CATEGORIES

A rediscovered boat for all reasons
Practical Boat Owner

A rediscovered boat for all reasons

Once used by the trappers, traders and hunters of the New World, the Adirondack Guide Boat is just as relevant today, says Roger Nadin

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4 mins  |
August 2022
Made in Germany
Practical Boat Owner

Made in Germany

Peter Poland looks at ‘fantastisch’ 30-footers that have proved how a hobby can become a multi-million euro business

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10+ mins  |
August 2022
Why do we change our engine oil?
Practical Boat Owner

Why do we change our engine oil?

PBO's engine whisperer Stu Davies ponders the not-so-silly question

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2 mins  |
Summer 2022
Taking the lead: best 30ft French yachts
Practical Boat Owner

Taking the lead: best 30ft French yachts

Few would dispute that the French production yacht builders have left British builders floundering in their wake, writes Peter Poland

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10+ mins  |
Summer 2022
RS Pulse 63 Electric RIB
Practical Boat Owner

RS Pulse 63 Electric RIB

Jake Frith ponders whether a 23 knot RIB could change the world

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7 mins  |
Summer 2022
ResQLink V FastFind PLBS
Practical Boat Owner

ResQLink V FastFind PLBS

Fox Morgan takes a closer look at the PLBs with Return Link Service

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2 mins  |
Summer 2022
Post-Brexit Channel Hop
Practical Boat Owner

Post-Brexit Channel Hop

The sailing was fantastic, the admin a little onerous and the French Border Patrol visit a surprise - Steve Hodges and Sam McClements share their first post-Brexit Channel hop experience

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10+ mins  |
Summer 2022
Propulsion options
Practical Boat Owner

Propulsion options

Inboard diesel engines are common for sailing cruisers, but there are other ways to power a boat, as Stu Davies explains

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10 mins  |
Summer 2022
Orca encounter left our yacht rudderless
Practical Boat Owner

Orca encounter left our yacht rudderless

Zoe Barlow shares her experience of losing a rudder when targeted by orcas while on passage from Spain to Morocco

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5 mins  |
Summer 2022
Dinghy disasters
Practical Boat Owner

Dinghy disasters

A former inspector with the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, Owen Brown reflects on sailing adventures that taught him safety lessons

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10+ mins  |
Summer 2022
Italy to England trailer-sailer tow
Practical Boat Owner

Italy to England trailer-sailer tow

Alice Driscoll recalls driving and towing a 10m-long car and trailer combo carrying a J24 keelboat, 1,000 miles home from Lake Garda

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10 mins  |
Summer 2022
Eco power for a cruising cat
Practical Boat Owner

Eco power for a cruising cat

The expansive deck of an 8m Catalac catamaran proves to be a huge asset for Simon Milward's solar electric propulsion project

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10+ mins  |
Summer 2022
Freeman 22 Mk2
Practical Boat Owner

Freeman 22 Mk2

A comfortable little motor cruiser with an interesting engine

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6 mins  |
Summer 2022
All Sail Week
Practical Boat Owner

All Sail Week

Tough as old boots, brave as lions, has our ancestors' innate skilfulness become extinct?

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3 mins  |
July 2022
Best British-built cruisers around 32ft
Practical Boat Owner

Best British-built cruisers around 32ft

Peter Poland shares his expertise on British-built second-hand yachts costing less than £30,000, which are comfortable and seaworthy

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10+ mins  |
July 2022
Solo sailing around Scotland's Small Isles
Practical Boat Owner

Solo sailing around Scotland's Small Isles

Paul Radcliffe takes advantage of good weather to explore the islands off the west coast of Scotland

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8 mins  |
July 2022
Alternatives to gas
Practical Boat Owner

Alternatives to gas

Rupert Holmes encourages a broad-minded approach to onboard cooking appliances and gadgets

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10 mins  |
July 2022
A guide to seal spotting
Practical Boat Owner

A guide to seal spotting

Can you tell the difference between a common seal and a grey seal? Genevieve Leaper shares some identification tips

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10+ mins  |
July 2022
Replace or rebuild?
Practical Boat Owner

Replace or rebuild?

At what point is keeping an old diesel engine throwing good money after bad? PBO expert Stu Davies has some tips to help you decide

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10+ mins  |
July 2022
DIY fuel polisher defeats dirty diesel
Practical Boat Owner

DIY fuel polisher defeats dirty diesel

Diesel engines have simple tastes, says Graham Keating, but clean fuel is one that can't be guaranteed in all corners of the world

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10 mins  |
July 2022
Having a finger on the pulse
Practical Boat Owner

Having a finger on the pulse

It's great living near a pier - there's always something going on that's worth watching

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3 mins  |
July 2022
Heads and hosetails
Practical Boat Owner

Heads and hosetails

Holding tanks, electric versus manual heads, and stamping out unwanted smells - Ali Wood gets some advice on sea toilets

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10+ mins  |
July 2022
Knockdown
Practical Boat Owner

Knockdown

Golden Globe Race entrant Guy Waites, a former Clipper Race skipper, suffers mast failure 300 miles from the Azores

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6 mins  |
July 2022
Painting a Corribee Mk2
Practical Boat Owner

Painting a Corribee Mk2

A tale of prolific boat owner Clive Marsh's Corribee Mk2 and a warning to wait a while before changing a boat's colour

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5 mins  |
July 2022
Tracing a pesky leak
Practical Boat Owner

Tracing a pesky leak

When Alan England's Moody 376 developed an unexplainable leak, he used detective work to find the source... but it wasn't easy

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10 mins  |
June 2022
The sinking of Emma Rose
Practical Boat Owner

The sinking of Emma Rose

During a sailing trip in the Med, solo skipper Chris Pearsall's 1984 Jeanneau Attalia 32 sank between Crete and Cyprus

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10+ mins  |
June 2022
West Country stop-start getaway
Practical Boat Owner

West Country stop-start getaway

Rupert Holmes recalls a week of glorious sailing and anchorages on a newly acquired and refitted boat

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10+ mins  |
June 2022
Tall ship Channel hop
Practical Boat Owner

Tall ship Channel hop

Phil Dando tells of a gruelling Channel crossing on the sail training ship Malcolm Miller

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5 mins  |
June 2022
Silhouettes
Practical Boat Owner

Silhouettes

These bilge keel pocket cruisers, boasting serpentine sheer, good build quality and robust looks, can be real bargains

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5 mins  |
June 2022
Practical Boat Owner

Shark surprise

Ali Wood finds the 4ft remains of a basking shark spine on a beach and learns how boaters can help this endangered species

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3 mins  |
June 2022