DIY engine cooling water alarm
In the workshop
Remote control for a small auxiliary outboard
Derrick Grover makes a remote throttle and steering control for a small outboard
Whisker pole from a Laser topmast
The spinnaker pole that came with my Jeanneau SO34.2 is stout and reasonably strong, but is a little short to use as whisker pole when goose winging the genoa. More…
Make your own cleat boots
How to make your own cleat boots
Two uses for Ikea bed slats
Using Ikea bed slats for a comfortable night's sleep - and as a floor for an Avon Dinghy
Reinforced Oar Tips
A good use for that leftover epoxy resin - Hanne and Matthijs Siljee-van Beek beef up their oars
DIY cutless bearing extractor
Graham Swetman makes his own heavy-duty bearing extractor
Making GRP locker lids
Tim Marsden demonstrates how he fashioned a smart pair of cockpit locker lids for his bargain boat using glassfibre and iroko hardwood
How to service a 2-stroke outboard engine
After a long winter indoors many 2-stroke outboards are reluctant to start. A simple service should make yours more reliable. Here Steve Dawkins of Bursledon Outboards shows PBO’s Ben Meakins…
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…
Restoring a fireball
Torie Morley and Toby Hamer realise a burning ambition to restore a Fireball dinghy– and reveal how Skunk earned her stripes
Using a router
A power router can make light work of jobs that would otherwise take ages by hand. Julian Peckham has some tips for its use
How to make your own canvas bucket
Lin and Larry Pardey's step-by-step guide to producing a durable canvas bucket: from the January 1995 issue of Practical Boat Owner magazine.
Sharpening chisels and plane irons
Blunt tools a problem? Razor-sharp chisels and planes produce a much better job and are easier and safer to use. Julian Peckham shows how it’s done
Using a wood plane
There’s more to using a simple hand wood plane than first meets the eye. It’s not just a case of screwing a knurled knob in or out to adjust the…
Outboard engine stand from an old ladder
Michael Allen turns a condemned stepladder into a stand for his outboard engine
Cheap epoxy pump dispensers
Jonathan Humphreys uses empty hand-wash bottles as epoxy pump dispensers to avoid waste and ensure the mix is right every time
DIY mooring line chafe protection
Alex Blackwell makes his own mooring chafe protectors, ensuring they're lashed to the line to stop them moving
3D printed filler cap wrench
Henry Lupton's design for a filler cap wrench can be downloaded and 3d-printed to protect your filler caps
8 quick tips for varnishing
Some tips and tricks to get the best finish possible when varnishing your boat's woodwork