Boat Owners’ Antenna Buyer’s Guide, How to make a bridle for secure mooring, Designing and making your own sails, 48 launch checks for skipper and…
Practical Boat Owner
May 2026 Issue – out 12 March
59 low cost upgrades to enhance your boat; How to reduce weather helm; Boat repairs in a Force 9 storm; Designing and building your own…
Building a boat swimming platform: step-by-step
If you want to get the best from the British summer, a smart bathing platform can be a fabulous addition to your boat. Richard Johnstone-Bryden shows how it’s done
Why do boaters need to buy Class M compliant Man Overboard (MOB) devices?
Ofcom plans to phase out legacy man-overboard (MOB) automatic identification system (AIS) devices - after 2030, boaters need to upgrade to Class M compliant equipment.
How to make a compression joint
Tony Davies shares his step-by-step guide to making a compression joint for fuel systems
Going boating shorthanded
Gilbert Park shares how he safely gets on the water with limited crew
Sailing books: best new releases to read
Katy Stickland chooses her pick of the latest sailing books that will keep sailors enthralled
Returning to the ‘dark side’: This retired couple switched back from sail to power to cruise the Mediterranean
My husband, Jeremy, and I have been involved with boats, both motor and sailing, on and off for over 35 years. Like many people, we had a dream to sail…
Aircat 285: does this inflatable tender offer a stable, high-performance alternative to traditional designs?
Choosing the best inflatable can be tricky, but the catamaran-style Aircat 285 promises to offer a stable, high-performance alternative to traditional designs. Jake Frith put it to the test
Best boats for crossing the North Sea: the Moody Eclipse 33 + 5 other models
Sailing north from Scotland takes you into a different world. Towering cliffs, remote islands, and empty, white-sand beaches await sailors willing to suffer cooler temperatures, rain, and strong currents that…
Saved from the scrapyard: This budget boat renovation gave a £1, 70-year-old boat new life
‘How are you getting on with selling your boat?’ It was a simple question, which launched an endeavour to grant new life to a classic wooden 22ft Yachting Monthly 3-Tonner…
June 2026 issue – out on 9 April
Boat Owners’ Antenna Buyer’s Guide, How to make a bridle for secure mooring, Designing and making your own sails, 48 launch checks for skipper and crew, Learn to whip a…
w1Da: the yacht that broke the mould
From the archive, David Harding test sails the w1DA - a boat unlike any other that he has sailed and that marked a new approach to the production yacht
Which is the best cruising dinghy?
Clive Marsh explains what he looks for in a lightweight cruising dinghy
The Grand Cormoran: capable camper-cruiser
The Grand Cormoran is a camper-cruiser capable of handling heavy weather. David Harding puts the boat through its paces
Emrhys Barrell: Eight bells for the marine journalist and electric boating pioneer
Emrhys Barrell, who was a long-time contributor to Practical Boat Owner, has died at the age of 78
The Cormoran: tradition with a twist
Built in southern Brittany, the Cormoran is a day-sailer developed from traditional working craft. David Harding went to France to test the boat
Freedom to flex with Visicover Boat Insurance: Insurance that’s easy to set up and amend online
With the boating season of 2026 on the horizon, now’s a good time to make sure your insurance cover is fit for purpose. Visicover offers a hands-on way to manage…
A stroke off the Isles of Scilly: How a medical emergency left this skipper’s wife “hanging from a wire in a near gale”
Early July 2025 found my wife, Veronica, and I sailing in our Dufour 40, Spook from Falmouth in Cornwall to the Isles of Scilly, blissfully unaware of the dramatic rescue…
Compulsory PLB registration comes into force on 15 April
All current and new PLBs carried on board a UK-flagged vessel or mechanically propelled watercraft like a jet ski, must be registered
MOB recovery: which is the best single-point vertical lift technique for getting a crew member back on board?
Which is the best single-point vertical lift recovery method when faced with a man overboard? David Harding examines the best way for MOB recovery
Gybing a cruising chute
Knowing how to gybe with a cruising chute will give you the confidence to make the best use of it. PBO's David Harding shows you how