David Harding

David Harding

David Harding has been testing boats for more than 25 years, and has sailed over 500 types of boat, from dinghies and dayboats to fast multihulls and offshore cruisers. He is also a marine photographer and runs his agency Sailing Scenes. His work has regularly appeared in the the yachting press including Yachting Monthly, Practical Boat Owner and Yachting World.

Follow David Harding

A GT35 boat being sailed off the east coast of the UK

David Harding tests the GT35 boat and finds a yacht that offers "a blend of performance, power, stiffness, comfort, security, ease of handling, innovative thinking, clever detailing and structural integrity…

A crew sailing an Elan 31 sailing yacht

She has been superseded by younger siblings, but does the Elan 31 look or behave like an outdated model? Not in the least, says David Harding

A man sailing a GLobe 5.80 boat

What’s it like to build your own plywood 19-footer to race solo across the Atlantic? David Harding sailed with Keith Oliver onboard his Globe 5.80 to find out

A Duchy 27 motor launch with a red hull

The Duchy 27 started life as a Aquila 27 before being tweaked by Cockwells Modern and Classic Boatbuilding. David Harding puts the motor launch through its paces

Equipment needed for tiller to wheel conversion on a boat

If you have a tiller-steered boat and would rather have a wheel, how would you go about converting it? David Harding sees how it’s done to a Hanse 315

A man wearing a hat reversing a long keel sailboat in a marina

Long-keelers are known for having a mind of their own when going astern, so how do you let them know who’s boss? David Harding offers some suggestions

A crew dropping a cruising chute on a yacht

For non-racing sailors, a cruising chute is often the downwind sail of choice: it’s nothing to be afraid of, but how do you use it to best advantage? David Harding…

Boats sporting a junk rig sailing

David Harding looks at some of the latest developments in junk rig and meets the owners of different types of boat who are all convinced of its merits

The Shilling boat with a white hull and white sails

Just 5m (17ft) long on deck and classically styled in wood-epoxy, the Shilling opens up a whole new world of sailing – as David Harding discovered

A man reversing a yacht to a pile mooring

Picking up a pile mooring can be a challenge – especially in a tidal harbour. David Harding explains how it’s done

A man coiling rope on a boat

In these days of fin keels, bow-thrusters and powerful engines, using warps for marina manoeuvres might seemed an old-fashioned irrelevance – but, as David Harding explains, warping can be an…

A salona 35 yacht being sailed in the solent

Can a boat that’s capable of beating the best on the race course really make a practical cruiser? David Harding sails the Salona 35 to find out