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…
Practical Boat Owner
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…
30th Atlantic Rally for Cruisers prepares to set sail
This November, more than 260 boats and 1,250 people will take part in the 30th Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, heading 2700NM across the Atlantic from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria…
6 compact freshwater hoses
How portable, practical and useable are cassette-type hoses? Ben Meakins wrestles with the problem, tests six models and promises not to gush
Best waterproof phone cases: 7 models face the ultimate salt water test
Greg Goulding assesses a range of waterproof phone cases to see how they cope with conditions at sea and during day-to-day life
PBO Tested: Musto-Clark Orson Drift shoes
A good hybrid between smart deck shoes and sportier trainer styles.
PBO Tested: Gin Gins Caramel
The Ginger People’s Gin Gins Caramel contain 30% ginger per sweet and are said to be great for combating motion sickness.
New University Sailing Sustainability Challenge launched
University sailing clubs from across the UK are taking part in the first ever University Sailing Sustainability Challenge, set up by The Green Blue
New berths at Portsmouth’s Royal Clarence Marina
New finger pontoons and an improved layout has created an extra 18 berths at Royal Clarence Marina in Gosport.
Make a DIY flopper stopper
Just occasionally, the ‘perfect anchorage’ may turn out to be seriously uncomfortable. This is usually when the current or the wind makes the boat lie beam-on to the swell, and…
Repair a depth transducer afloat!
I recently carried out a repair to my boat using a 3D printed part in the process. There was a leak around my depth transducer housing, and I could either…
Stop halyards rubbing on the coachroof
Nathan Lomas finds a low cost way to stop his boat's halyards rubbing on the coachroof
Remove salt from an outboard’s cooling passages
John Stevenson uses a wallpaper steamer to remove salt blockages from his outboard's cooling passages
Straighten a bent toerail
Robin Garside devises a cheap, simple and effective method of straightening out his boat’s damaged toerail
10 Handheld searchlights tested
Alex Bell and a PBO test team compare a variety of handheld lamps, meanwhile assessing LEDs versus incandescent bulbs, with some illuminating results
PBO Tested: Mirka Deros 650CV ‘dust- free’ sander
Dust-free sanding sounded too good to be true, but the Mirka Deros 650CV sander, priced from £340, makes it as dust-free as possible.
Five rescued from liferaft after abandoning sinking boat
Angle RNLI volunteers responded to a Mayday call in the early hours of yesterday morning and rescued five crew from a sinking fishing boat off the Pembrokeshire coast.
PBO Tested: Mirka Deros 650CV ‘dust- free’ sander
Dust-free sanding sounded too good to be true, but the Mirka Deros 650CV sander, priced from £340, makes it as dust-free as possible.
Pontos four-speed winches
A range of four-speed winches from Pontos is claimed to offer more speed for race boats and more power for cruisers – but do they deliver? David Harding finds out
HALF PRICE Dick Everitt painting sale!
There is a treasure chest of paintings here at the PBO office and we're offering a big sale in the run up to Christmas 2015.
Sir Ben Ainslie gears up for Race Of Champions driving challenge
Olympic legends Sir Ben Ainslie and Sir Chris Hoy will return to London’s former Olympic Stadium next month to take part in a unique driving challenge
Oceansteer emergency rudder tested
PBO assesses the effectiveness of the ‘one size fits all’ Oceansteer emergency rudder with a trial run on the PBO Project Boat