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Ideas? - Small boat/misc repair kit

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Thinking about putting together a small boat/misc repair kit. Those who portage, where weight and volume is a constraint - do you mind sharing what you pack.

I've started with some duct tape rolled around small piece of PVC, a gifted wood seat dowel with gunnel bolt and nut hardware thru the open center, box wrench to fit the hardware, and 3 inch long screw drivers, common and Phillips.

Any other ideas out there? Thanks!
 
We carry one small canvas tool bag for all that stuff. Most of the time we're paddling with 1st timers on the river and most have no thoughts about a repair kit before going.
 
The bolt hanger is a good idea, I have seen those things break more than once. Usually repaired by hanging seat with all purpose parachute cord. Gorilla tape if you can get it is better than Duct tape. Actually, your tool kit sounds pretty good. Only time I would bring more is when I'm packing the chainsaw. I used to bring some epoxy and resin and some pieces of glass, but I have never required a repair that required more than duct tape. Oh ya, except that one time, but epoxy wouldn't have fixed that either.
 
"OK, but what do you have in the small canvas bag?"

Why, needle thread and patching material to repair the bag of course! Just kidding! Sorry I couldn't resist.

I've got the old Leatherman tool, smallest pair of channel lock pliers (also used as hot pan lifters) wax-less dental floss, buttons, curved and straight needles, nylon thread. Wrenches, gaskets, spare nipple for my stove. Replaced the old duct tape with Gorilla tape, same use, just better. Small hemostat.

There's more but I can't remember it all now, various fiddly bits that have been needed over the years and probably never be needed again in a million years.
I'm a big believer in really inspecting all my gear while at home for any wear or in the case of the stove making a test run to check function.

Best Wishes,

Rob
 
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Canoe Trip Repair Kit

Container (flat tackle box, roughly 4x6x2)
4" Needle-nose Pliers
6" mill file (axe)
Small carborundum stone
Needle case with a variety of regular and leatherwork needles and straight pins
Thimble
Buttons
Small sewing bobbins of thread (regular and waxed, for leather)
Mini-BIC lighter
Leather scraps
Craft foam scrap
Variety of small nails
Pack-frame pin with ring
Stove repair kit (o ring, wrench)
Rubber bands
Variety of wire (10, 18, and 28 ga)
Small glob of hot glue stick
Flat roll of 2" duct tape
Pencil wrapped with 1"duct tape
Birthday or tea candles
Large safety pins
Zip Ties
Sand Paper (400 grit wet/dry for metal burrs, mostly)


edit: my backpacking kit is much smaller, and fits in an Altoids tin. It contains 2 sewing needles, 4 small zip ties, shorter lengths of 18 and 28ga wire, waxed and regular thread on a small rod, duct tape, buttons, rubber bands, a birthday candle, mini BIC, a few safety pins, sand paper, and I think that's it.

I generally carry a few feet of paracord on any type of trip, and made a knife sharpening kit (for convex sharpening) that I stole from Maddy the Goose. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkuF1dljmjE I also carry a Lansky Puck for my axe or hatchet on trips longer than a weekend.
 
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I wrap some duct tape around the two water bottles I carry, rather than carry a roll of tape. This has worked well for me, I needed it a for slice in my canvas covered canoe and it saved the day(s). I bet it's about 10-15' of tape wrapped around the bottles, and it last's a long time there. It's enough for what I might ever need it for. Duct tape fixes many things while canoe camping, along with cord.

I also carry a needle nose pliers in my tackle bag for removing hooks from those tasty pike and secondly for repairs. I carry a small rolled up 10' length of bailing wire and the same length of very thin copper wire. I have a very small leatherman too, and a little pill bottle filled with some screws, a nut for my seat, a razor blade, 2-3 finishing nails, that copper wire I mentioned also all fit inside.

I use bailing wire alot around the home for quick fixes and have grown very comfortable with it.

Other than the slice in my canvas, and leaking stem bands, I have never had to make any repairs in the field that I can remember. I used to carry more stuff for "field repairs", but most of the time I'm solo these days, I found I could really feel comfortable with this little kit.
 
Will, did you miss
for all that stuff
I was replying to the part of your post about sharing tools and portages.

Now that I know you want a list.

Duct tape, 2 spare snap links for tying the gear in my canoe, sewing kit, frame saw, small folding saw, hatch, file, whet stone, 3-in-1 oil, torch head, striker for torch, 4 carabiners, 8 mag/flint fire starters, matches, folding shovel, fuel funnel, spare parts for the stoves and lantern, hooks to screw into the ridge pole to hang lantern, long 'S' hook to lower lantern from ridge pole, leatherman, Tumpline and Deerfly Patches.

We wouldn't take all that to Algonquin or Boundary Waters, but for our Allagash Heavy trips it works.
 
About those seat hangers breaking: somewhere on the section of small business folks, there was someone who sold those long screws. If I was worried about it I'd be tempted to replace them with a better quality. As far as the nut coming loose; just use those nuts with the nylon insert that locks it in place. Obviously the best and easiest repair is done at home.
The problem is, I don't know of anyway to tell if a given screw is junk from China or a quality product. Does anyone have any insight into this question?

This whole idea of a repair kit is much like the one behind a ditch kit: How do I prepare for some unexpected event. Allowing my mind to run free along this path soon results in a kit of such huge proportions that it dwarfs the all my other stuff. I would suggest that maybe the way to go is ask yourself: "Of all my gear, what, if it failed would leave me really and truly "Up the creek?" For me at least, the answer is that if the canoe split apart, then I'd be up against it. Short of a catastrophic failure, what's to be done?
-Inspect gear prior to leaving, correct problems.
-Try to think several moves ahead: for example, those hanger screws; the extra threaded part that extends below the nut? That can cut you unwarry hand if you bump into them. Cut off the extra and smooth off the remainder.
-Practice your woodsy-craftyness. Is there a safer or better way to do a given thing? Chop wood, lift canoe, place foot on slipery footing, cooking better to prevent sparks from burning holes in tent? The list is endless but it takes up no room in your kit.

If we don't tear it up then we don't need to repair it. Body or kit.

Best Wishes,

Rob
 
Thanks everyone!! Some good ideas were shared, I'll be using some of these. I'm looking to assemble a SMALL repair kit. Hopefully it will be used just as infrequently as my first aid kit. The channel lock suggestion had me grab my small needle nose vise grips and toss it into the box. My waterproof box is about 8X8X6 (inches), so prioritizing is in order.


Once on an extended paddle trip, the pull tab on my PFD broke off. A companion had some stainless steel wire and that, along with some duct tape, made the zipper serviceable again. So wire is going in.


If the small box helps solve just one field problem, it will have been worth the effort. I'm reminded of what a swift water rescue instructor told us about having a sharp knife on your PFD. You may never need it, but when you do, you'll need it desperately and it's the only thing that will address your difficulty (rope entangled in WW).


Thanks again all!!
 
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