Now in its fourth decade as one of the biggest and best one-stop shops for boat enthusiasts, Beaulieu Boatjumble 2017 is offering free entry to children under 12.

To mark the landmark event, organisers are also offering teenagers special reduced price tickets. The treasure trove of nautical bargains will be returning to the New Forest country estate on Sunday 23 April.

PBO will also celebrate its 50th birthday at the show: and, back by popular demand, we are once again holding free practical talks and demonstrations on a range of boating topics in our Ask the Experts Live! marquee.

BHG Service, which has just opened a new chandlery at Buckler’s Hard Yacht Harbour on the Beaulieu river, will also be celebrating its 70th year.

New layout

Offering hundreds of stands with countless boating bargains, Beaulieu Boatjumble has become a favourite with boating enthusiasts and is the largest outdoor sale of maritime items in Europe.

With a new layout for this special year, the event gives the chance to browse yacht and motorboat spares and accessories, ropes, flags, charts, lifejackets, engines, tools, canoes and dinghies.

A highlight for buyers and sellers alike, Trunk Traders will be in its own separate zone. It is the ideal opportunity for amateur jumblers to clear their lockers, sheds and garages and sell unwanted nautical paraphernalia from theircar boots. If you need an anchor or aqualung, winch or windlass, you’ll find it at Beaulieu.

Show-goers can see up close a selection of new and used boats for sale in Boatmart, while Boatmall offers a wide selection of the latest maritime products from leading manufacturers.

Ask the Experts LIVE! (talk schedule below)

This year, the line-up of marine industry specialists will include firm favourites such as Gareth Ross from Sika who will be returning for a third year, this time with a practical demonstration on window bonding; Chef David Wells from South Devon College, who likes to tempt visitors in with bacon sandwiches and then demonstrate some tasty, easy recipes to spice up your galley; and Gary Thompson of WEST SYSTEM Epoxy from Wessex Resins who will demonstrate how to repair holes in glassfibre boats.

Meanwhile, Met Office weather forecaster Penny Tranter will once again be sharing her knowledge of how boaters can prepare for and respond to impacts from the weather.

New for 2017, we have DIY rigging checks with Jerry Henwood – aka Jerry the rigger of Gosport – who has worked in the rigging industry for more than 25 years and is the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) official rigger.

Experienced cruisers Daria and Alex Blackwell will be travelling from Ireland to offer anchoring advice. Plus a sail trim masterclass with OneSails’ Ian Brown and advice on diesel engine maintenance with Tom Edwards of ASAP Supplies.

Visitors will also be able to gain advice on electronics and radar from PBO tester Alan Watson, who will once again be manning a stand, supported by Raymarine.

Alan says: ‘I am looking forward to meeting fellow yachting folk and helping with questions on marine electronics, particularly radar and navigation systems.’

Sika’s Gareth said: ‘I am looking forward to appearing at the Boatjumble once again, and many thanks to PBO for inviting me. It is becoming a highlight in the calendar and I am keen to demonstrate something a little bit different this year in my presentation slot. I hope people will be interested!’

40th anniversary fact file

The first Boatjumble on Sunday 16 April 1978 saw more than 7,000 eager visitors browse 270 stands, with numbers of traders almost doubling the following year. Boatmart became part of the event in 1991, giving potential boat buyers the chance to inspect and buy a wide range of trailerable yachts, dinghies and motorboats.

Visitors topped 20,000 in 1990, when the Boatjumble was first hailed as ‘Europe’s biggest boating jumble sale’.

Stephen Lowe, yacht skipper and son of actor Arthur Lowe (famous for playing Captain Mainwaring in Dad’s Army), was a stallholder in 1988, selling numerous items of maritime miscellany.

Boatmall was added to the show in 2011, giving show-goers the chance to see the latest products from leading manufacturers, try on clothing and tinker with up-to-the-minute technology.

