How I built a £500 marine fuel polishing system to protect my boat from dirty diesel
Replace or rebuild? How to tell if your old boat engine is salvageable
Special Hui Gathering to celebrate the late James Wharram’s life
“I had a banana for a mast” 300 miles offshore: Lessons learned from a mid-Atlantic knockdown
Prepping the rusty keel of the PBO Project boat
Sloop vs cutter – which is best? From the PBO archives
At Victoria Marine they produce some very fine boats, well designed, and well built. Beyond that they also follow a policy of allowing each customer…
How I built a £500 marine fuel polishing system to protect my boat from dirty diesel
Give our diesel engines clean fuel to drink, plenty of fresh air to breathe, plus a regular jump-start of amps, and they’ll happily run pretty…
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.…
Boat maintenance
Removing antifouling – the job I’ll never do again!
Boat trailer bearings explained: Why many trailing sailors have the wrong type
Boat food ideas: Top tips to transform your meals on board
What is antifouling paint and why is it important to antifoul your boat?
How to antifoul a boat: What we learned from antifouling Maximus
Cheap antifouling paint? Manufacturers explain how to coat your boat on a budget
Maintenance
Adding a stern anchor: How to mount a DIY pushpit bracket
Sailing in the Mediterranean we needed a stern anchor for our 10m (33ft) Moody Eclipse, Aderyn Glas, so before we left Port Napoleon in southern…
Anchoring a boat: How to hold firm on a yacht without a windlass
Like many boats of her size and age, and indeed a number of larger and more recent craft, Ammos has no windlass. Most Discovery 3000s…
Boat etiquette explained: How to conduct yourself properly underway
The actions we take to avoid collisions at sea are set out in the Colregs, which we must obey, and nothing which follows should be…
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 x 1½in and 2 x…
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
Gear tests
Best changing robe you can wear as a coat
Tracking open water swimming – Garmin Vivoactive 4s
Best boat cooker: 10 alternative options for gas-free cooking
Best reusable water bottle for adventure sports and sailing
Garmin inReach Mini 2: Pocket satellite messenger updated for 2022
Yamaha B and Yamaha T outboards: New models target displacement boats
Practical Projects
Great tips and ideas to improve your boat from PBO readers
Helpful sprayhood handles
DIY mast climbing device
Solar panel mounts
DIY Outboard motor lock
Clever socket for mounting tiller pilot
How to make a foldaway bottle rack out of neoprene for your boat
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…