever task may come their way. No boat should leave the slip without them.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
