This must-read roundup of electrical instruments by Dan Corcoran appears over at Panbo:

In the fall there were a lot of magazine articles on tools everyone should have on their boat including favorite tools, tools distance cruises should have, unusual tools, multi purpose tools, and so forth. In this article I bring some focus to tools of the battery operated kind I use on my boat.

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When I first saw this press release, I started to chuckle; a press release for an ICE PICK?!? But I quickly changed my tune when I remembered that aboard my boat, the “ice pick” is both (1) a frequently used tool, and (2) a rusty old screwdriver! Suffice to say, it really sucks as an ice pick.

All of a sudden, a well-made, stainless steel ice pick started to sound like something to write home about. Or, as in my case, something to write about at Navagear. So here we are.

I’m going to share the press release with you, because it may be that YOU TOO need a stainless steel ice pick, but you hadn’t really given it any thought until now. Come to think of it, I’m not really sure why I haven’t replaced that crappy old screwdriver with a real ice pick before now…weird. Anyhoo, on with the press release…

It’s always a good idea to keep multi-purpose tools readily available. Beckson Marine’s Shipmate Stainless Steel Pick/Probe is capable of splitting the smallest ice pieces while also serving as the perfect hole starter. It’s also great when camping, fishing or even when serving cocktails at a party.

This stainless steel blade does not flex under normal use. Shipmate’s special handle design fits almost everyone’s hand size and is shaped to prevent accidental roll-off from counters and decks. The handle is constructed from unbreakable marine plastic, resulting in a lifetime of trouble-free service.

Each pick comes with a sheath to protect the blade during storage. It is also available in a gift box with a sheath, mounting clip and two screws for easy installations anywhere. All materials and components are manufactured in the USA. Prices for Beckson Marine’s Shipmate Stainless Steel Pick/Probe start at $13.25.

For over 50 years, Beckson has produced high-quality marine equipment and accessories. The company manufactures an extensive range of superior products, including pumps, ports, hatches, vents, deck plates, fasteners and hoses.

[It’s another MadMariner features from a few weeks back. —Tim]

I was at my local plumbing and electrical shop recently, getting more parts for a kitchen remodel. As I waited at the checkout counter, I looked over the various "impulse items" on display.

"Oh good, more cheap multi-bit screwdrivers destined for landfills," I mused to myself. "I wonder which ‘developing economy’ produced these?"

To my surprise, the multi-bit screwdrivers in question, from a company called Picquic, were manufactured in Vancouver, British Columbia. Hey, just up the road! That was refreshing…so many "wonder tools" are made overseas and end up being a big disappointment in design, materials, and manufacture.

A closer look revealed that these screwdrivers weren’t at all the junk I had imagined. In fact, this Canadian tool appeared to be well-designed, and made of quality materials. So I bought a Stubby, and when I got home, I did some online research and learned that Picquic made another product especially noteworthy for boaters: the Mariner. I had soon tracked one of those down as well.

The Picquic screwdrivers stand out above every other multi-bit screwdriver I’ve encountered.

That was 18 month ago, and today, the several Picquic screwdrivers I have at home, in the car, and aboard the boat are my favorites, by far. In fact, I like them so much that during a recent visit to Vancouver I stopped by the factory and spoke with Kerry Martin, Picquic’s sales and customer service guru.

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Time for another Navagear feature at MadMariner! This time, I go over some of the features that make Picquic multi-bit screwdrivers my absolute favorites.

RLW over at Boat Bits came across an interesting all-in-one power tool package; the Power8 Workshop. While I’m generally skeptical of this sort of thing, strongly preferring standalone, purpose-designed power tools that do one thing well, this may indeed be a good choice on a cruising boat.
Some boaters, including myself, like to tackle small fabrication projects, and I don’t know how often I’ve found myself stuck, unable to complete a project, wishing I had a drill press or small table saw handy. “My kingdom for a scroll saw!”

RLW seems to feel the same way:

The one tool I do wish I had onboard "So It Goes" is a small table saw of some sort.  I want to build new hatches (the Lewmars do what Lewmars do so well…LEAK) and it would be so much easier if I was able to have a table saw… That old cheap Black and Decker insert for the Workmate would be just fine but as far as I can see, they don’t make them anymore…

Which is why I was so interested in this newish tool kit by Power8 which is a jigsaw, circular saw and drill in a cool case that does double duty as a table saw, drill press and so on. What a NEAT idea!

For someone on a boat who needs some tools and does not have any, this is a pretty good solution and might be a great way to start out. On the other hand, for those of us with a lot of tools already, it’s a bit more problematic.

