Thread: Outboard toolbox

Hey looking to be a bit more prepared so looking for ideas on what should be in a basic toolbox and how you keep it from rusting. Obviously I already have some stuff but looking for better solutions... only a 30hp currently.

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Lanocote. Great stuff

Cable ties, duct tape, exhaust clamps, lanocote, coast Guard membership - oh and a radio....

I have pliers, screw driver, cable ties, nut fucker, duct tape and string and some spare fuel hose.

In another box I have flares and fire extinguisher

Oh and fuses..... (or tie wire)

A lot of it is preventative maintenance. Things that have stuffed me up on the water include snapped starter ropes, any sign of fraying or if the guide is worn replace. Failed fuel lines from tote tanks (mostly pipe failure at hose clip connections or the connectors themselves). I once had a nasty experience with a wiring short, a boat shop had wired a charging circuit to a pull start motor so I could charge a battery to run accessories they bypassed the battery isolator switch and did not fit a fuse into the circuit. A few years later when the wiring started smoking from a short I turned the isolator switch off thinking that should sort it but it kept smoking even worse, eventually I had to scramble for a crescent whip the battery box open and disconnect the battery. Lesson learned know your boats wiring carry spare fuses, make sure you have a battery isolator switch with all wiring passing through it. I have also broken a tilt bracket many outboards have some sort of tilt release screw so you can manually tilt a frozen system. Know where it is and have a screw driver or hex drive etc that fits it. I got burnt with a 2nd had outboard years ago after several years faultless running I hit a log and instead of a shearpin some arsehole had used a nail and I snapped the driveshaft. Now I would service and change gearbox oil, clean carb etc on any 2nd hand outboard prior to running it. I have also had fuel issues a water separating fuel filter is a good idea for large outboards. I add yamalube fuel conditioner to fuel if is going to sit around for a while, I use any premix fuel in something else, 4stroke lawnmower etc if it has sat more than 8 weeks. I have a 6hp merc 4 stroke outboard it runs a small inline fuel filter that I have changed a couple of times. Despite this over a decade crap built up in the carb bowl it got stirred up travelling a bumpy track, blocked the needle valve causing flooding and failure to run. I have also been amazed by how shagged or how full of built up salty shit small aux water pumps can be (despite religious flushing) yet they still go. People replace the impellors but the plates, seals etc flog out too. Kits for full rebuilds are cheap off ebay. I have also had steering and control cable seizures, thankfully never on the water. If they start getting persistently sticky crc is not going to sort it bashing the rod end of a seized cable thru an outboard steering tube is no fun......

Spare plugs and spanner to suit.
spare fuses and know where they are, spare fuel line or at least spare fittings and primer bulb and tools to change.
Absolute minimum...could add alsorts to it

Not what you asking but have had issues on the water & your tool box not going to help you .If it dosnt have one , mount a marine fuel filter with water trap , cost around $90 .