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As with any art, rigging has its general and specialized needs, and thus general and specialized tools. The list below represents almost three decades of application and refinement, our response to the needs of rigging. In the interests of brevity and wide applicability, Thanks to Spartalk regular Mike Maddin for the idea for this one.
I have limited the selection to tools that we carry, not the bench-mounted monsters in the shop. Some of the tools are ones that all of us carry, like the Rigger's Pliers and the ratchetting screwdriver. But some are personal favorites, or variations on a theme, to suit the taste of each rigger. So the list below, while representative, and the result of long field experience, is not meant to be the law, or even complete. But it is a reasonable assortment. Items from our catalog have the heading followed with a "•". Other items have sources listed at the end of the text.
First, many of our smaller, more frequently-used tools in many-pocketed fishing vests. That way we don't have to fish around for them in the bottom of a rigging bucket. Filson, Orvis, and Columbia make the best vests, but just about any brand will do, especially if you add some reinforcing layers to the pockets. Items too heavy or bulky for the vest live on belt, belt loops, in the rigging bucket, or on our climbing harnesses. Next, we put almost every item on some kind of lanyard, and these are usually a retractable type, like Gearkeepers or Zingers. Gearkeepers are light- to medium-duty, suitable for screwdrives, pliers, and the like. There are two sizes of Gearkeepers, and it is important to have the right one for the weight of the tool. The cords are plenty strong, but the clips that secure the cord to the tool can spring apart under shock loads, if the tool is too heavy.
Zingers, available at fishing stores, are for light-duty only, and we use them for things like Tef-Gel syringes, caliper gauges, and other things too light to hurt somebody if they were dropped, but too expensive to be happy about losing.
My favorite is Snap-On's T-handle, but the palm drive is also nice. Margie has a monster, with a built-in bit magazine and pivoting shaft. I can barely lift the thing, but she loves it. Most of us carry screwdriver bits, as well as small sockets and Allen Head bits, in plastic bandoliers, lanyarded in the same pocket as the screwdriver. I never used to use pliers much; there are better wrenches, that won't scar the work. But a long time ago I had Norm, our machinist, modify a pair of Sandvik pliers for pulling cotter pins (milling out a divot and channels, to grip the head of the pin securely). The pliers worked so well that other people started asking where to get a pair, and now Norm turns them out by the dozen. And I've found that pliers can also be handy for cutting seizing wire and TIG rod, tightening seizings, opening small shackles, and lots of general plier duty. I've also found that if I keep good wrenches to hand, I'm not inclined to use the pliers where I shouldn't.
Plastic, with reading in 64ths, 100ths, and metric. Probably our most-frequently-used tool. Wire diameters, clevis pin diameters, hole depths and inside diameters ‹ there are a lot of little things to measure in a rig that just aren't suited to a tape measure.
On the other hand, there are some things a dial caliper can't do. So for long runs, we use what is generically known as a Spenser Tape or logger's tape. It's a spring-loaded metal tape that you can clip to a belt loop. We add an alligator clip and a bit of string to the end of ours, and attach it so that a sharp jerk will free the end, no matter how far away you are. So what you get is a tape that you can't accidentally drop, that doesn't require endless cranking to wind up, that requires less walking back and forth, and the operation of which is largely hands-free. This type of tape is finally catching on in the building trades, after hiding out in the woods for many years. Standard lengths are 50, 75, and 100 feet. Oh, and you can get nifty repair kits for broken blades, and the spring is adjustable.
For short runs, I keep an eight or ten foot tape in my vest. My favorite kind has a very flexible blade, and has a regular scale on one side, and a diameter scale on the other (you wrap it around a circular object, and it tells you what the diameter is).
Assorted sizes, kept in small prescription bottles, so you can see what's in there. Stainless pins are an abomination in the face of God; too stiff, too brittle, to horribly hard to remove. But we keep some around for underwater applications on stainless fittings.
Our new favorite is the 60x - 100x, available from Radio Shack. Powerful survey tool. With modern rigging, by the time you can see problems with the naked eye, your safety factor has effectively evaporated.
These are those brown scouring pad/sander things. 3M makes the best ones. If we need to clean off grime or surface corrosion, for a microscope look-see, this is the tool. Also handy for restoring rusty tools, when we've been out in the rain a little too long.
For centering bits. We drill on a lot of convex surfaces, and a good starting point helps.
Sometimes clevis pins and bolts get stuck. That's when it's handy to have an assortment of drift punches and a good hammer.
Get the best ones you can, in assorted coarsenesses. Half-round is handy, as is a chainsaw file.
On a Gearkeeper, in a small syringe. You can refill this from the larger syringe. Tef-Gel is by far the most durable anticorrosive we have ever used. It is easy to apply, you only need a tiny bit, and water won't displace it.
Less often called for than Tef-Gel, these items are for when you need an adhesive, especially on vibrating structures like roller-furlers. Harken furlers use red (high-strength) Loctite for their screws and bearings, and the stuff is good to have around in case there's a need for extra adhesiveness. Superglue is rarely needed, but it can be handy in an emergency, or for short-term duty, to hold an unclampable object in place. Most often we'll use it to keep string ends from ravelling. Tuf-Gel is a more corrosion-resistant alternative to green or blue (lighter-duty) Loctite.
