400: Newbie L400 Owners

[fthurlow]

Hello. My wife and I have been looking at catamarans for the last couple of years and we pulled the trigger on a beautiful Lagoon 400. The current owners are soon to be grandparents and have decided to return back to living on land. We have 2-3 years before we can cast off for good so there’s time to get more sailing experience and do some upgrades on the boat. I want to DIY as much as I can and know a bit about plumbing and electrical and I’m reading to learn more about Diesel engines & sail drives. Here’s my question - what sort of tools, equipment, spares, and “stuff” should I be accumulating and keep on the boat? Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts and experience.

[capn ken]

A set of stainless hand wrenches metric ,would bea good start .

[arsenelupiga]

this is what i have and has proven useful in pst 7 years

-saildrive oil, 20 L, if/when you get water in saildrive. Instead of rushing to first haulout and fix, that lets you do the task at next haulout - change oil regularly to remove water and run engine every couple days, just to mix oil with water.

- mainsail blocks - in case you break one

- sewing machine - you need shade, lots of it - do not want cancer.

- manual sewing that is used to fix sail rips

- good selection of tapes

- jump cords of different sizes

- dyneema of different sizes i have from 2 mm to 8 mm

- plugs in case water ingress due to truhull failure

- butil tape

- PVC 3mm sheet that is used for chafe prevention, sail protection...

- yanmar spares across the board

- tools of all sorts

- glues of all sorts

- voltmeter

- stabilising binoculars to inspect rigging, sail chafe, to check whether the other boat is motoring when gaining against you, some like doing that

- cleaners for everything

- silicone

- tubes of differenet sizes

i am sure there is more

[Sand crab]

Knee pads.

[CatNewBee]

A credit card and a shipping address on the yard / marina.


Most of the parts you need can be ordered online and shipped to you.

Reagarding the tools, get the ones you are familiar with using, multi purpose stuff, a foldable workbench, clamps, a vice... But honestly, most things you may need can be ordered along with the parts.

[meirriba]

Multitool (e. g. Learherman or Victorinox).
Wire stripper.

[fthurlow]

Great info - thanks!

[Boatguy30]

I hope you enjoy the boat, however there seen to be quite a few issues that pop up. Rudder post failure on a friend of mines. They lost both rudders when the boat was 8 years old fortunately just after they had crossed the Atlantic.

[OldGreyB]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

Knee pads.

Four months in with our L400 and these are the items from my tool selection I use the most.

[Bean Counter]

These are things that become very useful for DIY, 60 items that come to mind, probably another 60 after that:


1. Folding work bench and vice. Very useful when no dock or workshop nearby.

2. Walking foot sewing machine, eg Sailrite or the knock offs. Leather needles and UV thread, double sided sticky sewing tape, Velcro roll

3. Large and small vice grips
4. Multimeter, better still one with a clamp meter that will read DC amps.
5. Butane Torch
6. Torque wrench
7. Lithium powered driver/drill, jigsaw and angle grinder
8. Strap wrench for oil filters
9. Full socket spanner set
10 Full Hex key set
11 Right angle drive for drill
12 8" driver Extension

13. USB endoscope camera
14. Valve grinding paste
15 Thread lock `red and blue plus underwater curing thread lock
16 Under water curing epoxy stick
17 Box Cutter and blades
18 O ring repair kit
19 Dinghy repair glue and plenty of spare material
20 Hacksaw
21 Big Bolt cutters
22 Short handled screw drivers
23 Jewellers tool kit
24 Duct Tape (preferably white)
25 Sail repair tape
26 Plenty of WD40 or similar
27 Mercury/Quicksliver high performance grease
28 Tefgel
29 Flat, and rat tail files
30 Westmarine stainless nuts bolts and screw box kit.
40 Head lamp led
41 Big Rivetter that can handle 1/4"
42 Harken winch maintenance kit
43 Assorted hose clamps
44 Jabsco head spares kit * 3

