Is it time to swap your boat batteries? We look at the pros and cons of lithium-ion vs standard, installation dos and don’ts, bust the…
Practical Boat Owner
May issue – out 14 March
15 fixes at sea: sailors share how to deal with a range of problems afloat from a dismasting and rudder damage to chafe, the essential…
90 boats, 400 crew and a cat set sail across the Atlantic
PBO was at the start of the transatlantic rally to wave off the boats in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria as they set sail for Mindelo, Cape Verde. “It’s the perfect…
Transatlantic joy as Sweet Dreams sails again after tragedy
“John’s death was very sudden and unexpected,” says Roz Preston, a former special advisor to Tony Blair. “The first time someone asked me what I’d do with the boat, I…
Zeasar: the sailing cat
Cats have long enjoyed a relationship with sailors; living on trading, exploration and naval ships to control vermin, but it’s not often you see them on a 47ft yacht. Weighing…
Boat power management: How to keep your batteries topped up
Now we’d decided on batteries for Maximus the next conundrum was how to keep those batteries charged. Premier Marinas had kindly offered us a berth at Chichester Marina for the…
What battery capacity? Working out your boat’s power requirements
In order to work out your boat’s battery capacity you need to know how much power you’re going to draw, and this requires you to get your head around three…
Boat batteries 101: Which battery is the best choice for my boat?
We’d borrowed a lead acid battery from our marine electrician, Adam McMenemy, which would get the Maxi 84 afloat and through the lock to Chichester marina. However, now she was…
Best boat battery: The pros and cons of the 5 different types of marine batteries
Sometimes (though not on Maximus) there’s a third set of batteries for high power items such as a bow-thruster or electric windlass. Wet lead acid Batteries that have liquid electrolyte…
Musto MPX offshore jacket 2.0 review: As comfortable as it is stormproof
The base fabric has a new generation three-layer Gore-Tex Pro membrane, while recycled nylon used for the face material. This results in an efficient, but impressively lightweight and comfortable, garment…
Boat polishing tips: How we got the PBO Project Boat’s topsides gleaming
After the 2020 sailing season was largely lost to lockdown, Maximus had been ashore at Dell Quay in Chichester for two years when my wife, Ali, and I took her…
December issue – on sale 27 October
Choosing sails; Dufour 32 boat test; Measuring the rig; Homebuilt kayaks; Christmas gift ideas; Watermaker repair; Headsail furlers; and Bigger luggers...
Sarum 28 refit: How we completely overhauled this aluminium bilge keeler
Occasionally I’ve said that if someone were to look into one of my ears they’d see daylight out of the other. Owning one boat is questionable, owning two defies sense.…
Boat rewire tips: How we completely rewired the PBO Project Boat
Our marine surveyor Ben Sutcliffe-Davies switched on the instruments of our Maxi 84, Maximus, and I held my breath. Nothing. We hadn’t expected there to be any life in the…
Leaky boat repair: How we plugged the gaps in the PBO Project Boat
Leaky portholes and portlights are common on cruising boats, but there are several things we can try to solve the issue, as we discovered. In his survey, Ben Sutcliffe-Davies had…
How I set a world record crossing the English Channel on my solar-powered boat
Developing the first boat to cross the English Channel powered directly by solar panels (with no batteries) was a rather circuitous journey. It had started a couple of years earlier…
SEAir Flying Tender 80 review: Is this foiling RIB the future for small motorboats?
Having sampled a prototype version of this French foiling RIB three years ago, I had to reluctantly admit it wasn’t quite there yet. It had, and still has, roughly L-shaped…
Best boat varnish: 7 top options for gleaming woodwork
Few things are as quintessential to the archetypal sailboat as gleaming, iridescent woodwork that is indicative of a recent coat with one of the best boat varnish products on the…
Best boats under £50,000: Our top 10 picks from the secondhand market
Choosing the right second-hand yacht to suit your needs as the years fly by can become ever more challenging. Unlike cars that fail MOTs and finally cease to be worth…
Cold water swimming gear: Everything you need to take the plunge all year round
There’s no better way to lift the spirits than an outdoor swim. Whether you’re a dipper or a swimmer, the experience leaves you tingling all day. I’ve been cold water…
The Sailing Brothers give Practical Boat Owner shout out
The Sailing Brothers, Luke and Adam Martin - former supermarket workers turned round the world adventurers - kindly gave a shout out to Practical Boat Owner magazine's latest issue in…
Channel Hopping: Sailing Trilleen
PBO's YouTube aficionado Kass Schmitt recommends Sailing Trilleen for "poetic, enlightening and informative" sailing videos