For dealing with assorted spooges, oils, grease, dirt, etc.
We use an indurstrial-grade, semi-self-amalgamating tape. It is tougher, cheaper, and adheres better, even in cold and wet conditions, than any other tape we've tried.
To isolate large metal objects, like winch bases and padeyes, we carry a bit of Ultra-High Molecular Weight plastic tape, with an adhesive on one side. You cut a rough size, slap it onto the object, and trim the excess.
Our favorite strops are mader from the cover or core of double-braid Dacron, diameter to suit the job. We hitch small strops onto foils to send them up and down, or to large tools for working aloft. Medium strops can support a human aloft, at least as a backup, and large strops can pick up masts. In every case, you want something far too strong for the job, yet very supple, and able to lay flat on the hitchee, for a better grip.
We don't often need a really powerful flashlight, just something that can let you see inside a mast or around a well-hidden chainplate. LED lights are just about unbreakable, and run for days before the battery wears out.
Preferably with a retractable snood, so you can get it past magnetic objects to reach the one you want. Mac Tools sells them. Most often we use this tool to check for stainless alloy type (316, the preferred one, is either non-magnetic or only slightly magnetic). But the Extendable feature is handy when you drop a screwdriver bit in someone's bilge.
The pencil is for marking spars, to locate hardware, and for making notes. The pen is optional, but sometimes you just want to write with a pen. The marking pen is mostly for marking where to cut wire, and the China Marker can be used on wire (though it's a bit fragile) or for marking braided rope for splicing (the ink won't run when wet). It's nice if the notebook has a grid pattern on the pages, for drawing to scale.
For some strange reason, multistrand seizing wire is very hard to come by, so sailors have to deal with that awful, stiff monofilament stuff. 1x7 is much suppler.
Always, always, keep string handy. For us, it is most often #48 or so tarred black seine twine, but small braided stuff, sail twine, or the like can be handy. I won't go into details of where to use string -- it'd be like an author going into details of where to use words. But string, along with knowledge of a few knots and configurations, is a true friend.
This is our name for Knipex's parallel-jaw, pushbutton-adjusted, sliding jaw pliers. Mac again, or a Knipex dealer. Unlike Channel-lock-type pliers, these won't scar the work. And they won't slip, and you don't even have to grip them hard, if you adjust and orient them correctly. Also, when set to the right span, you can "ratchet² them around a nut, instead of removing the plier and repositioning. Amazing, wonderful, wow. We hardly ever use Crescent wrenches any more, and have greatly reduced the need for socket wrenches. In two sizes.
Auto-lock, so you never forget to lock, and anvil-head, which refers to the shape of the part that the locking cylinder covers, as this shape won't snag rope going in or out.
Bosun's chairs are too easy to fall out of, limit lateral mobility, and limit how close you can get to the masthead. Most climber's harnesses, on the other hand, have what you call an extremely limited hang time. We designed a harness that's as comfy as can be. It also features a tether, tool bag, rack loops, and tool belts. It's definitely professional-grade, but a lot of sailors have them now.
We use my Splicing Wands and Phids, and you should too.
Metabo is our favorite brand. We keep a drill index in the case. We use tapered reamers a lot, Also taps, mostly the kind that are a combination drillbit and tap. Good to have cutting oil and penetrating oil.
We call this the "Swiss Army Vise², because it is so unbelievably versatile. We keep heavy-duty vises in the shop, but the Zyliss goes on board a lot, for things like installing Sta-Loks, clamping things in place for drilling, minor woodworking projects, and cutting wire and foil sections. And many of our clients use them even more than we do. One fine tool.
These are the two most profound rigging tools. I like a plain edge ‹ serrations aren't versatile ‹ a blade thick enough to pry with, and broad enough across the back that it can be pounded on. A knife is also a seam rubber, wire meathook remover, hole maker, etc.
The marlingspike is largely a wire splicing tool, but is also useful for loosening and tightening shackle pins, opening some snapshackles, pulling seizings taught, and as an impromptu drift punch, screwdriver, etc. We like to weld the head of a Crescent wrench to the head of the spike, to amplify versatility.
Very good knives and marlingspikes available from the Wooden Boat Foundation, though you'll need to arrange for the Crescent head on the spike.
Those are the basics. Yes, we are tool junkies. Yes, we salivate every time the Mac Tools truck goes by. But after too many years of trying to do the job with too few tools, I now find myself a much more productive, effective rigger. For those with professional aspirations, good tools are a crucial investment. And for those who are just trying to keep their own boats together, you might as well do it right, and with minimal pain.
Fair leads, and Happy New Year to All,
The Tools We Carry
- Filson
http://www.filson.com/
- Orvis
http://www.orvis.com/
- Columbia
http://www.columbia.com/
Local Snap-On, Mac, or other dealers. Also available in hardware stores, but rarely of similar quality.
- Hardware stores.
- Radio Shack.
- Hardware stores.
- Hardware stores.
- Hardware stores.
- Hardware stores.
- Loctite and superglue available in hardware stores.
- Make these.
- Chandleries and hardware stores.
- Mac Tools
- Stationer's
- Mac Tools, a few hardware stores.
Brion Toss