John Edwards suggests a more efficient way to empty your shower tray
In the workshop
Clever anchor ball storage
A bright idea means Jeremy White’s anchor ball is never forgotten
Anchor Ball from a giant Lindor box
Ron Stark chocs up a successful means of hoisting a black ball day signal for a vessel at anchor
A DIY aid to lassoing buoys and cleats
I often sail single-handed and picking up mooring buoys can be awkward, so I’ve constructed a lasso line to help. It consists of a 1m length of 6mm chain with…
Refurbishing a Yanmar 1GM10 water pump
The Yanmar 1GM10 is a great little engine, which starts first time and runs reliably: but there are one or two design flaws. The worst is that the raw water…
Six IKEA hacks for your boat
Whether it's making an instrument panel from a tablet stand, turning bed slats into a dinghy floor, creating a wine rack from a book case, assisting with cockpit locker organisation…
Instrument panel from an Ikea tablet stand
Last year, having put a couple of instruments on my Christmas list – a battery monitor and a Navtex receiver – I was delighted when Santa duly delivered them in…
How to stop ropes slipping in a clutch
Find out how to thicken and sheath ropes to stop them slipping in a clutch in this extract from Splicing Modern Ropes, by Jan-Willem Polman
Don’t let the sun shine in! Making a hatch shade board
You can keep cool in hot weather without resorting to amp-chewing fans and air-conditioners. Richard Hare shows how to make a simple hatch blanking plate
Dinghy wheels for an Avon Redcrest
Here’s my solution for those who still own ancient but trusty Avon Redstart and Redcrest dinghies. I rigged this 20 years ago by fitting a pair of wheels to the…
Make a fid from a ballpoint pen
I wanted to change my main halyard with the mast up. The halyard is inside the mast, exiting at the base and then enclosed under the hatch garage before leading…
How to cut rounded corners with a hole saw
How to cut rounded corners with a hole saw
Turn a storm jib into a trysail
A storm jib came with my second-hand 23ft (7m) Hunter Duette, but it couldn’t be run up the forestay because of the roller reefing headsail gear. Also, as I’m getting…
Make your own fids for splicing
Tony Nield makes his own fids from copper pipe and the cork from a bottle of port
How to repair big holes in GRP boats
Even wrecks can be rescued! Damaged boats can often be bought for a song and then successfully repaired – but it’s not a job for the faint-hearted. Jake Kavanagh explains…
Ikea wine rack makes a great boat bookcase
David Taylor adapts an Ikea wine rack to build a serviceable bookcase
Making a boat tent from a polytunnel
John Owen constructs a versatile and economical boat tent from a polytunnel
Making headlining panels
The finishing touch to the interior of many boats is the vinyl-covered headlining panel, which can be detached to access under-deck fittings. Jake Kavanagh watches upholsterer Alan Dring make one…
Anchor light and emergency VHF antenna
Paul Newton mounts an anchor light and emergency VHF antenna on his pushpit
Simple small boat shower
Rick Allender goes back to basics with a low-cost and simple way to shower on a small boat