Is it time to swap your boat batteries? We look at the pros and cons of lithium-ion vs standard, installation dos and don’ts, bust the…
Practical Boat Owner
May issue – out 14 March
15 fixes at sea: sailors share how to deal with a range of problems afloat from a dismasting and rudder damage to chafe, the essential…
Special Hui Gathering to celebrate the late James Wharram’s life
A celebration of the late James Wharram's life will be taking place on 22 to 25 July (exact day will be chosen according to the weather).
“I had a banana for a mast” 300 miles offshore: Lessons learned from a mid-Atlantic knockdown
Golden Globe Race entrant and former Clipper Race skipper Guy Waites suffers mast failure 300 miles from the Azores
Prepping the rusty keel of the PBO Project boat
In our Maxi 84 boat survey, Ben Sutcliffe-Davies concluded that the antifouling needed to come off and whilst the keel joint was nice and tight there was a lot of…
Book review: The Making of Swallows and Amazons
I came across The Making of Swallows and Amazons by sheer chance not long after I had watched the original film ‘Swallows and Amazons’ on TV and was instantly intrigued.…
Anchoring a boat: 6 tips to keep you safe
If space is tight or the weather looks unsettled, it’s worth having a few skills up your sleeve to make the most of a tricky anchorage. Here are 6 tips...
Removing antifouling – the job I’ll never do again!
After a season on the water and two years in a boatyard, Maximus’s antifouling was old and flaky. We’d been given the 28ft Maxi 84 by PBO reader Daniel Kirtley,…
Which paint for antifouling a bronze bracket? Ask the experts
Maureen Owens from Gosport asks: “The bronze prop shaft bracket on my boat regularly seems to foul up but I’m unsure what to use to coat it with antifouling. “Am…
Do you know your rudders?
Do you know rudders? Boatyards are a great place to get to know different types of keels, rudders and other underwater fittings. When Ben Sutcliffe-Davies came down to Chichester to…
Best inflatable kayaks for families and beginners
Inflatable kayaks are the ultimate way to have fun with family and friends. No boating experience needed, no faffing around with roof-racks. Just pump and go. So when Decathlon launched…
Boat trailer bearings explained: Why many trailing sailors have the wrong type
Being able to easily trail your little boat to new cruising grounds is a great feeling. Many owners of cruising yachts simply don’t get the time to go far from…
Boat food ideas: Top tips to transform your meals on board
Seeking to make life on board more like that at home, by maximising comfort and convenience is understandable – as humans we’ve been doing that ever since we started creating…
Types of seal and the best places to spot them from your boat in the UK
‘When angels fell, some fell on the land, some on the sea. The former are the faeries and the latter were often said to be the seals.’ While this old…
Corribee Mk2 used boat review: Robert Tucker design has stood the test of time
I found my Robert Tucker-designed Corribee Mk2 at Tarquin’s Boat Yard in Emsworth which is now known as Emsworth Marina. She was out of the water sporting a very eye-catching…
World’s first sustainable and recyclable Optimist dinghy launched – the ecoOptimist
ecoOptimist – the world’s first sustainable and recyclable Optimist since it started to be built from fibreglass rather than plywood – has been launched
Best 30 foot boats: Seaworthy British cruisers available for under £30k
You might think £30,000 sounds like a lot of money for a ‘starter boat’. But tracking down a comfortable and seaworthy yacht that’s 30 foot long, less than around 40…
We pushed this budget paddleboard right up to its weight limit: Bestway SUP review
I recently wanted to try an inflatable stand up paddleboard (SUP) for use as a tender to get to my boat when she’s out on the mooring. I’ve done this…
What is antifouling paint and why is it important to antifoul your boat?
The rougher your hull, the more friction it creates and the slower your boat is in the water. It pays to keep a hull smooth, particularly for motorboats where you…
Cheap antifouling paint? Manufacturers explain how to coat your boat on a budget
What’s your most economical antifouling paint? The lower the level of fouling you’re up against, the cheaper the antifouling paint is likely to be. For low to medium fouling conditions,…
Wreck of historic royal ship discovered off the English coast
The wreck of one of the most famous ships of the 17th century - which sank 340 years ago - has been discovered off the coast of Norfolk.
Summer issue – on sale 9th June
Engine school – stern drives, outboards and jet drives compared; Best French 30ft cruisers; First test of the RS Pulse 63 electric RIB; Post-Brexit Channel hop; Personal AIS and PLBs…