45 Pry bar
46 Breaker Bar
47 Easy out kit
48 3M 5200, 4200, 4000 and clear silicon
49. Gel coat repair kit, flowcoat
50 Spare mainsail halyard, this can also be used for jib, spinnaker or topping lift if needed.
51 Infrared heat thermometer
52 Lewmar hatch repair kit/seals
53 Outboard spark plugs
54 Oil extraction pump (for engines, SDs and generator if there is one)
55 Yanmar kits, impellers, V belt, filters, same for genny
56 Rescue tape
57 Wet and Dry Vac
58 Spare bulbs for nav lights
59 Diesel Tank Cleaner / fuel conditioner
60 Rust stain remover

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by Bean Counter

These are things that become very useful for DIY, 60 items that come to mind, probably another 60 after that:

What a really great list!

Does this forum support "stickies"? A lot of other forums I participate in support maintaining a sticky thread, always at the top, that can be added to over time. This would make a great start.

[Bean Counter]

Here is the next 60
61 Gasoline treatment for dinghy outboard tank
62 Spare anchor chain sized rated shackles
63 Seizing wire
64 Zip Ties UV rated various sizes
65 3mm Dyneema reel
66 Roll of Sunbrella - for repairs or bigger jobs, fabric glue

67 Roll of Clear Vinyl or similar
68 100ft extension electrical lead

69 100 ft of garden hose
70 Electrical shrink tube
71 Electrical rubber dip
72 Spare terminal fuses 250Amp or more
73 Spare 12V fuses of various sizes and types from 1A to 30amp
74 Roll of twin wire electrical cable to handle 15A
75 Soldering iron and solder, flux
76 Wire crimper/stripper
77 Parrot beak wire cutters
78 Roll of bungy cord
79 Electrical cleaner spray
80 Hammer and mallet

81 Set of steel punches and chisels
82 3 big plastic tool boxes - electrical, plumbing and general
83 6 Transparent stackable storage boxes to take all this stuff
84 Dymo Labeller
85 Popper and stud kit and tool
86 Tap and die set (metric and SAE)
87 Micrometer
88 Feeler guages - for engine tappets

89 Waterproofing spray
90 Bottle of Acetone
91 Plumbers snake
92 Extension grabbing tool and magnet tool

93 Workplace goggles and gloves

94 Oil soaking sheet
95 Squeeze bottle of dawn
96 Petroleum jelly
97 Scissors/shears - heavy duty
98 Stainless shackles of various sizes up to large enough for mainsheet blocks

99. Spare heavy duty snap shackle
100. Wet and dry sand paper 150 - 1200 grit
101 Pack of micro fiber cloths
102 Remote Zone engine spares pack: Radiator cap, thermostat, exhaust elbow, fuel pump etc etc ie the small things that will stop your motor)
103 Fuel line joiner barb and clamps
104 Spare dinghy prop, fine pitch - for heavy load

105 Bottle of bleach and fresh water treatment powder
106 Collinite fibrer glass cleaner/polish - for removing scuff marks
107 Mechanics gloves, also good for sail handling

108 Portable depth sounder
109 Moisture meter
110 Bottom scrub pads
111 A Hookah is very useful, cleaning bottoms, unwrapping fishing line, changing anodes etc.
112 Paint scraper
113 Impeller puller, and/or impeller removal threaded tool (Yanmar)
114 If QUICK water heater - the right size socket for the element removal
115. Watermaker spares kit
116 Needle nose pliers
117 A pack of plastic shot glasses and plastic tea spoons for small two part glue or resin make up
118 Carbon face mask
119 Plastic measuring syringe
120 Plenty of Beer


Because I use too much of item #120 I did not put these in any sort of order, just a brain dump.

