How to avoid and spot the 15 big problems you don't want on a boat, the vital tasks you need to do on your boat…
Practical Boat Owner
December issue – out on 26 October 2023
How to sell your boat and get the best price, long term test of electric outboards, our view of the new Hanse 348, DIY spinnaker…
Safety alert for Pirolec Red Rocket Parachute Flare L-35
Lecea, which manufacturers Pirolec Red Rocket Parachute Flare L-35, is recalling all devices marked with lot number 113 after a sailor was killed after firing the flare
Connecting boat solar panel chargers? Ask the experts
Barbara Mortimer writes: “I have a motorboat with three battery banks (engine, house and anchor winch) charged by the alternator via a Sterling ProSplit R. “I also have a mains…
Calor Gas discontinues its 4.5kg butane cylinders
Calor Gas has announced it is discontinuing its 4.5kg butane cylinders, which are popular amongst sailors and boaters
Boat engine failure in the path of a bulk carrier – lessons learned
Perhaps I should have known better. My sailing companion for the trip from Chichester Marina to Gosport, in my 19ft Mk1 Shrimper, was Scaf, a bearded friend from Belgium. I’d…
Wooden boat builders urged to take part in survey
Wooden boat builders in the UK are being asked to take part in a skills survey to help shape the future of the industry
March issue – on sale 19 January
PBO Project Boat sail test!; 17-20ft pocket cruisers; New running rigging; Working boats for leisure;Jimmy Cornell – yacht safety; Sabre 27 overhaul; and 15 pages of DIY...
Cleaning a diesel tank: a practical guide
Richard Barnard braves the mess and overcomes key challenges for the satisfaction of a clean fuel tank, free from sediment and sludge
Riders of jet skis who drive recklessly could face a two year jail term under new laws
From 31 March 2023, anyone caught driving jet skis, speed boats and other recreational and personal watercraft dangerously could face up to two years in prison and an unlimited fine
Would you circumnavigate Britain in an electric RIB? Harry Besley plans to!
Harry Besley has announced plans to circumnavigate Britain in an electric rigid inflatable boat (eRIB) to raise awareness of zero emissions propulsion
DIY boat ladder: how to make one on a budget
Zoran Glozinic shares how he made a safe and sturdy DIY boat ladder on a minimal budget
Winterizing boat batteries: A foolproof way
Engineering guru Vyv Cox confesses to a less-than impressive track record of winterizing boat batteries – but shares his new-found solution
Channel Hopping: The World on their Oyster
Our resident YouTube fanatic revisits Sailing Yacht Florence after a three year absence and finds that they have "massively upped their game when it comes to filming and editing, while…
Channel Hopping: Good Daughters and Broken Hearted Sailors
Our resident YouTube fanatic Kass Schmitt reflects on some shock splits of two of her favourite sailing vlogging couples
Swinging mooring setup: What I learned from trying a cheaper mooring option
After almost two decades of being marina berthed and concerned with the ever-increasing mooring fees, myself, and my partner, Brian, decided to look for an alternative, cheaper swinging mooring on…
UK coastal birds: Your essential guide to waders, divers and fish eaters
When I was a child, my family’s boat lived on a mooring in Chichester harbour. At high tide we were surrounded by a huge expanse of water thronging with dinghies…
Classic cruiser boats: Why GRP models are now being welcomed into the fold
Sprawled, glass in hand, in the cockpit of my friend James Stock’s beautiful Stephen Jones-designed Mystery 35, I pondered on the eclectic fleet of elegant flag-bedecked classic cruiser boats that…
Sailfish 18 buyer’s guide: This affordable trailer sailer is surprisingly speedy
Like most cruising sailors I claim that I do not race. Well this is only true to an extent for when another yacht starts to overhaul me I instinctively pay…
How to service a marine diesel engine in 12 simple steps
It was time to service the marine diesel engine on our Maxi 84 cruiser. Knowing how to diagnose and fix engine faults is a useful skill for any boat owner,…
How Perkins marine engines became world-famous
The Volvo Penta engine on our Maxi 84 Maximus is a re-badged version of the Perkins 103-06, itself originally imported from a Japanese company called Ishikawajima Shibaura Machinery. Perkins marketed…
How an intercooled engine works
With an inter-cooled engine, the role of the seawater is to take away the heat from the freshwater. The seawater, or ‘raw water’, is a separate flow to the fresh…