Practical articles and expert tips galore in the February 2021 issue of PBO as we hear from a reader struck by lightning 3 times! Plus…
Practical Boat Owner
January 2021
This month we get aboard three new outboard-powered day boats – inland and coastal – plus we deconstruct the calculations that define the limits of…
Frantic footage of capsizing America’s Cup racer
When a 75ft vessel that can ‘sail’ or foil at double-digit speeds capsizes – it’s quite a spectacle, but is not really a laughing matter. The qualification rounds have begun…
Hunter Ranger 245 on test – a boat for our time?
Back in 2012, I went for a spin on the Hunter Channel 245 – a robust and chunky little cruiser that punched above her weight in lots of ways. Here…
Improve performance by understanding boat design
Understanding boat design can be tricky. We’re all familiar with the questions that arise when looking for a new boat. Is it the right size and does it need work?…
COVID boating guidance for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
With over 60 different rule changes from the Government since March 2020 it is hard to keep up with what is and isn’t permitted in any walk of life, let…
What kind of a person does it take to race solo round the world?
Kevin Escoffier onboard PRB was forced to abandon the vessel and take to the liferaft during the current Vendée Globe/ Jean-Marie Liot/PRB With Isabelle Joschke having retired from the Vendée…
Vendée excitement as Hare approaches Horn, Joschke retires and leaders battle final 5,000-miles
Isabelle Joschke, skipper of MACSF, was forced to retire from the Vendée Globe last night after her keel broke free of the temporary ram that had held it in place…
London Boat Show – remember when January looked like this?
For all the boaters out there, the London Boat Show was the perfect antidote to the January blues. Thousands of boats and bodies packed blissfully close to one another at…
Robert FitzRoy and the fascinating history of weather forecasts
Robert FitzRoy/ Alamy Stock Photo As sailors we’re used to checking the weather before any journey from the hundreds of weather providers including the Met Office. Give a thought therefore…
DIY boat engine replacement – How I fitted a Beta 30 in a Moody 31
I bought my 1987 Moody 31 MkII in September 2017 and still remember the excitement of flying down with a friend from Edinburgh to Southampton for the day to view…
Get paid to write articles in PBO – guide to submitting your work for publication
We publish dozens of reader-written features every year: online and in print 13 issues per year. Sail, power, rowing, sculling, surfing, foiling, shipping, inland, offshore, solo, fully crewed… there are…
February 2021
Practical articles and expert tips galore in the February 2021 issue of PBO as we hear from a reader struck by lightning 3 times! Plus top tips on servicing winches,…
3 great british motor-sailers: boats that you buy by the pound
Over a career spent as a boatbuilder and latterly as a freelance journalist, I have noticed that some owners of sportier yachts tend to trade up to bigger or more…
New Year, New Boat? Watch footage from 23 boats on test
Thinking of changing your boat for the 2021 season? Don’t visit your broker without first checking out PBO’s YouTube playlist of boat test footage. Although compiled some years ago, the…
Brexit for boat owners – expert advice updated
What does 2021 and beyond hold for British boat owners interested in sailing in EU waters? There are multiple permutations, exceptions, caveats and potential changes still to come, but broadly…
The year we’ll never forget – and a thank you from PBO!
Covid may have put a spanner in the sailing this year but it didn’t stop the influx of amazing stories from DIY-ers, liveaboards and cruisers across the globe. Thank you…
The worst boat I ever surveyed
Back in the 1970s I used to do a small amount of yacht surveying while working in a boat yard. Insurance companies in those days didn’t require qualifications or third-party…
How to: Service a winch
A backwinding winch can be extremely dangerous and cause serious injury, so winches should be serviced every year in order to clean the mechanism, check for damage and replace worn…
Excellent adventures – why keeping a logbook is for more than just navigation
I’ve been keeping a log almost as long as I’ve had my Offshore 8M Karima. The first entry was on 27 July 2005, heading out with Philip, my generally non-sailing…
Sailing around 200 islands in a 4m dinghy
Funny how small ideas in life often turn in to bigger ones. The Yodare challenge is definitely one of those. What started out as sailing around one solitary island in…
How we designed and built a folding dinghy for under £350
A dinghy adds an enormous amount of fun to a cruising holiday, but on a small boat there is always the problem of where to stow it. Hang it on…