Keith Mackie writes: “After 15 years working for the AA and RAC I achieved my RYA Level 2 powerboat handling certificate. “I was aiming to go for Competent Crew next…
Practical
How to replace Volvo Penta shaft seals: A step-by-step guide
As the launch cradle dropped us in, Bruce called out his usual, “All OK?” before disconnecting us from the slings. We’d splashed our Beneteau 381 after a lift and antifoul…
Fitting boat radar on a budget: How I installed my own Raymarine system
On a previous boat of mine an Echomax Active-X Radar Target Enhancer (RTE) was fitted and when using it I felt confident that I might be more visible to bigger…
Hot water on board: How to install a system that won’t leave you frozen or fried
I do enjoy a hot shower in my boat and my current vessel, a Trusty T23 displacement motorcruiser, heats the water from the engine up to at least 80°C and…
Why does boat engine oil need changing? What if we didn’t change it?
Why do we change our boat engine oil? A seemingly innocuous question I was asked a few months ago. Because we do? Because it’s dirty? Because the handbook says so?…
Boat propulsion explained: What are the alternatives to diesel inboard engines?
Rarely do we get to choose how our boats are powered. The usual scheme of things is we choose a boat on a myriad of parameters, of which one is…
How I converted my 8m catamaran to run off solar power alone
I’ve always been environmentally conscious and with an increasing concern about climate change, converting my new-to-me sailboat to fully electric propulsion was an idea that just wouldn’t leave my mind.…
What I learned from towing my 24ft keelboat 1,000 miles from Italy to the UK
The J24 World Championships in Italy were coming to an end and talk turned to the journey home. We’d originally flown in while another of the team towed the boat…
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 well forever, given a little…
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. The sort of old boat…
How to antifoul a boat: What we learned from antifouling Maximus
As we’d scraped back the hull and were starting afresh, the idea of releasing biocides into the water, albeit very slowly, was something we wanted to avoid. Also, it seemed…
Prepping the rusty keel of the PBO Project boat
In our Maxi 84 boat survey, Ben Sutcliffe-Davies concluded that the antifouling needed to come off and whilst the keel joint was nice and tight there was a lot of…
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 by PBO reader Daniel Kirtley,…
Which paint for antifouling a bronze bracket? Ask the experts
Maureen Owens from Gosport asks: “The bronze prop shaft bracket on my boat regularly seems to foul up but I’m unsure what to use to coat it with antifouling. “Am…
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 underwater fittings. When Ben Sutcliffe-Davies came down to Chichester to…
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 time to go far from…
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 ever since we started creating…
What is antifouling paint and why is it important to antifoul your boat?
The rougher your hull, the more friction it creates and the slower your boat is in the water. It pays to keep a hull smooth, particularly for motorboats where you…
Cheap antifouling paint? Manufacturers explain how to coat your boat on a budget
What’s your most economical antifouling paint? The lower the level of fouling you’re up against, the cheaper the antifouling paint is likely to be. For low to medium fouling conditions,…
Are folding or feathering propellers worth the extra cost? Ask the experts
Nicko Williams asks: “I wonder what your views are on folding versus feathering boat propellers. “My Jeanneau 379 carries a three-bladed prop which does its job perfectly satisfactorily but it…