For sailors, there is no hotter topic than fire on board. Sticky Stapylton looks at methods of prevention – and ways of dealing with fire should the worst happen
Practical Boat Owner
Boat handling: leaving a tight space
Peter Jones shares a technique for departing a pontoon with limited room for manoeuvre, against a pontoon or between rafts of boats
DIY crew headset for efficient anchoring
No need to shout for David Holmes and crew when anchoring
Surface preparation for polishing or varnishing a boat
Mirka’s Andy Mierau shares trade tips on how to prepare surfaces for polishing or varnishing
Easy berthing with a boat pick-up line
Bill Rothwell devises a simple boat pick-up line to make berthing easier
Coming alongside – essential skills for shorthanded crews
Coming alongside can be tricky for singlehanded and short-handed sailors. Øyvind Bordal has some sailing skills that will come in handy in harbours
Antifouling: Everything you need to know
Here’s PBO’s guide to preparing for, choosing and using antifouling paints
How to make a simple deadeye tackle
Jay Renton devises a tackle for tensioning
Masthead crane replacement
Steve Gerry fabricates a new masthead crane
Why isn’t more being done about pot markers? Ask the experts
Graham Gibbs writes: “When will something be done about pot markers? On a cruise west from Gosport this May, I estimated that around 1% of pot markers met legal requirements.…
Making a headboard for comfier sleeping on board
Chris Mardon fabricates a removable wooden bunk headboard
How to build a rudder for your boat
Hitting a submerged object destroyed Mike Gudmunsen’s rudder...so he set about making a new one
No mess oil filter change for a boat engine
Simon Westmacott devises a way to keep his bilges clean when changing the engine's oil filter
How to do a rig check with an action cam
Simone Annunziata gets a bird’s eye view using modern tech and an old broom
Magnetic mousing for easy wire installation
Winston Collinge uses an easy and attractive way to feed a cable through the length of his mast
DIY installation of LED boat lights
Brian Johnson converts his interior boat lamps to dual intensity LEDs
DIY boat mosquito net to keep the insects at bay
Dave and Karen Proctor make a boat mosquito net for their companionway
Hoisting sails the easy way
Steven Hinchliffe shares an easy way for hoisting sails
Who owns a boat write-off?
Where does the responsibility for a boat write-off lie? RYA paralegal Lucy Rutter has the answer
Remote control bow and stern thrusters: reader tested
Will Renilson improves boat handling aboard his Jersey 36 and tests the Vetus remote control system and the Coastline Technology bow and stern thruster