Delivery skipper Ben Lowings examines how different popular rudder designs affect handling, and explains how to maintain them
Expert Answers
When should I replace standing rigging on my boat?
When does standing rigging on your boat need to be replaced? Surveyor Ben Sutcliffe-Davies has this sage advice
Is it a good idea to weld anchor chain to lengthen it?
Practical Boat Owner reader Tom Fox ponders if a qualified welder could weld anchor chain. Metallurgist Vyv Cox explains what to consider
How important is headsail trim?
PBO reader Jenny Spear wants advice on how to improv the performance of her boat's headsail. Ian Brown has this brief guide to headsail trim
Should I move the mainsheet traveller?
What should you consider if you want to move the mainsheet traveller? OneSails' Wilf Chaplin and surveyor Ben Sutcliffe-Davies share their thoughts
Is the AIS Net Location Beacon App a good investment for coastal cruising?
Alan Eves is considering using an AIS Net Location Beacon app as a cheaper useful additional aid in poor visibility. Is it a good idea?
Why is my boat battery not holding a charge?
Chris Mardon is struggling to understand why his boat battery is not holding a charge. Duncan Kent has some suggestions
Milky oil in my saildrive. What do I do?
While changing his engine oil, Chris Mardon noticed milky oil in his saildrive. Will it have caused damage to the leg? Stu Davies has the answer
What causes a propeller to go pinkish in colour?
While Rod Stuart was scrubbing his boat, he saw the anode had fallen off and his propeller was turning a pinkish colour. How does he tell if his prop is…
Should I register my boat in an EU country to avoid paying VAT again?
Susan Hurford has paid VAT on her boat in the UK. The boat was moored in Spain at the end of the Brexit transition period and is now in Gibraltar…
Lightning strikes at sea – advice from a marine surveyor
Over the years I’ve attended a few lightning strikes suffered by yachts on behalf of insurance companies. In the UK it’s not such a common issue as, say, in the…
Can diesel bug fuel treatments work together?
PBO reader Nick Houlding wants to know if different diesel bug fuel treatments can be mixed. Peter Wielde from Marine 16 has the answer
How can I improve the faded gelcoat on my boat?
PBO reader Peter Clubbe wants to know how he can improve the faded gelcoat on his elderly Hardy Navigator
Should the pressure relief valve on my boat calorifier have a spring and plunger?
While repairing his hot water boat calorifier, Chris Mardon found it had a spring and one-way plunger. But what purpose do they serve? Stu Davies has the answer
What is the best way to stick down teak planking?
PBO reader Les Broughton is struggling to glue his teak planking to the fibreglass in his cockpit. Boat builder Lyndon March has the answer
Why is my outboard so unreliable?
Colin Staple's unreliable outboard is spoiling his sailing. Stu Davies suggests how to improve its performance
Can I take my part-built boat from the UK to Europe?
Can PBO reader David Bainbridge trailer his part-built boat from the UK to Greece? Alasdair Reay of HPi Verification Services, the body that issues CE and UKCA certificates for new…
TV on a boat: how to improve reception
Charles Beddingfield has a TV on his boat but is struggling to get a decent reception. PBO expert James Turner has the answer
Can you epoxy repair an aluminium boat heat exchanger?
PBO reader Chris Marden wants to know if he can repair the outer case of his boat heat exchanger with epoxy. Stu Davies has the answer!
Fitting a saildrive folding propeller? Ask the experts
Peter Dunlop writes: “I have a Volvo Penta MD20-30 with saildrive and three-bladed folding propeller on my 1998 Dawn 39 (a Contessa 38 lookalike from the same mould). Some years…