Sailmaker tips for getting new life out of old sails; NMEA wifi gateways tested; Wayfarer Weekended on test; Cruising hacks from liveaboard sailors; Solo skipper’s…
Practical Boat Owner
March 2026 issue – out 15 January
Boat electrics made easy; Restoring a £1 boat; Easy ways to revive your canopy; How to find the perfect crew; How to lower your mast…
How to protect against rope chafe
Aye, there's the rub: Alex and Daria Blackwell warn of the inherent dangers of rope chafe and advocate a simple method of protection
How to sharpen a chisel and plane iron
Blunt tools a problem? Razor-sharp chisels and plates produce a much better job and are easier and safer to use. Julian Peckham shows how it is done
Get the most out of your chartplotter with these setup tips
How often do you stop and really sit down with your chartplotter? Navigators are necessarily tunnel visioned once under way: they’re only interested in where they are and where they…
Solutions to descale pipes on your boat
Uric scale can reduce the diameter of sea-toilet hosepipes by half within five years: Richard Hare tests some solutions
April 2026 issue – out 12 February
Sailmaker tips for getting new life out of old sails; NMEA wifi gateways tested; Wayfarer Weekended on test; Cruising hacks from liveaboard sailors; Solo skipper’s checklist; How to fit an…
How to make a tiller for a boat
With the old, poorly-shaped tiller on the Snapdragon 23 having reached the end of its life there was only one thing for it – laminate a new one. David Pugh…
Smoother to handle and easier to splice: the Marlow Excel Fusion+ rope
The Marlow Excel Fusion+ rope is made using a Dyneema D12 SK78 pre-stretched core for extra strength. It's designed to be easier to splice too.
Can a lightweight jacket really keep you warm during colder months? I tested the Musto Evo Therm Primaloft to find out
Katy Stickland tests the Musto Evo Therm Primaloft jacket to see if its claims to keep your temperature regulated stand up to scrutiny
Hustler 25.5: why this Holman & Pye classic still beats modern cruisers
Not only is Holman & Pye’s Hustler 25.5 one of the prettiest boats on the water, but she also provided the inspiration for the Oyster range of yachts, as David…
Spend World Radio Day with Radio Caroline, the last “pirate” radio station still broadcasting offshore
Some miles off the Essex coast, inside the bright red skeleton of an old Icelandic fishing trawler, lives a radio. Radio Caroline is the last of its kind. For 62…
How to install a bilge pump on a boat
Charles Morland explains how he fitted a bilge pump and timer switch system to his Fairways Freeward motor-sailer
6,000 miles solo in a £1 boat: lessons learned from an Atlantic Circuit
The wind was coming on like my brother Alex had warned me it would, as I approached the north side of Carriacou island, one of the Windward Islands of the…
Estimating anchor scope: how to get it right
Alex and Daria Blackwell reveal a simple way to check anchor scope when determining the correct amount of rode to let out
Jeanneau Sun Dream 28: a capable coastal cruiser
Jeanneau’s Sun Dream 28 is a popular choice among sailors looking for good performance and roomy accommodation. David Harding reports
Boat towing at sea: how to tow astern
Ben Meakins and the PBO team examine the techniques of towing and being towed astern at sea, trying out the textbook theories in practice
Inspiring guests and club anniversaries at the RYA Dinghy and Watersports Show 2026
Celebrations of milestone moments and a star-studded line up of guest speakers will be among the highlights of the RYA Dinghy and Watersports Show 2026.
Reparing plywood decks: stripping, filling and fairing
Rupert Holmes shows how to strip, fill and fair GRP-covered plywood decks
Scottish sailors’ relief that ‘outrageous’ Clyde fee plan has been shelved
Plans to introduce a £100 annual fee for leisure boaters in the popular cruising ground of Scotland’s Clydeport have been shelved after a public backlash.
Why the Orkney Coastliner 14 transformed my coastal cruising
Clive Marsh looks at the Orkney Coastliner 14 - a lightweight sea boat that is easy to launch and recover
The World’s Smallest Boat? How Andrew Bedwell built his 100cm boat to sail across the Atlantic
Microyacht adventurer Andrew Bedwell tells Katy Stickland how he resurrected his Atlantic ocean world record challenge