From steering to rigging (and all the things we forget!) – the essential checks for the prepared skipper; Displacement theory and how it affects the…
Practical Boat Owner
November 2025 issue – out 25 September
Banish damp on board your boat! The benefits of solar, hydro and wind..and what can go wrong; 6 legendary boats which shaped design, 12,000 mile…
Emerging from hibernation – Dave Selby’s Mad About the Boat column
The crinkle of crisp boilersuits shuffling around the boatyard heralds a new season
Making a lifting keel easier to raise
After struggling with a heavy lifting keel, Brian Johnson builds a simple tackle to make light of the problem
June issue – 10 April
Essential skills, planning and kit for your best summer afloat, Bonding & sealants guide, How to sail tidal estuaries, Yacht handing on rivers, Silicone antifouling test, The seamanship of Joshua…
How to fit an adjustable backstay
Bob Goode improves his Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 32’s sail handling by replacing the original fixed wire split backstay
Left for dead after falling overboard: how one sailor survived 5 hours lost at sea before rescue
Roger Cottle was presumed dead after falling overboard a 27ft yacht and lost at sea for five-and-a-half hours in a holed lifejacket, at night
Plan to secure future of nautical publisher Imray paper charts
Good news for Imray's paper charts: the nautical publisher and freytag & berndt aim to “ensure the continued availability” of Imray's paper charts and books
How we live the dream: sailors share their routes into bluewater sailing
There are many paths to bluewater cruising. Here boat owners share their stories with Ali Wood ahead of their transatlantic crossings
How I built a galley box for my boat
Ben Russell adds basic cooking facilities to his motorboat
Get ready for the season with AkzoNobel’s International®
Spring Maintenance Look after the boat, and it’ll look after you. After a winter ashore, there are some spring tasks to schedule before your boat ‘swims’ once more. It’s a…
Running aground in a motorboat: a cautionary tale
Gilbert Park runs aground in a tidal river and tells the story of what happened to him and the boat at the time and later
Dinghy cruising: 30 ways to experience the ultimate small-boat adventure
Ben Lowings shares his tips for dinghy cruising around the UK and further afield
Coating a GRP deck with SoftSand coating
Genevieve Leaper and Aleko Stephan remove the old teak deck on their Nicholson 32 and renovate the original GRP with a new coating
How to make boat feet to keep you level
Charles Beddingfield finds a way to stay level on a drying mud mooring
Ultraflare Daylight: A Breakthrough in Marine Distress Signalling
For decades, handheld pyrotechnic flares have been an essential component of maritime distress signalling, alongside radios, EPIRBs, PLBs, and rocket flares. However, they present significant drawbacks: Limited burn time –…
How to clean tarnished brass
John Tylor brings some cast-off tarnished brass light fittings back to shiny life
Next stop Fiji! Mini Globe Race skippers start Leg 2 amid gear issues
13 of the Mini Globe Race entrants are now racing towards Fiji in their 19ft plywood boats, a further two skippers are expected to be underway by next week
Big worries over new MCA Sport and Pleasure Code of Practice
Sail training providers across the UK are warning the cost of proposed changes to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s (MCA) ‘Sport and Pleasure Code of Practice’ could have a ‘devastating’…
Want to build a stitch and glue boat? Get your design plans and start now!
Due to popular demand, Tim Owen shares his stitch-and-glue design ideas for a rigid 8ft plywood rowing dinghy. He built his 50 years ago in 24 hours – it’s still…
Open weekends announced for Portland Marina
Next month, Portland Marina will be hosting two boat buying open weekends
Improving a heads pump installation
Trevor Martin shows how he replaced the pumps and modified the installation of his vacuum heads for easier servicing in the future