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
June 2019
The best boats of the 1990s and a 60-year-old 25-footer that still feels solid as a rock
Off track and into trouble off Portland Bill
David Sloan discovers the simple navigational error that turned his parents’ Channel hop into a near disaster
Build your own Western Skiff – Part 2: Sheathing and filleting the hull
Boatbuilding can be a lonely business, especially if you’re stuck on your own in a cold garage trying to figure out how to hang your garboards. Download your own set…
The Outer Hebrides welcome
Charmian Entwistle tests new facilities at Tarbert, Harris and Scalpay
How to replace hydraulic steering hoses and refill the system with fluid
I bought my three-year old Jeanneau Merry Fisher 855 in November. After a full survey I sailed her back to Emsworth a few days later, with no problems. She sat…
May 2019
How to fix your engine at sea, a Westerly Centaur 50th anniversary special, and more, in the latest issue of PBO
16. Fairing the curves
Casting a critical eye over the project boat’s lines, David Pugh and Ben Meakins set to work filling and fairing to make the hull smooth
15. Rounding the bilges
Chine in your hands: PBO takes a turn at shaping the project boat’s bilge. David Pugh reports
14. Completing the hull skin
We’ve made great progress this month, and as a result the hull skin is now complete, save for a lot of fairing – but that’s for another month! Ben Meakins…
13. Starting on the hull skin underside
This month, the Secret’s structure is finished off with the addition of bottom stringers, bevelled chine battens and forefoot cheek pieces. Ben Meakins reports
Build your own Western Skiff – part 1: the first steps
Finally, after months of planning and discussion, the moment of truth had arrived: the first Western Skiff MkII kit, put together by Jordan Boats, was being delivered to its first…
Free boat plans – update plus extra plans and photos published
Four weeks on from the relaunch of the Nigel Irens designed Western Skiff, we offer our first round of updates. In addition to the 39-page set of A-zero paper plans…
12. Turning the hull over to start on the bottom
It could be put off no longer: the time had come to work on the bottom of our Secret 20, which meant rotating her through 180°. David Pugh reports
11. Sheer, decks and gunwales
Strong and stable: PBO’s Secret 20 is strengthened before being turned in the next step of her construction. David Pugh reports
10. Adding hull sides
With the addition of her 6mm ply hull panels, PBO’s Secret 20 starts to look less like basketwork and more like a boat. David Pugh reports
9. Deck beams and chainplates
This month’s project boat tasks include fitting laminated deck beams and reinforcing the chainplates. Ben Meakins reports
8. Fitting intermediate and lower stringers
It’s time to fit the intermediate and lower stringers to PBO’s Secret 20 kit boat. David Pugh reports
How to design and fit a 50lt holding tank for a Westerly Konsort
My Westerly Konsort Koto was built in 1980 and featured a loo outlet connected direct to the sea via a 1.5in Blakes seacock. But having decided to join the Emsworth…
Paying tribute to Robert Braithwaite CBE
PBO was saddened to hear that Robert Braithwaite, founder of Sunseeker International, passed away in the early hours of this morning at the age of 75.
7. Scarf joints and stringers
Building a kit boat is a bit like a child’s dot-to-dot drawing. See the full set of articles: Building the Secret 20 kit boat with PBO. The framework is made…