As excitement builds for the new sailing season, minimise the risk of shakedown cruise glitches and common mistakes with this handy guide.
Latest
Glaciers, williwaw gusts & dodging drifting ice: Cruising the Beagle Channel with a French legend
Marina Guedes sails the Beagle Channel with Jérôme Poncet aboard Damien 2
Fitting and sealing new deck gear and winches
Rupert Holmes shares how he redesigned and refitted the deck hardware on his Quarter-Tonner, Minestrone
Mirror Dinghy: the versatile first boat for thousands of sailors
The ‘car top dinghy’ that can be launched and sailed in most coastal and inshore waters, with more than 70,000 built since 1963
Maintenance
Mast unstepping while your boat is still afloat
Genevieve Leaper shows how to lower a mast while your boat is still afloat
Make a boat step from salvaged wood and ropes
Mark Prior makes a step using £10-worth of material (which could be salvaged free)
2-stroke outboard service in 12 steps
Stu Davies revives a 1989 2hp outboard engine
Boat electrics for beginners
Engineer Chris Mardon demystifies onboard electrics and explains how you can troubleshoot electrical systems
Amazing adventures
Pete Hill on sail repair, damaged steering and two lost drogues while battling storms in the Tasman Sea
Spend World Radio Day with Radio Caroline, the last “pirate” radio station still broadcasting offshore
The World’s Smallest Boat? How Andrew Bedwell built his 100cm boat to sail across the Atlantic
Clare Allcard, Rozelle Raynes & Peter Gerard: how these three sailors found independence through their wooden boats
Practical Projects
How to prevent wave slap on the hull
Anchor windlass repairs to extend its life
How to make a carbon fibre spinnaker pole
Boat windscreen wiper motor repair: how one boat owner fixed the seized motor
DIY automated fog horn for £30
Practical tip: how to use a scanner for an accurate drilling template
PBO Project Boat
What does a sailmaker do?
Shortly before the Round the Island Race, one of the largest yacht races in the world, it’s all go at…
Shore power: solving tripping problems
Ali Wood gets a crash course in reverse polarity and smart charging when Project Boat Maximus’s shore power gets trippy…
Sail design – using 3D software and laser technology to cut new sails
During the survey of our Maxi 84, the PBO Project Boat Maximus, we were warned by a marine surveyor that…
How to measure your yacht for new sails
Measuring your boat for new sails is a job for the sailmaker, so when our PBO Project Boat Maximus needed…
Restoring a vintage Sailor radio
Ali Wood’s Sailor radio is given the VIP treatment
Seajet Bioclean silicone antifoul review: Our verdict after one year on the water
Does silicone antifouling work? It’s not flying off the shelves yet, according to suppliers, but the results from our Project…
Securing mast cable on our Maxi 84
With the help of ACM Marine, Ali Wood goes about securing mast cable on the Maxi 84 PBO project boat
Family sailing safety gear: TESTED!
Ali Wood discusses the sailing safety gear she chose for their first family cruise on board their Maxi 84, and…