Sam Longley's method to protect and clean his boat's halyards over the winter
Practical Projects
Boat toilet seat retainer
Jos Binns uses a childproof cupboard door catch to secure the heads lid at sea and prevent painful accidents...
Forepeak berth extension
Ben Meakins gets a good night sleep with an extension piece for the forepeak on his Hunter Impala 28
Reefing horn modifications
Geoff Champion modifies his reefing horns to help the cringles stay put when slabbing in a reef
Simple tiller lock
Paul Farr makes a straightforward hardwood tiller lock for his boat on a swinging mooring
Helpful sprayhood handles
Ian Nicolson adds spliced handles to the sprayhood on his Rival 34 to provide a good handhold when moving out of the cockpit
Clever dinghy boat hook storage
Jeremy and Debbie White have a useful tip for neat boathook storage in a dinghy to help with coming alongside pontoons and quays
Keeping birds off your mast
Building site spikes keep tricolour clean - Willem Bijl keeps his tricolour light seagull-free
Mend your own engine sea water pump
Peter Lyle refurbishes the seawater pump on his Jeanneau 36i for a fraction of the cost of replacement or professional repair
Your project here!
If you’re enjoying our Practical Projects section, why not send us your practical tips, techniques and ideas? We pay at least £30 for each one published in the magazine. Contact…
Seizing a shackle – with another shackle
Paul Young seizes his mooring shackle... with another shackle to ensure it doesn't come undone
Waterproof your trailer light plug
Boat trailer electrics, especially trailer light plugs are very susceptible to damage, either through the wires being pulled out or through corrosion. I have a sure way of avoiding this…
Stop genoa sheets catching when tacking
Peter Lyle stops lines snagging on a stored spinnaker pole when tacking his Jeanneau 36i
Step for an old sea dog
Our border collie, Floss, is getting on in years and finds the companionway steps on our Southerly 115 Dulcibella II too steep to manage in either direction. After considering various…
Charging a battery from an outboard motor
Peter Fildes builds a circuit to effectively charge his batteries from his outboard motor’s lighting coil
Make an outboard motor hoist
Bill Martin makes a budget crane to hoist his outboard motor from his dinghy to his boat
Clever socket for mounting tiller pilot
Robin Benjamin goes on a one-man mission to eliminate unnecessary holes, starting with mounting his tiller pilot using an antenna bracket
Antifouling – how to remember how far you’ve got
It is amazing how crew always seem to disappear when boat maintenance time comes. I always end up painting the black antifouling of my Hanse 311 on my own! If…
Marking a boot top line
It is very common on boats of all types to paint a boot-top or stripe around the waterline. At first glance this line may seem like a simple bit of…
Mooring line chafe protection for stony quays
Rough quays are a problem now and again and certainly something to be mindful of when mooring up for the night. It’s a difficulty that arises in both tidal areas…