The Yanmar 1GM10 is a great little engine, which starts first time and runs reliably: but there are one or two design flaws. The worst is that the raw water…
Ben Meakins
1. Sharing our Secret!
After approximately 11,232NM at sea, our new project boat was craned off a container ship and transferred to a freight-forwarding warehouse in a rainy, grey Southampton Docks. Quite a change…
2. The designer writes…
My ancestors were all sailors, and apparently my first words were ‘da-da’ and ‘boat’. I lived on the East Coast and as a boy sailed the Blackwater, the Crouch and…
Force 6 man overboard recovery
David Harding and the crew of the Mystery 35 Agatha braved a wintry Force 6 to bring you their top tips for man-overboard rescue
Turn a boat coolbox into a fridge
Chill out with David Rainsbury by following his step-by-step guide to converting a coolbox into a fridge
12 diesel bug treatments tested
Diesel bug can clog filters and starve your boat engine of fuel just when you need it most. Can diesel bug treatments kill it off? We test 12 to find
Instrument panel from an Ikea tablet stand
Last year, having put a couple of instruments on my Christmas list – a battery monitor and a Navtex receiver – I was delighted when Santa duly delivered them in…
Golden Globe race: Refitting Black Sheep
In 1968, the original Golden Globe Race was widely regarded as ‘a voyage for madmen’. But where does that leave the 34 men and one woman who are signed up…
Collision avoidance software
Ben Meakins puts Raymarine’s new Lighthouse AIS update through its paces in Southampton Water
Blog 4: Dave Selby sets off!
Marlin's Mission is underway as Dave Selby heads off from Maldon on his Sailfish 18
Gordon Moody dies aged 91
The former Chairman and Managing Director of a well-known Swanwick boatyard has died aged 91.
LED and laser flares tested
LED and laser flares claim to replace pyrotechnic flares on board: but how do they compare with a traditional flare and an LED torch?
Make a Bow Protector
Sam Longley uses soil pipe to protect his boat's bow from marina pontoons
Cockpit table and extra bunks for a Sailfish
Howard Betts had a brainwave to design a versatile cockpit table – then he slept on it
Righting an upturned pontoon
Hurricane-force storms during the winter of 2013/14 caused a lot of damage in the west of Ireland. Beaches were washed away, roads and bridges were destroyed and many piers, jetties…
Solar panel mounts
Off-the-shelf anodised aluminium sections can provide a Meccano-type solution for many structural projects on a boat. I used some to make adjustable brackets for my solar panels. The pivoting bracket…
Man Overboard – using a lifesling
Using a lifesling to make contact with and recover a man overboard.
Video: Man Overboard – recovery under power
Getting back to a man overboard under power
Video: Man Overboard – Quick Stop method
The RORC-recommended Quick-Stop method of getting back to a MOB.
Video: Man overboard – the reach-tack-reach method
‘Man overboard!’ It’s a cry that chills the blood. But most of us go sailing to relax and enjoy some time afloat, and even the most well-meaning of us will…