Good afternoon. This may be totally off the wall. But, would there be much of a use for a small metal lathe in a cruising situation? For making spare parts for my boat or better yet, making parts for other boats and getting paid for it? Thanks for any insight you will provide. David
Hi David: We’ve often thought of carrying a lathe and a drill press. However, unless you are building your boat as you go, the lathe will not get enough use to make it worth the space and weight. You might use it once or twice a year to make a part for yourself or a neighboring boat, but then you could probably figure out a way to work around the problem until you found a machine shop ashore. So, I would say do without. – Steve
Posted by Steve Dashew (November 30, 1999)
