Tools at the pond

[Slotrc]

So putting my tool box together for racing at the pond and wanted to know what tools you folks bring to the pond on raceday (i know, everything! ) just would like to hear whats in your tool box (speaking gas boats here) and what you cant do without! Would also like to hear what important spares you bring? Thank you!

 

[Mark Anderson]

At normal races I bring the toolbox from the shop. It contains every tool that would be used in the construction and maintenance of my boats. I have made some serious repairs at the pond over the years. From building engines to major hull repair. So at some point it all comes in handy.
When I travel (fly) to a race. I take every tool needed to disassemble each boat that I am taking so I can handle any needed maintenance. If deeper repairs are needed I borrow. If I travel with others, we try to coordinate so we can bring more collectively.

 

[Mike Rook]

You're killing me! Love the inspiration this place brings! I'm worried whether I even have the right wrench to change a spark plug yet . . . and take solace that you did the same thing at one time . . . albeit at a much younger age. LOL

 

[Mark Anderson]

Great thing about the boating community, if you need help/parts/tools at a race, normally if it is available you will get it.

 

[TJ Hammons]

2x 3/8 thru 5/8 spanners, full set of metric and standard allen wrenches & t-handles, smaller flat blade screwdrivers for needles, usually have spare hardware 4-40 - 1/4-20, screws, washers, locknuts. Carburetors, fuel line, water line, zip ties, oil for the shafts. Plug wrench, spare needle carb needle clamps. Loctite, spare turn fins, tape, razor blades. Can of brake clean, wd40, cleaners and paper towels. We have a host of smaller metric and standard wrenches for water fittings and small hardware. Couple of files for correcting dings on rudders and fins. We usually bring some spare wood sheets and a CA/epoxy kit to a race or time trial. That's probably our essentials in the box, whatever else we need parts for on a given test day usually finds it's way in the top of the box forming an massive catchall.

 

[Wasted wages]

Seems no matter how much stuff you bring with you, there is always that one thing you forgot !!!

A flywheel puller is one thing a lot of people forget.. I keep one along with all my other standard tools for building/ maintenance
( within reason ) that stay in my tote tool box.
Spare pipes, cables, servos, switches, soldering iron, small torch, strut, rudder, turn fin...start belts, fuel tank, hose, coupler material, radio box tape, 200 mph racer tape...

I've mentioned this one before,, along
with my various glues and resin, I keep a piece of folded up fiberglass cloth and bag of cut off wood pieces, I keep a can of chopped fiberglass body filler/activator and a surform tool. This stuff is great for patching huge damage spots in hulls, putting blown apart sponsons back together etc.
It's much stronger than bondo, hardens quickly and using the surform tool you can shape it fast. The blade is like a cheese grater, and can be snapped into small pieces if necessary to fit into tight spaces.
I've fixed some major damage on hulls between rounds and didn't miss a heat.

Having a 6 in. sanding disk that fits a battery drill along with stick on sandpaper in different grits is a bonus to have with you also. I group a lot of items like these in softsided toolbags or a backpack and bring them along for races..not for a play day at the pond.

 

[Roxyflash]

I take ignition wrench set for standard and metric ,standard and metric ball end Allen wrench set,small 4 piece snap on screw driver set,6 piece small file set,standard 1/4 to 3/4 wrench set,I have a thin sharpening stone that’s flat,flywheel and collect puller,exacto knife small scissors,6 in one screw driver,hemostats curved straight and plastic pinch for fuel lines needle nose straight and curved,small channel locks,small ball peen hammer,small chisels,radio box tape rubber bands small tube of food grade grease clear,locktite blue and red water fittings linkage parts soldering equipment spare engine parts and props extra batteries all fits in a three drawer craftsman tool box

 

[Slotrc]

I've mentioned this one before,, along
with my various glues and resin, I keep a piece of folded up fiberglass cloth and bag of cut off wood pieces, I keep a can of chopped fiberglass body filler/activator and a surform tool. This stuff is great for patching huge damage spots in hulls, putting blown apart sponsons back together etc.
It's much stronger than bondo, hardens quickly and using the surform tool you can shape it fast. The blade is like a cheese grater, and can be snapped into small pieces if necessary to fit into tight spaces.
I've fixed some major damage on hulls between rounds and didn't miss a heat.

I Have a bunch of the mentioned tools now.. i need to work on the hull repair portion! Thank you Frank.

 

[user 21992]

This is a cool thread, at the Arrowhead Campground St. Thunder Boaters Race I learned of another tool that might be helpful at times, from Duke Morja As Duke was cranking and cranking and cranking, trying to start his J&G 29.5 on his Winston Eagle Lobster 1/6 Gas Scale. The engine was turning to easy and had no compression or a lot of blow by thru the ring. Duke puts the Lobster in the trailer and did a quick compression test, then proceeded to pull the head off, and seen he had a stuck piston ring. Cleaned the piston groove and installed a ring and reassembled the engine, and started right up. I,ll have to get one along with a spark plug tester, Motor On "Stitch"

 

[Tom Foley]

 

[Brian Schymik]

Wow. That’s useful to have in your trailer at a race!

 

[FloridaScaleBoater]

Wow. That’s useful to have in your trailer at a race!

I was gonna say, what a wise azz you are Tom!

 

[Tom Foley]

I was gonna say, what a wise azz you are Tom!

I do bring everything to a race . Bandsaw , belt sander , all my Rubbermaid boxes of engines , pipes , parts etc !

 

[John Beardslee]

Us snowbird’s are great full for the Tom Foley “Industrial Supply and Service” while racing in FL in the winter and his counter part up north in the summer Joe Weiblhaus “Industrial Supply and Service”!!!
John

 

[Bill Green]

A hammer and a book of cuss words.

 

[timothy johnson]

I do bring everything to a race . Bandsaw , belt sander , all my Rubbermaid boxes of engines , pipes , parts etc !

And a generator to run it all!! Thanks in advance Tom.

 

[John Finch]

I take ALL of the above except the bridgeport. lol. I also take bug spray and suntan lotion and have to wear the goofy wide brim hats so the dermatologist doesn't have a field day on my face with his freeze can. Tough to get old.

 

[Wasted wages]

C'mon John,,, I bet you can find a trailer and generator to haul the Bridgeport with you!!

Don't forget to bring a sign to advertise your newly created business...
You could call it " Lakeside machine works" !

 

[Joseph Durnya]

only need one!