David Parker makes a simple shelf and installs strong webbing straps to stow a scuba tank securely in his boat’s cockpit
Practical Projects
10 practical projects – crafty ideas to improve your summer cruise
The extra miles of sailing on a summer cruise, or days at anchor can highlight new issues on board or exacerbate existing problems. To aid your voyage this year –…
A labour of love: building and designing Thea
Tom and Lorraine Owen built their 30ft motor cruiser completely from scratch, working together with phenomenal dedication. Nick Burnham went to meet them
How I designed and fitted a better shower sump pump
John Edwards suggests a more efficient way to empty your shower tray
Dual-purpose cockpit table
When I bought Crusader, my Aqua Star Ocean Ranger 33, the table arrangement in the wheelhouse/saloon left a bit to be desired. Although the table itself was a beautiful piece…
Lift-up cockpit sole table
Cockpit tables are great things on any boat, but stowing them away when they’re not in use is always a headache. We saw the perfect arrangement for us on a…
Is an umbrella really the most useless thing on a boat?
David Weston shows that nautical wisdom can be proved wrong
Cockpit table for a binnacle
Stuart Carr enables onboard alfresco dining with a table mounted on the binnacle
Clever anchor ball storage
A bright idea means Jeremy White’s anchor ball is never forgotten
Anchor Ball from a giant Lindor box
Ron Stark chocs up a successful means of hoisting a black ball day signal for a vessel at anchor
DIY mast climbing device
John Gardner devises a hoist to take the strain out of going aloft
A DIY aid to lassoing buoys and cleats
I often sail single-handed and picking up mooring buoys can be awkward, so I’ve constructed a lasso line to help. It consists of a 1m length of 6mm chain with…
A pump for bone-dry bilges
Norman Eastwood assembles a bucket pump to remove the final few bits of water from his boat’s bilges
Rocna hard place
David Berry describes the unexpected problems he faced after purchasing a Rocna anchor for his Moody Eclipse, Aderyn Glas
Instrument panel from an Ikea tablet stand
Last year, having put a couple of instruments on my Christmas list – a battery monitor and a Navtex receiver – I was delighted when Santa duly delivered them in…
Make a Bow Protector
Sam Longley uses soil pipe to protect his boat's bow from marina pontoons
Cockpit table and extra bunks for a Sailfish
Howard Betts had a brainwave to design a versatile cockpit table – then he slept on it
Righting an upturned pontoon
Hurricane-force storms during the winter of 2013/14 caused a lot of damage in the west of Ireland. Beaches were washed away, roads and bridges were destroyed and many piers, jetties…
Solar panel mounts
Off-the-shelf anodised aluminium sections can provide a Meccano-type solution for many structural projects on a boat. I used some to make adjustable brackets for my solar panels. The pivoting bracket…
Dinghy wheels for an Avon Redcrest
Here’s my solution for those who still own ancient but trusty Avon Redstart and Redcrest dinghies. I rigged this 20 years ago by fitting a pair of wheels to the…