First Aid Kit for Model Boats

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

What do you have in yours?

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

We are all familiar with the situation when at the pondside  your boat doesn’t work, bits fall off, the prop unscrews itself, the batteries are found to be flat, or you knock and damage the mast or fittings etc.

 

Most of us therefore carry a ‘first aid’ box of bits and bobs to carry out running repairs so that the boat can resume the sailing session without delay.

 

It would be interesting, and educational, to hear what items Forum members have in their first aid boxes to keep their pride and joy cresting the waves

 

Colin

 

 

[Peter FitnessParticipant @peterfitness34857]

I suppose my model boats “First Aid Kit” is fairly typical. Spare fuses and props, drive belts (O rings), spare drive batteries, assorted tools such as appropriately sized spanners and Allen keys, screw drivers, pliers, and also some spare crystals in the event of a frequency clash. This last is becoming less likely with the spread of 2.4Ghz radios.

 

Peter. 

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Easy this, see “instant” snaps.

My box contains…spanners to fit all and any boat nuts, thin nosed pliers, allen keys- asstd. spare couplings, all my spare props, aircraft props (three types),spare crimp-on electric bullets (for motor wires),sticky tape, syringe for baling out, lead weights, weights drilled for sub,sub trim weights,screws- various,spare nuts for prop shafts etc, spare servo, spare 27mHz  rcvr,,crystals and flags, fuses,battery connectors, I may have forgotten something. oh yes, Ammeter on croc clips.

 

Second box has all my spare motors…a motly assortment of 600,550,540,500, 400,380,280…unnamed others, odd coupling for various other things, motor mounts..stuff for other projects, (brushless motors and special air-props and controllers for same), and other stuff.   I dont normally take this one down, only sometimes on a new boat, so i can swap motors.

 

ALSO I take wellies, waders and a very long extensible fishing pole, spare batteries and usually a spare boat in case of trouble and/or to impress someone else with a different model  !!!

 

Ashley.

 

Wire, screw connectors……

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

my god !!!   you lot go prepared……..were you all boy scouts in a former life………i’m lucky these days if i remember to take my tranny with me, never mind a tool kit.

 

if owt breaks, i just sit at the pond side and watch the other lads sail their prides and joy…………….and chill out.

 

repairs come later at home, lol

[Rick NelsonParticipant @ricknelson38009]

Posted by neil howard-pritchard on 04/08/2010 22:12:29:

my god !!!   you lot go prepared……..were you all boy scouts in a former life………i’m lucky these days if i remember to take my tranny with me, never mind a tool kit.

 

if owt breaks, i just sit at the pond side and watch the other lads sail their prides and joy…………….and chill out.

 

repairs come later at home, lol

 

 I carry a spare tube for my bike so when I get a flat I just replace it and fix the flat at home.

 

I’d be inclined to just take a spare boat (if I had one that is) and save the repairs for home.

[Peter FitnessParticipant @peterfitness34857]

I always take at least 3 boats, so I suppose in some ways the tool kit is somewhat unnecessary.

 

Peter. 

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Peter, it`s funny you should say that, it is my preferred option on the pond (unless the fault is easy to fix).

 

I seem to take the kit out of the car mostly to render assistance to other peoples boats…

 

The most useful stuff in the box is usually the selection of props, which have been used more than a few times to tweak mine or other bods new projects which are under or over performing. 

 

Ashley

[B BParticipant @bb42502]

I hardly ever have to use my tool box or spares because I charge and test everything before setting off to the water.

I carry ellen keys which fit all my boats, pliers, spare fuses, a few props, insulation tape, lubrication, syringe, glue and a few other bits and pieces. It fills a small flat plastic lunch box so there is nothing much to carry. If you test and charge everything before going to the water there won’t be much need for the tool kit.

[Jim DewarParticipant @jimdewar]

As I sail (no motor) on a small lake with only my launch site for recovery and few, if any, fellow boaters I carry a collapsible fishing rod (TK-Max sale £5) with home made aluminium grapnel and float.

 

Grapnel made from umbrella rod and float just boyant enough to float the grapnel so it doesn’t itself get embedded below the surface.

 

Got me out of trouble a couple of times and better than leaving the boat in a flat calm or stuck in reeds  

 

If my casting technique improves I might even take up fishing!

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

you can get some very long fishing poles now. I have one I got from a car-boot sale. Very handy, saves getting the waders out.  Ashley

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