From horsepower to shaft length and tilt-angle to 2- or 4-stroke, Ali Wood highlights the different features you should consider when buying a new or used outboard motor
practical
What is the best way to stick down teak planking?
PBO reader Les Broughton is struggling to glue his teak planking to the fibreglass in his cockpit. Boat builder Lyndon March has the answer
How I built my own 18ft motorboat
Having already built a dinghy and a dayboat, Ben Russell decided to design and construct an 18ft Selway Fisher Clyde motorboat
Osmosis on a boat: will it cause my vessel to sink?
Katy Stickland talks to surveyor Ben Sutcliffe-Davies about why osmosis can be an indicator of high moisture content in fibreglass
Boat launch checklist: all the jobs you need to do for a hassle free start to the season
Take the stress out of the big day with practical tips from Practical Boat Owner's Ali Wood
Cleaning with acid and its uses onboard
Applying corrosive acid to magically clean or loosen a boat part sounds tempting - but caution is required, as Andy Pag advises
Looking at buying a boat in 2024? Get advice from the professionals to avoid the pitfalls
Surveyor Ben Sutcliffe-Davies looks at the changes since Brexit and advises how boat owners in the UK can avoid the pitfalls
Managing E5 and E10 petrol problems
E5 and especially E10 petrol requires much more ‘fuel husbandry’ than older, ethanol-free petrol blends, as Jake Frith has discovered
How to make your own cockpit grate: step by step
Zoran Glozinic saves some cash by making a new cockpit grate for his yacht using redundant old wooden kitchen shelves
Banish winter damp: install a solar-powered vent
Ten years ago, Colin Haines installed a solar-powered vent on his boat. He shares the results and if it still keeps his boat truly dry
Boat fibreglass repair: a beginner’s guide
No need to fear GRP repairs with these helpful tips from Andy Pag
How to replace boat trailer leaf springs
Steve Walburn replaces his boat trailer leaf springs
Boat wiring explained for the practical sailor
Pat Manley and Oliver Ballam demystify boat electrics and explain wiring and the best techniques for its installation
Fitting synthetic teak to a cockpit
Ben Meakins shows how he installed synthetic teak Dek-King seating
Metal fatigue in rig components: crack detection by dye penetrant
Metallurgist Vyv Cox shows how strongly-coloured dyes can be used to reveal fatigue cracks in rig components
Replacing crazed boat portlights
Stu Davies saves a bundle by having new acrylic windows made
Can you epoxy repair an aluminium boat heat exchanger?
PBO reader Chris Marden wants to know if he can repair the outer case of his boat heat exchanger with epoxy. Stu Davies has the answer!
How a boat solar hot water system works
Jon Walmsley explains how to heat water without a diesel engine
Surface preparation for polishing or varnishing a boat
Mirka’s Andy Mierau shares trade tips on how to prepare surfaces for polishing or varnishing
Beware using non-marine gas regulators
"This warning has become even more valid after the Calor Gas U-turn as some owners will be swapping back again and buying yet another regulator."