Maintenance
Replace or rebuild? How to tell if your old boat engine is salvageable
Most of us will know someone – and may have been that someone ourselves – with a rusty, rattly, oily or smoking marine diesel engine.…
Removing antifouling – the job I’ll never do again!
After a season on the water and two years in a boatyard, Maximus’s antifouling was old and flaky. We’d been given the 28ft Maxi 84…
Boat trailer bearings explained: Why many trailing sailors have the wrong type
Being able to easily trail your little boat to new cruising grounds is a great feeling. Many owners of cruising yachts simply don’t get the…
Boat food ideas: Top tips to transform your meals on board
Seeking to make life on board more like that at home, by maximising comfort and convenience is understandable – as humans we’ve been doing that…
Amazing adventures
Sailing short-cut to spectacular Scottish hiking spots
New South Wales sailing adventure: 8 lighthouses in 18 hours
Sailing Orkney’s remote lochs and challenging headlands
How I sailed around Anglesey in a 16ft Shetland skiff
PBO Project Boat
Do you know your rudders?
Do you know rudders? Boatyards are a great place to get to know different types of keels, rudders and other…
Fitting new seacocks and skin fittings on the PBO Project Boat
Maximus, our PBO Project Boat, had four seacock fittings that need changing – three ball valves in the forepeak (1…
What are the different types of seacock and when should I replace them?
Seacocks – the small valves on the boat’s hull which allow water to flow through – are one of the…
Marine engine videos with Stu Davies – top tips on servicing your boat engine
When we acquired our 43-year-old cruiser Maximus, we asked PBO’s engine expert Stu Davies and wife Laura to show us…
Fixing the vintage Sailor radio 02 – WOW! Take a look inside…
In part 2 of the Sailor radio restoration, Rob Wells takes the knobs off. The dimmer has to be sawn…
Fixing the vintage Sailor radio 01 – “making a bit of noise” at the repair shop
Whether for listening to BBC cricket or calling up Dutch harbours, the old Sailor radio is still loved by boat…
Fixing leaks – how to reseal a leaky deck vent
Leaks are inevitable on an old boat, and deck vents are a common cause. Over time the sealant simply breaks…
Day 1 on Maximus – pressure washing and bailing… and more bailing!
I couldn’t wait for my dad to meet Maximus. It was Dad who introduced me to sailing as a kid…