Marine engineer and surveyor Marcus Jones unpicks the confusion surrounding the use of lithium batteries and what you should consider if installing them on board your boat
practical
DIY automated fog horn for £30
Nick Tyler takes the guesswork out of broadcasting fog signals
How to patch flowcoat to protect a corroded stern tube
Ken Fawell asks: This is a picture (above) taken inside my yacht. Apparently, the coating on the stern tube has been worn away by the black vibrating water hose. Can…
How I refit my own Volvo Saildrive propeller
Prevailing winds in the UK blow from the west, so why is it then, that whenever you want to travel east, the winds will relentlessly blow from that direction for…
Turning old headsails into an MOB recovery scoop and sea anchors
Paul McNeill shows how redundant old headsails can be successfully recycled as items of MOB recovery equipment or as sea anchors
Fusion BB10 Black Box radio: DIY installation on a boat
Gilbert Park shows how he fitted an audio system controlled from his chartplotter and smartphone while underway
Practical tip: how to use a scanner for an accurate drilling template
Like many boat owners, I often fit new bits to my boat. Some of them come with templates that make drilling holes more precise. The alternative is careful measurement of…
The Beneteau 760 vs a ‘rogue’ wave
John Willis explains the consequences of cresting a bigger-than-expected wave while helming his 25ft motorboat
How I installed a mast spotlight to stay safe in nighttime anchorages
Have you considered adding a mast spotlight to your yacht? Perhaps we’re asking too much of the good old anchor light. Set against the lights of a busy town or…
Banish damp from your boat this winter
Ashore or afloat, winter cold and damp can have a detrimental effect. Jake Kavanagh looks at the options for keeping condensation and moisture at bay
Vane gear self-steering: you guide to an offshore sailor’s best friend
Andrew Simpson looks at pendulum servo self-steering gears, and describes how to get the best out of them
Understanding boat displacement & why it matters
How well do you feel like you understand boat displacement? For most sailors, it’s an overlooked topic. When I returned to marine journalism after a spell working on other magazines,…
Tools for tight spaces on a boat
Ben Meakins contorts himself terribly in a bid to demonstrate which tools work best when working on your boat in confined conditions
From damp cushions to cosy home: The simple insulation job that changed life on our boat
Mark and Nicky Green decided to insulate their Cobra 850 themselves, and found it was the key to their long-term dream of living aboard
200 miles offshore with no rudder: How four sailors built a jury rudder from cabin doors
Stranded 200 miles offshore in big seas without a rudder is every sailor’s nightmare. The crew of Quokka found a solution and sailed to safety, reports Louay Habib
Engine coolant leak: how to make a temporary fix
A persistent engine coolant leak in a Volvo Penta 2040 was eventually traced to a source most sailors overlook. Vyv Cox share how he diagnosed the problem and made a
How to replace your running rigging: The essential DIY guide for older cruising yachts
Replacing old, tired ropes is a critical job for any sailboat owner. Follow this step-by-step process for a full running rigging overhaul.
From stiff to ‘finger-light’: The DIY overhaul that saved our boat steering system
Battling with increasingly heavy steering on his yacht led Mike Coates to check out all the possibilities before eventually taking the whole lot apart for a refurbishment. Here he shows…
Checking and replacing keel bolts on wooden boats
If a keel parts company from a yacht, capsize is the inevitable result, which is why checking and replacing keel bolts is essential. But keel bolt failure is not something…
How to build a boat with cold moulding: the secret to a hull that looks like GRP
Richard Johnstone-Bryden explains cold moulding, a time- and cost-effective method of combining the beauty of wood with the strength and practicality of GRP