When we bought our first cruising sailboat, I was sort of surprised to find an ice pick in the galley drawer. Oh well, I figured, something that the previous owners thought they needed.
You see, I knew better than to use an ice pick to chip ice out of the freezer to defrost it. The first “real cruisers” we ever met had told us the story of losing their refrigeration halfway across the Pacific due to an errant stab with the ice pick. So why would anyone have an ice pick on board?
I soon learned, and the ice pick became one of our most-treasured tools on board. We use it for three main things:
- Line up bolt and screw holes
- As an awl to make a dimple where a hole needs to be drilled
- Scraping out small areas
Last fall when we moved aboard Barefoot Gal and began doing some work on her, we immediately realized that we needed an ice pick. While we’d been living ashore between boats, we hadn’t really missed one.
But on a boat where you’re always trying to line up bolt or screw holes that you can’t see? Essential gear to us. Dave will often put the ice pick through one set of mounting holes, then rotate the item to get a second set of holes lined up where he can get a bolt or screw started. A demonstration (out in the open, so I could take a picture):
I learned something. Finding an ice pick in a store is tough. People just don’t buy them any more.
I’d be in housewares, and ask a clerk if they had one. Younger clerks literally didn’t know what I was talking about, and clerks closer to my age would say something like “Geez, I haven’t seen one of those in ages!”
It quickly became clear to me that at least around here I wasn’t going to find one and I might as well stop wasting my time going from store to store. Amazon and Prime delivery it was!
One note: we prefer the square handles to round as they are easier to grip without slipping. It’d be really nice to find one with a rubber handle like a screwdriver, but haven’t seen one yet. This is the one we have, although ours came with a black handle instead of the natural wood. It saw a lot of use during our engine rebuild!
To be honest, I chose this one because it was the cheapest one with a square handle. The fact that it came with a sheath was just a nice bonus and I figured it would keep me from stabbing myself with it in the drawer. But Barefoot Gal came with this great tool rack and one of the tiny holes fits the ice pick perfectly, so it lives there and the sheath was eventually repurposed in another project.
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Dave Skolnick (S/V Auspicious) says
Many options: http://www.sears.com/search=awl
Also of note: http://www.sears.com/megapro-6tss5.3×4.0x50-megapro-threaded-screw-starter-5.3-x/p-SPM11462797915?prdNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=G2
And since we’re looking at cool tools: http://www.sears.com/titan-3pc-finger-driver-set/p-SPM11537304030?prdNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=G2
Dave Skolnick says
Many options: http://www.sears.com/search=awl
Also of note: http://www.sears.com/megapro-6tss5.3×4.0x50-megapro-threaded-screw-starter-5.3-x/p-SPM11462797915?prdNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=G2
And since we’re looking at cool tools: http://www.sears.com/titan-3pc-finger-driver-set/p-SPM11537304030?prdNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=G2
The Boat Galley says
The icepick is thinner than most awls that we’ve seen, making it easier to use for screw holes. The finger drivers look interesting!
Dave Skolnick says
The finger drivers are outstanding. Less space than “stubbies” and in my experience more torque.
The Boat Galley says
And a PS from my husband Dave who says yep, awls work a lot of times but he likes the longer handle on the ice pick. I’d swear he also thought it was thinner!
Dianne Bowers Turner says
My mother wanted an ice pick and we couldn’t find a place that sells them. We finally gave up and bought her an awl.
Relinda Ted Broom says
We wouldn’t be without one.
Sally Larson says
We inherited an ice pick and seethe mounted in the galley with our boat and it’s my favorite go to tool for so many things. I would have never thought to buy one!
Christine Springfield says
Plasti-Dip is the answer to rubberized handles. It comes in spray or liquid and you can coat ANYTHING. I did the grill on my Jeep. Rock chips were a nightmare on the previous Jeep, so I got ahead of the game. Amazon, Lowe’s, Home Depot, some auto parts stores have it and you can add fun effects with other products from their line. I know I will be finding a lot of uses on our boat.
Martin Henry says
OMG!! How many times have you heard “honey hand me the ice pick”??
Debbie Richey says
I found my ice pick at an antique store! The lettering on it says it came from the San Francisco Fair in 1939. I do need to figure out how to sheath it.
Carolyn Shearlock says
A wine cork on the tip works well!
David Lake says
also known as an awl
The Boat Galley says
Pretty similar!
Montana Inkfish says
David beat me to it. I actually have two. One is thin like an ice pick I got in a leather making kit and a heavy duty one from automotive tools.
Jeff Ferguson says
I just used one for marking drill holes on the boat this morning, but never use it to chip ice.
Mike Turner says
Should you ever need another ice pick stop in the hardware section and purchase an awl. They are shorter and more stout than ice picks but do quite well at all the same tasks. — Old wine corks work well for protection from the odd stick or scrape.
Debbie Graves says
Can’t live without my ice pick!
Rich Corbett says
A handy tool to have over the years. TIP: take a short cut of small diameter polyethylene tubing to use as a sheath and snip to a length a tad longer than the ice pick. The flex in the tubing is just enough to keep it from sliding off in a drawer or tool bag. Funny how I end up using the tube to blow air or drip liquid (cap with thumb) almost as much as I use the ice pick!
Bazza Captain says
I think of an ice pick as a murder weapon. Must have read too many crime thrillers.