Sam Longley explains his yacht club’s DIY approach to setting new ground tackle for moorings on the River Blackwater
Practical Projects
Make a big toot again by clearing seagull scum out of a boat air horn
Charles Beddingfield makes his boat air horn loud again
Making a Perspex switch panel
Tony Davies shows how he made a simple helm dashboard switch panel using 10mm black polycarbonate
How to make low-cost collision mat
Gilbert Park takes steps to prevent a sinking by making his own collision mat
How to make your own ensign flagstaff
Don Fitzroy Smith finds a new way to 'raise the flag' by building his own flagstaff for his ensign
How I used salt to add non-slip to my cabin sole
The cabin sole on my Contessa 32 has a lot of nicely varnished hardwood-faced ply joinery. But part of the sole is on a slope which doesn’t help when walking…
How one skipper fixed his fuel problems with a diesel day tank
The wind was dying with the light after a lively passage down the western Peloponnese, but the lumpy sea remained. As we sloshed around in the swell my wife, Maxi,…
How to prevent wave slap on the hull
Tony Raven uses swimming pool noodles as a cheap cure for wave slapping on the hull
Anchor windlass repairs to extend its life
José-Maria Molina extends the life of his ageing anchor winch
Make a boat step from salvaged wood and ropes
Mark Prior makes a step using £10-worth of material (which could be salvaged free)
How to make a carbon fibre spinnaker pole
Colin King saves himeself £1,500 by building his own carbon fibre spinnaker pole for his Contessa 32
How I gave my Albin Ballad’s mast and standing rigging a major upgrade
When I bought my 1973 Albin Ballad Moments of Clarity many years ago, the first job I did was to replace all of the running and standing rigging. A few…
Boat windscreen wiper motor repair: how one boat owner fixed the seized motor
Richard Stone mends his deck saloon's windscreen wiper motor
DIY automated fog horn for £30
Nick Tyler takes the guesswork out of broadcasting fog signals
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…
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…
How I built a DIY propeller puller to free a calcified prop and shaft
Removing a propeller from your sail- or motorboat doesn’t always translate to smooth sailing, even on a well-maintained yacht. Imagine doing it on an old wooden motor cruiser which was…
My tiller pilot went rogue: the surprising DIY repair that saved my Raymarine ST1000
After his boat executes an unexpected hard-over turn, Paul Newell diagnoses and repairs a problem with his tiller pilot
I installed a yacht air conditioning system in just a few hours
Wanting to upgrade the comfort of my 2004 Bavaria 38 with a yacht air conditioning system, I found the procedure to be remarkably simple. Here, I demonstrate how easy it…
How I built a hull skirt to keep my boat dry while antifouling
Ever thought of making a hull skirt? Getting fed up with the yearly grind and expense of antifouling Koto’s bottom I decided to switch over to Coppercoat. Doing so would…