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Another great tip from MadMariner’s “Tips you can use” department:

We have all been there. Flashlight in mouth, head down, arms greased up so they can both squeeze into the locker. You are attempting to place a screw into a bracket before the blood rushes to your head. You have one screw left. Left hand on bracket, right hand on screwdriver with index finger holding the screwhead tight on the driver. Then…the screw falls into the bottom of the locker, just under that lip at the bottom where no one can reach. Here’s what to do: Get your shop vac, slip a lightweight sock over the hose, turn it on, and hold it over the abyss where the screw has fallen. Presto . . . you now have the screw held tight against the sock.

– Martha Trammell

RLW at Boat Bits recently had this to say:

Now I’m as much of a “guy” to go all silly and drool over a seriously fine tool or piece of gear… Let’s take a look at the Boye Boat knives as an example. Incredible steel and workmanship and design that is really pretty awesome. The cobalt steel blades are as rust free as you can get… But the price of $360 (though on sale for $270 at the moment) is simply a lot of money for something that really does not work any better than the Gerber folder I have been using for three years now which is still rust free and sharp enough to shave with. The fact that I only paid $18 bucks for it makes me wonder just how needful the cobalt way more money stuff is in the whole “real world” scheme of things.

All that said the Boye knives are some kind of wonderful, but it brings up the whole need/want thing on boats and if you ask yourself Do I really need to spend $270 on a sheath knife (Boye does make a folder for $99 (on sale) or will that Gerber (or Buck or whatever) for $20-25 work just as well? [Read more...]

Navagear knows exactly how you feel! We’re faced with this all the time. I recently had a chance to try some $180 sunglasses designed specifically for sailors. I was pretty excited, since I usually buy <$20 sunglasses and wear them until I break or lose them.

I was shocked, SHOCKED to discover that these fancy expensive high-end French sunglasses included an array of absolutely atrocious optical anomalies and aberrations. They were unusable, in my opinion, inducing a headache after about 15 minutes. Thanks, but I’ll stick with my $20 bicycling glasses.

For those just joining us, I accidentally broke a Zerk fitting off during my do-it-yourself oil change last weekend. See that little tiny spring, covered with blue grease? That’s part of the guts of the Zerk.

Well, I got it out of there, with the help of a bolt extractor bit, known to many as an “EZ Out”. In my case, it actually was pretty easy!

First, I removed the spring; it pulled right out of there. Here’s the E-Z-Out, held with a small pair of vice-grips, inserted into the Zerk. Then just turn it counter-clockwise…GENTLY.

And in a case like this, where the problem is NOT a frozen fitting, it comes loose easily.

Here’s the vice-grips, the extractor bit, and the threaded portion of the broken Zerk:

Here’s how the extractor bit works; it’s reverse-threaded, and it tapers, so it gets tighter and tighter as you twist it into the hole. Since you’re twisting counter-clockwise, at some magic moment the bit stops turning in the hole, and the broken fitting starts turning in its threaded hole. That’s the theory, anyway, and I’m just glad it worked in my case!

The replacement Zerk has been installed:

I familiarized myself with a new set of gear and gadgets Sunday, when I changed the oil in my outboard. The weather was great, and I had online and telephone help from my friends the C-Brats.

If you’re interested in the details, the discussion there is pretty interesting. Otherwise, just enjoy these fine, fine pictures.

Here we are, warming up the old oil so it will flow out of the engine more easily.

Sometimes, the best gadgets are the gadgets you make yourself. This is a little bit of duct tape beneath the oil drain fitting.

And here’s what it’s for:

In addition to the C-Brats, I had some live, in-person help, as well.

And what’s this? Another home-made gadget. Sure, you can buy a funnel for this purpose, but why bother? The threads on the water bottle actually engage (imperfectly, but adequately) with the threads on the oil fill opening, holding the makeshift funnel in place.

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I’m pretty sure most regular Navagear readers are already MadMariner subscribers.*

So you might have noticed a new promotion over there: “Tell your friends about MadMariner and earn a deck key.” If you get six friends to register for a free 30-day trial, MadMariner will send you a stainless steel deck key like the one in the picture.

They’ve got a nifty little interface that will let you select which email addresses (from your own Gmail, Yahoo, AOL or MSN web mail address book) should be sent an invitation. Don’t worry, you’ve got total control…you won’t unintentionally send an invite to your boss unless you specifically mark the checkbox next to that name.

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* What? You’re NOT a MadMariner subscriber??! You know you’re missing out on a lot of great content over there, don’t you?!