Boating-sailing
Practical Boat Owner
Sinking pontoons and a twisted knee
John Latham experiences an inauspicious start to his cruise from Dublin to Northern Ireland when hit by gale force winds in harbour
7 min |
September 2023
Practical Boat Owner
Build your kit boat like an expert
Polly Robinson shares her best practice for constructing a boat from a pre-cut kit, and how to troubleshoot potential problems
7 min |
September 2023
Practical Boat Owner
How to fit your own autopilot
Gilbert Park shows how he installed a new autopilot on his Trusty T23 motorboat
7 min |
September 2023
Practical Boat Owner
Diesel heat exchanger and manifold repair
Barry Pickthall explains how he carried out engine repairs on a budget after a couple of years of Covid lockdown neglect
3 min |
September 2023
Practical Boat Owner
Do I need my vessel re-certified?
Surveyor Ben Sutcliffe-Davies gives his advice on the implications to be considered when making changes to your boat
2 min |
September 2023
Practical Boat Owner
How to design modifications for your boat
Yacht designer lan Nicolson explains how to make changes to living space on board
10 min |
September 2023
Practical Boat Owner
Portable toilet buyer's guide
Ali Wood checks out the best places to go... when you really need to go
9 min |
September 2023
Practical Boat Owner
Long-haul cruising CHECKLIST
Jimmy Cornell boils down decades' worth of world cruising surveys to find the factors that affect voyage success
10+ min |
September 2023
Practical Boat Owner
Boats for cruising around the UK
Duncan Kent chooses the best sail and motor boats under 40ft for circumnavigating the islands of Britain and Ireland
10+ min |
September 2023
Practical Boat Owner
Traditional Broads motor cruisers
Why large wooden traditional cruisers such as the 43ft Silver Jubilee class are Clive and his wife's favourite holiday charter vessels
4 min |
September 2023
Practical Boat Owner
Calm day antics
Getting close to seabirds, achieving a level horizon... and not dropping the camera
3 min |
September 2023
Practical Boat Owner
Death of the compass?
Navigation-what's hot and what's not
3 min |
September 2023
Practical Boat Owner
A narrow escape
Dave struggles to remember why owning a classic boat is such a privilege...
2 min |
September 2023
Practical Boat Owner
Fair winds to yachtsman Duncan Lougee
Tributes have been paid to a solo skipper who disappeared while sailing his 25ft Folkboat from the UK's south coast to Ireland as part of the Jester Baltimore Challenge.
2 min |
September 2023
Practical Boat Owner
Dreamboats
Travels among the Great Unlaunched
3 min |
August 2023
Practical Boat Owner
It's the voices
When you can’t do right for doing wrong, doing wrong Is the right thing to do
3 min |
August 2023
Practical Boat Owner
Cruising through mountainous Wales
Charles Beddingfield takes a nostalgic tour of Milford Haven and the Pembrokeshire coast
8 min |
August 2023
Practical Boat Owner
How NOT to start the sailing season
It's like the boat-launching Olympics for Greg Manning as he leaps hurdles and avoids cutting corners to cover 1,920 miles back and forth in 15 days to get his yacht safely afloat
7 min |
August 2023
Practical Boat Owner
Safe mast climbing
Most of us prefer to climb the mast when safely alongside, but what if you have to climb it at sea? Pip Hare shares tips and techniques
3 min |
August 2023
Practical Boat Owner
e-Cat conversion
Michael Sanatani’s electrification of a British fishing catamaran into a Canadian family cruiser
6 min |
August 2023
Practical Boat Owner
Frank and Margaret Dye
Roger Barnes reflects on the legacy of small-boat sailors Frank and Margaret Dye
7 min |
August 2023
Practical Boat Owner
Lost at sea
Cruising pioneer Peter Tangvald's son, Thomas, disappeared after sailing from South America in 2014. Kathy Catton recalls her memories of him
5 min |
August 2023
Practical Boat Owner
A modern take on the traditional proa
Ali Wood finds out more about visionary designer Rob Denney
4 min |
August 2023
Practical Boat Owner
Hull design HOW IT IMPACTS PERFORMANCE
Peter Poland explains how hull design has evolved over the years and how this affects boat handling and accommodation
10+ min |
August 2023
Practical Boat Owner
Crossing Wide Bay bar
crossing John Tylor recalls a treacherous sideways, and while asleep-on the tropical Queensland coast with his good friend Don
6 min |
Summer 2023
Practical Boat Owner
Essential checks for chainplates
As long as our chainplates aren't leaking, few of us give them a second thought. But should we be checking more closely? Surveyor Ben Sutcliffe-Davies explains what to look out for
6 min |
Summer 2023
Practical Boat Owner
Understanding electrics: switches and relays
Pat Manley and Oliver Ballam demystify boat electrics, starting with switches and relays
3 min |
Summer 2023
Practical Boat Owner
Learning how to restore old boats
Inspired by a stunning homebuilt yacht, Ali Wood visits the Boat Building Academy to learn how any of us can become boatbuilders
10+ min |
Summer 2023
Practical Boat Owner
DIY £200 chartplotter
John Calton builds his own 10in touchscreen chartplotter with GPS and AIS for a fraction of the cost of an off-the-shelf system
8 min |
Summer 2023
Practical Boat Owner
Bilge pump mystery
Zoran Glozinic buys a suspiciously low priced bilge pump with a design flaw... but it proves just the job for his project boat
5 min |