Trunk Traders began at the Boatjumble in 2007, for smallertraders and yachtsmen to set up shop from the boot of their cars. It has been a constantly growing feature ever since.

15% off discount code

Advance event tickets are on sale until 13 April at £8.70 per adult and £5 for 13-to-17-year-olds.

Under-12s go free but please note, they will still require a ticket.

Standard event tickets, which are available from 14 April or can be bought on the door, are £9.70 per adult and £6 for 13-to-17-year olds.

Don’t forget to quote PBOMAG17 to enjoy a 15% discount on Boatjumble ticket prices.

Trunk Traders spaces start at £39 for a plot, Boatmart spaces are £33, and stand prices start at £55 for a single exhibitor stand. Prices include VAT. To book, call Beaulieu’s events team on 01590 614614 or email events@beaulieu.co.uk

The Boatjumble starts at the new opening time of 10am and closes at 4pm.

For Beaulieu River mooring holders, a shuttle bus will run from 9am to 6pm from the Beaulieu River Buckler’s Hard Yacht Harbour to the Boatjumble. For more information visit www.beaulieu.co.uk/events or join the conversation with @Beaulieu_Hants and @p_b_o on Twitter, with #boatjumble.

Ask the Experts LIVE! talks schedule, sponsored by Sika

Sunday 23 April, from 10am to 4pm. Plus an Experts’ Question Time – end of the day Q&A panel until 4.30pm.

10am-10.45am: COOKING ON BOARD
David Wells, a catering, events and hospitality management lecturer at South Devon College, will be demonstrating how tasty, inventive dishes can be prepared on just one or two gas burners in limited galley space.

10.50am-11.20am: SEAMANSHIP – EFFECTIVE ANCHORING
Experienced cruisers Daria and Alex Blackwell, authors of Happy Hooking – The Art of Anchoring will be sharing advice on anchoring tackle, anchoring technique, tying up and rafting, anchoring etiquette, and anecdotes.

Daria, who is Rear Commodore of the Ocean Cruising Club, said: ‘Any time cruisers get together, it is not long before a discussion – sometimes heated – ensues about favourite anchoring gear and stories about antics in anchorages far and wide.’

Alex added: ‘We’ve distilled years of experience and much research into the performance of gear and how to deploy it effectively. We look forward to sharing some of our learnings and answering your questions in the PBO Experts Live event.’

11.25am-12.10pm: REPAIRING HOLES IN GLASSFIBRE
Gary Thompson from WEST SYSTEM Epoxy from Wessex Resins will demonstrate how to repair holes in glassfibre boats.

12.15pm-1pm: DIY RIGGING CHECKS
Jerry Henwood, aka Jerry the rigger of Gosport, who has worked in the rigging industry for more than 25 years and is the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) official rigger, will demonstrate DIY rigging checks. (With a dummy mast courtesy of Seldén Mast Limited.)

1.05pm-1.35pm: SAIL TRIM MASTERCLASS
PBO sails expert Ian Brown from OneSails GBR questions why we need to actively trim sails and looks at the principal sail trim controls that influence sail shape and how the boat subsequently performs.

1.40pm-2.25pm: DIESEL ENGINE MAINTENANCE
Tom Edwards, technical manager at ASAP Supplies, reveals the major reasons for engine breakdowns and how to avoid them, using a demo engine kindly supplied by Hamble School of Yachting.

Tom said: ‘ASAP Supplies are looking forward to supporting PBO Ask the Experts by presenting top tips for diesel engine maintenance. We will be talking through and demonstrating the basics of the marine diesel engines and some of the more common issues we come across to increase your safety while at sea. Two area we will be focusing on is the fuel system and the engine cooling system.’

2.30pm-3.15pm: PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATION ON WINDOW BONDING
Gareth from Sika concentrates on the correct procedure for bonding plastic windows, including cleaning, priming, and adhesive selection, plus the do’s and don’ts.

