The bow of a liferaft painted in blue, white and red

The basic shape of a traditional lifeboat is a long shallow keel, double ended and beamy – ideal for conversion into a cruising boat

A yacht with red sails

Designed for safe family boating under sail, or or power, but taken long distance by intrepid sailors, Clive Marsh looks at the Drascombe and Devon Luggers and the Dabber

Boats leaving port for an Atlantic crossing

What is the best boat for crossing the Atlantic? Ali Wood asks the owners of two catamarans and two monohulls sailing the North Atlantic to the Caribbean