A pair of flush cut pliers are worth the cost many times over. As for the hose clamps, yea, the vinyl tips are great until they fall off.



http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&key...&hvrand=691330

Yea, hose clamps are like razor blades ... especially when you are changing water pump impellers on twins - you're reaching in pretty much blind. I winterized my boat this past weekend and the vinyl tips are on all of the hose clamps ... except one ... and I found it with with the back of my arm, just above my elbow, reaching for the block drain on the port side of the engine - it was one on the cooling hose for the exhaust. Nice gash, blood dripping off my elbow, everywhere

I have a 6" scar on the inside of my forearm from a hose clamp. Laid me open like a fillet knife.
Now I use Clamp Aids on all my hose clamps. Cheap and no chance out cutting myself open and bleeding all over the place again.

http://clamp-aid.com/Packaging%20options%20page.htm

They also have them for the T bolt clamps too.

PS, you can get them on eBay for about 4 bucks for 20 of them.

Yep. Same problem here. I wan't I boat. I really don't know how y'all do it up there. From the hart. Artie

Geeze what I'd of done to know about these the past 3 or 4 years! Do they come in different size widths as well?

I actually custom tailored all the clamps in my Scarab when i had the motors out. Trimmed them with a sharp pair of sheers and chamfered the corners off. Each clamp only has a few of the screw holes of the worm gear left showing when installed and before i put them on i pre bent them a bit so that when tight the ends actually follow the radius of the clamp and are out tucked of the way. I also clock them to not point into open spaces.

Just the one size. I wish they made them for the 1/4" also.

time to upgrade the hose clamps to T-clamps

Been there done that and finally found the rubber protectors they are scar savers.

Brilliant. Thanks,
ed