April 2009
Rescue at Sea!
This event happened about 10 years ago, not too long after I received my Wave as part of my compliment of tools which I used at work.
It was a beautiful summer day off West Island and my daughter Christine and a couple of her cousins wanted to go for a little boat ride. We got the safety gear together (life jackets, 1 oar, etc.) and took off in the 12' aluminum skiff, powered by a 6 hp outboard.
We were staying relatively close to shore when all of a sudden the prop hit a rock. Needless to say the kids were a little shook. After I was able to reassure everyone that we were safe and in no immediate danger I set about assessing the damage. The prop was nicked but in tact. However, the shear-pin had done its job and sheared off. We were going nowhere.
Without a cell phone, the only tool I had available was my Leatherman WAVE. I started looking around the boat for something to fashion a shear-pin out of. I really didn't expect to find anything, but I was lucky enough to find a nail! I thought I would just push the broken portion of the pin out of the shaft with the nail, use the nail as my new shear-pin and we would be on our way. No such luck; the nail diameter was too big. Well, it took a little while for me to file the diameter down to the right size, but I did and we had a new shear-pin. I was able to hammer the old pin out with the nail and my WAVE and then bend the nail over with the pliers so we wouldn't lose it. You should have heard the cheers when the motor started and we were moving again. I was a hero!
Moral to the story... I never go anywhere without my Leatherman.
Thanks Leatherman!!!
Paul M.
Fairhaven, MA
OK, you voyeur, you. Enough of reading other people's stories. It's time you told your own tale of gripping heroism or even just neat DIY'ism. We know there's a Shakespeare in you somewhere. Don't make us use the Steens to find it.