Some real head-scratching work has been going on this month as the pace picks up in advance of Southampton Boat Show. Although the Secret 20 is a kit boat for…
PBO Project Boat
PBO Project Boat auction – your chance to own a unique gaff cutter
The PBO Project Boat will be sold to the highest bidder in a charity auction to be run online during Southampton Boat Show. Register to bid on the Secret 20…
PBO Secret 20 Project Boat update: Spars, partitions and trims
The Secret 20 is a beautifully-shaped wooden sailing yacht designed by Derek Ellard and available to the DIY enthusiast in a pre-cut kit. The brochure describes the boat as ‘the…
PBO Project Boat Secret 20 update: Bulkheads and beams
Designed in Australia and built by enthusiasts all over the world, the Secret 20 packs grace and pace into her streamlined hull. The kit is supplied as a series of…
Project Boat update: Secret 20 completes deck fit-out stage
The Secret 20 is a beautifully designed classic sailing yacht that can be built from a kit, one of which was delivered to PBO in 2016. Regular readers may well…
PBO project boat – the Secret 20 kit – is back in build
Like many boat projects Harvey, the PBO Secret 20, has been the victim of circumstance. This unique, classic-style performance weekender that arrived as a flat-pack kit and took shape in…
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
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
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…
6. Fitting the hatches
It’s time for PBO’s Secret 20 kit boat to be equipped with a beneficial set of hatches. David Pugh reports
5. Filleting all the frame joints
PBO’s Secret 20 kit boat now boasts around 250 fillets, and the transom has been fitted. Ben Meakins reports
4. How to make the perfect epoxy fillet
David Pugh describes the process required to produce accurate coves while keeping mess and waste to a minimum