3.20pm-4pm: HOW TO READ THE SKIES
Met Office weather forecaster Penny Tranter will share her knowledge of how to prepare for and respond to impacts from the weather.

Penny said: ‘I look forward to presenting ‘How To Read The Skies’ at Beaulieu Boatjumble at the busy PBO Experts Live event, which is an ideal forum for this talk. As the audience are always interested to find out more about how they can understand, prepare and make use of the weather when out on the water, as well as always having the opportunity to ask pertinent, wide ranging and occasionally challenging questions!’

ONGOING THROUGHOUT THE DAY:

Electronics on board
PBO tester Alan Watson will once again be manning a stand to offer his expertise about electronics on board – particularly radar and navigation systems, supported by Raymarine.

Lifejacket clinic
The RNLI Community Safety team will return for a third year to host a free lifejacket clinic throughout the day.

David Monks, who is a Community Safety Officer for Central Solent (and therefore Beaulieu) said: ‘The Boatjumble is a highlight of our local calendar and the RNLI generally and the local Community Safety Team in particular look forward to this as a ‘kick off’ to the season.

‘As in previous year’s we will have experienced Community Safety Advisors on hand conducting Lifejacket Checks (and showing owners how they can check for themselves) as well as promoting our Advice On Board checks, Calling For Help, Man Over Board Recovery and numerous other topics).

‘Unlike last year we now have an expanded team locally so are able to respond quickly to requests for advice and assistance with water safety and will be at the forefront of the Respect The Water campaign run by the RNLI each year.’

Case study: Beaulieu Boatjumble’s biggest fan

Following our Facebook appeal to find Beaulieu Boatjumble’s biggest fan in honour of its 40th year, we were delighted to hear from Dave Fursland, who has been to every Boatjumble since 1979.

Dave, 45, first visited the Boatjumble aged eight with his father Bob. The pair used to travel up on a coach with Burnham-On-Crouch Yacht Club, but Dave said when that folded they continued to visit the show by car. The only year the pair have missed was in 2012, when the event was cancelled the day before due to stormy weather.

Dave, who lives in Somerset, added: ‘It takes about two hours and 20 minutes to get there, but it’s always a good day out. Over the years I have had many, many bargains, from many, many stainless steel shackles and clasps to inflatable boats and handheld VHF radios, to name but a few.

‘One bargain I can remember was when I had saved up the money I earned from sticking up – skittles – to buy a new wetsuit. I’d never had a new one before due to being the youngest son, and up until then I would have worn my brother’s old suit! I bought a Guy Cotten long john and bolero from a stall, and that cost me £15. I was chuffed to bits with this, and used it for about three years until I outgrew it.’

This year, Dave and Bob will be receiving complimentary tickets to the Boatjumble!

Win a VIP New Forest weekend + Beaulieu Boatjumble tickets

PBO has teamed up with Careys Manor Hotel in the New Forest and Beaulieu to offer a VIP weekend for a pair of lucky Boatjumblers.

The winner of this year’s competition will receive a night’s accommodation and breakfast at Careys Manor Hotel on Saturday 22 April, plus a £50 gift voucher towards dinner and a pair of tickets to Beaulieu Boatjumble on Sunday 23 April.

Blending just the right fusion of relaxed informality and stylish refinement, a break at Careys Manor Hotel will make you feel wonderfully pampered. Nestled between the New Forest National Park and the Solent, this magnificent manor house provides the perfect base to escape and discover. With 77 plush bedrooms and suites, the award-winning SenSpa and three on-site restaurants, the hotel invites you to relax and enjoy at this four-star, quintessentially English hotel for an unforgettable stay in the New Forest.

Nine runners-up will also each receive a pair of tickets to the Beaulieu Boatjumble, which includes entry to the National Motor Museum, Palace House and gardens, Beaulieu Abbey and World of Top Gear.

The winner of the competition will be contacted by phone within two weeks of the Monday, 3 April 2017 closing date.

Enter online at www.pbo.co.uk/boatjumble17