[meirriba]

Originally Posted by Bean Counter

Here is the next 60
61 Gasoline treatment for dinghy outboard tank
62 Spare anchor chain sized rated shackles
63 Seizing wire
64 Zip Ties UV rated various sizes
65 3mm Dyneema reel
66 Roll of Sunbrella - for repairs or bigger jobs, fabric glue

67 Roll of Clear Vinyl or similar
68 100ft extension electrical lead

69 100 ft of garden hose
70 Electrical shrink tube
71 Electrical rubber dip
72 Spare terminal fuses 250Amp or more
73 Spare 12V fuses of various sizes and types from 1A to 30amp
74 Roll of twin wire electrical cable to handle 15A
75 Soldering iron and solder, flux
76 Wire crimper/stripper
77 Parrot beak wire cutters
78 Roll of bungy cord
79 Electrical cleaner spray
80 Hammer and mallet

81 Set of steel punches and chisels
82 3 big plastic tool boxes - electrical, plumbing and general
83 6 Transparent stackable storage boxes to take all this stuff
84 Dymo Labeller
85 Popper and stud kit and tool
86 Tap and die set (metric and SAE)
87 Micrometer
88 Feeler guages - for engine tappets

89 Waterproofing spray
90 Bottle of Acetone
91 Plumbers snake
92 Extension grabbing tool and magnet tool

93 Workplace goggles and gloves

94 Oil soaking sheet
95 Squeeze bottle of dawn
96 Petroleum jelly
97 Scissors/shears - heavy duty
98 Stainless shackles of various sizes up to large enough for mainsheet blocks

99. Spare heavy duty snap shackle
100. Wet and dry sand paper 150 - 1200 grit
101 Pack of micro fiber cloths
102 Remote Zone engine spares pack: Radiator cap, thermostat, exhaust elbow, fuel pump etc etc ie the small things that will stop your motor)
103 Fuel line joiner barb and clamps
104 Spare dinghy prop, fine pitch - for heavy load

105 Bottle of bleach and fresh water treatment powder
106 Collinite fibrer glass cleaner/polish - for removing scuff marks
107 Mechanics gloves, also good for sail handling

108 Portable depth sounder
109 Moisture meter
110 Bottom scrub pads
111 A Hookah is very useful, cleaning bottoms, unwrapping fishing line, changing anodes etc.
112 Paint scraper
113 Impeller puller, and/or impeller removal threaded tool (Yanmar)
114 If QUICK water heater - the right size socket for the element removal
115. Watermaker spares kit
116 Needle nose pliers
117 A pack of plastic shot glasses and plastic tea spoons for small two part glue or resin make up
118 Carbon face mask
119 Plastic measuring syringe
120 Plenty of Beer


Because I use too much of item #120 I did not put these in any sort of order, just a brain dump.

121 Spare bulbs for cabin lights
122 Multitool (e.g. Leatherman Wave)
123 Self amalgamating electric tape
124 Batteries for all handheld devices
125 Rope splicing tools
126 Electric rope cutter
127 Water hose connectors of diferent size/type
128 Water spray gun for the water hose
129 Spare water and fuel tank keys
130 Spare shore plug (220v or 110v)
131 Hand pumps for liquids (fuel, water)
132 Foot pump for dinghy
133 Underwater Epoxy
134 Contraption to put down messenger line down the mast (small weight that can enter mast top and be fished out at mast bottom, connected to long thin line)
135 Bolt extractor for broken bolts

136 Another boat to carry all this stuff

[meirriba]

Continuing the endless list:
137 - Superglue
138 Magnifying glass
139 Spare bilge pump (so you can take out and replace the malfunctioning one to repair it with the a.m. pump repair kit)
140 Aluminum & S/S rivets for item 41.

[Bean Counter]

A further aid: For every piece of equipment download the installation manual, the operations manual, the service manual and the spare parts manual in to searchable PDF files. Join Lagoon Owners Facebook forum, a lot of manuals available in their "files" section. Keeping the paper copies is fine until they get lost or wet and they are not nearly as efficient for searching, particularly occurrences of part numbers etc.