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…
Best inflatable boat: 9 compact tenders put to the test
Inflatables are everywhere: paddleboards, canoes, kayaks, tents, kites and wings – and inflatable boat technology has long been a practical option for tenders, RIBs, liferafts and lifejackets. But what the…
Cal 40: The 1960s US classic that deserves restoration
The traditional styling of this boat, with its counter stern and raked bow, might lead onlookers to assume it’s a typical heavy long keeler from the early 1960s. However, it’s…
How to make rope: Twist your own lines with a traditional ropewalk device
Making your own rope is very satisfying. I’ve run the ropewalk as a public activity at a couple of maritime festivals where I do demonstrations. On both occasions I missed…
Catalina 27 cruising sailboat: Refusing to follow fashion
Part of Catalina’s long-lasting success is based on a refusal to follow passing fashions. Instead models have a very long production life and are constantly refined to improve finish and…
C&C 27: A roomy cruising boat that is ahead of its time
Shortly after the Viking 28 was launched C&C became established as boatbuilders in their own right and went on to produce a huge range of successful racing and cruising designs.…
Half a million Sunfish dinghies sold: What is the secret to its success?
Today Britain is the world’s largest producer of sailing dinghies, but the story was different 50 to 60 years ago, when many countries produced huge numbers of small boats as…
October 2021
Packed with new and used boats, plus models you can build yourself – even an electric powered toy tugboat you can ride in with a passenger – this is an…
Maximus – these sails sound ok but the UV strip is degraded
Good news – the sails on Maximus seem to be in good condition, apart from the UV strip. During the survey of the Maxi 84, Ben Sutcliffe-Davies warned that there’s…
Dave Selby: One of these remedies cures seasickness, I’m just not sure which one…
My mate Sea Sick Dave knows more about seasickness than anybody I’ve ever come across. In fact he’s an expert, and his partner Kate says he suffers so acutely that…
Catalina 22: The most successful cruising yacht ever designed
When he launched this modest ballasted centreboarder in 1969 Frank Butler is reputed to have said he would consider it a success if he built 100 boats. Six years later…
C&C Viking 28: A bargain 1960s fin-keel yacht
This Cuthbertson & Cassian-designed 28-footer was built by Ontario Yachts in Canada from 1968 onwards. At that time the C&C Viking 28 still represented a radical concept, with a short…
How a thorough rig inspection saved my mast and our Atlantic crossing
As a former RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) aircraft technician, I was always going to perform a thorough rig check before attempting my first ocean crossing. Our 1984 Moody 47…
J/24: Sailing one of the world’s most popular boats
The 1970s saw plenty of innovation on the USA’s north-eastern coasts. The wide-beam almost flush deck 24-footer Ragtime that Rod Johnston built in his garage over the winter of 1975/76…
Katie McCabe and Murdoch McGregor complete circumnavigations at opposite ends of Britain
Katie McCabe – youngest sailor ever to circumnavigate Great Britain single-handed and Murdoch McGregor – an octogenarian undertaking a similar feat, completed their journeys at the weekend at opposite ends of the…
Island Packet 350: A boat that delivers you in style
This Florida-based yard has produced a range of distinctive long keel serious cruising designs for more than 40 years. These are quality yachts, with a high level of standard equipment…
Project Boat survey revealed – old seacocks, dangerous gas, leaks and more…
A boat survey is really important for anyone buying – or even acquiring – a secondhand boat. Last month we asked marine surveyor Ben Sutcliffe-Davies to take a look at…
Convert a 54ft fishing trawler into a blue-water motor-sailer
When my partner, Dave, has a mad idea, he normally finds a way to make it happen. “I’d like to sail across the Atlantic,” he declared one day. “Uh-oh!” I…
Katie McCabe: “How I restored a wooden yacht at the age of 13”
My name is Katie, but I prefer to be called Sade (pronounced Sayd). I am 13 years old and over the winter and spring (2019-2020), through the pandemic, I restored…
J/105: The asymmetric fleet racer turned offshore fast cruiser
While no subsequent J-boat has matched the J/24 in sales, the brand nevertheless became hugely successful across the globe. The company went on to lead the world in adopting asymmetric…
Legend 356 sailboat: Big in Britain but born in the USA
Hunter Marine became a major force in boatbuilding from the 1980s through to the financial crisis of 2008, with the boats sold in the UK under the Legend brand to…