The seemingly simple job of filling a grease gun or remote stern gland greaser causes incredible difficulties for many boat owners. When performed correctly it’s a clean and uncomplicated procedure,…
Practical Projects
How one sailor used AquaTeak to create a luxury look for a once plain cockpit
David Larner improves the appearance of his yacht’s cockpit
Laying ground tackle for swinging moorings
Sam Longley explains his yacht club’s DIY approach to setting new ground tackle for moorings on the River Blackwater
Make a big toot again by clearing seagull scum out of a boat air horn
Charles Beddingfield makes his boat air horn loud again
How to make low-cost collision mat
Gilbert Park takes steps to prevent a sinking by making his own collision mat
How to make your own ensign flagstaff
Don Fitzroy Smith finds a new way to 'raise the flag' by building his own flagstaff for his ensign
How to prevent wave slap on the hull
Tony Raven uses swimming pool noodles as a cheap cure for wave slapping on the hull
Anchor windlass repairs to extend its life
José-Maria Molina extends the life of his ageing anchor winch
How to make a carbon fibre spinnaker pole
Colin King saves himeself £1,500 by building his own carbon fibre spinnaker pole for his Contessa 32
Boat windscreen wiper motor repair: how one boat owner fixed the seized motor
Richard Stone mends his deck saloon's windscreen wiper motor
DIY automated fog horn for £30
Nick Tyler takes the guesswork out of broadcasting fog signals
Practical tip: how to use a scanner for an accurate drilling template
Like many boat owners, I often fit new bits to my boat. Some of them come with templates that make drilling holes more precise. The alternative is careful measurement of…
How I installed a mast spotlight to stay safe in nighttime anchorages
Have you considered adding a mast spotlight to your yacht? Perhaps we’re asking too much of the good old anchor light. Set against the lights of a busy town or…
How I built a DIY propeller puller to free a calcified prop and shaft
Removing a propeller from your sail- or motorboat doesn’t always translate to smooth sailing, even on a well-maintained yacht. Imagine doing it on an old wooden motor cruiser which was…
My tiller pilot went rogue: the surprising DIY repair that saved my Raymarine ST1000
After his boat executes an unexpected hard-over turn, Paul Newell diagnoses and repairs a problem with his tiller pilot
Air Tools: The Secret to a Perfect Finish: Practical Boat Owner
Restoring a boat is rarely a “pretty” process. As any boat owner knows, before you get to the gleaming finish of a fresh topcoat, you usually have to go through…
How to re-reeve a halyard: If your in-mast halyard has broken here’s how to fix it
Steve Langton threads a new line down through a mast
Contaminated fuel problems: keeping your marine diesel clean
Got contaminated fuel problems? Much has been written about the issue, particularly the advice from Marine 16’s Peter Weide piece in the PBO November 2023 issue and Nick Houlding’s piece…
Boat hatch repair: how to stop the leaks
Fed up with water dripping into his boat's galley, Jose Molina decides to get out his tool box and fix the problem
Make your own boat boarding step
A DIY project for the big day! For his wedding photos, Thomas Parker built a smart boarding step for getting safely on and off the pontoon.