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…
Next stop: The world – Jazz Turner’s new WorldStar circumnavigation plans
Adventurer and disabled sailor Jazz Turner has set her sights on another circumnavigation, this time global – the WorldStar Race.
Manoeuvring in shallow waters with a bow thruster remote control
Andrew Morton explains how a bow thruster remote control helped him manoeuvre safely alongside a new jetty in potentially shallow water.
Content funding on Practical Boat Owner
How we fund the content that you read on Practical Boat Owner
Dave Selby: Close encounters of the barge kind
The art of juggling tea and a muffin while not tripping over or getting whacked on the head, is a necessary skill to master when sailing a Thames barge
How I installed a smart engine monitoring system on my sailboat
Ever considered adding an engine monitoring system to your boat? This article follows on from my introduction Smart Boat article, which showed how to use Home Assistant (HA) and a…
Is it a good idea to weld anchor chain to lengthen it?
Practical Boat Owner reader Tom Fox ponders if a qualified welder could weld anchor chain. Metallurgist Vyv Cox explains what to consider
Prop walk: how to use it to your best advantage
Daria and Alex Blackwell share the close-quarters manoeuvring techniques they’ve picked up at the helm of a 57ft, heavy-displacement classic ketch
And then there were 12…Leg 3 of the Mini Globe Race underway
Following three retirements, 12 Mini Globe Race skippers crossed the start line of Leg 3 for a 10,000 mile race from Fiji to Cape Town
Why you should race your cruising boat
Ben Meakins finds out why – and how – PBO readers from around the UK go racing in their cruising yachts
How important is headsail trim?
PBO reader Jenny Spear wants advice on how to improv the performance of her boat's headsail. Ian Brown has this brief guide to headsail trim
September 2025 issue – out 1 August
Skills to make you more confident sailing short-handed; Rudder types and how they affect performance; How to enhance your cockpit; The must-have tools for every skipper; Tips for buying your…
Should I move the mainsheet traveller?
What should you consider if you want to move the mainsheet traveller? OneSails' Wilf Chaplin and surveyor Ben Sutcliffe-Davies share their thoughts
Ian Wyllie completes round-Britain and Ireland circumnavigation in project boat
Ian Wyllie of Sailing Trilleen has completed a solo multi-year circumnavigation of the UK and Ireland in the 1979 Vancouver 27 that he restored in parallel to his own rehabilitation.
How to make multitool blades last longer
Dick Everitt takes a DIY approach to make multitool blades last a little bit longer
How to create additional berth space on your boat
To make the most of available space for overnight trips, David Parker shows how he built additional cockpit berths on his Seaward 23
Freeing a seized swivel car on foresail furling gear
Chris Mardon fixes his jammed foresail furling gear
How a black water pump replacement helped me narrowly avoid sinking
Gilbert Park shares lessons learned from a messy black water pump reinstallation job that may have saved his boat during a French cruising holiday
Industry insight: lithium marine batteries and other power options
A lot of people are wondering whether to switch to lithium marine batteries, but don’t actually know what they should be looking for when buying batteries to power their life…
A beginners’ guide to managing marine battery power
Word to the wise: always keep an eye on your marine battery. Last summer, I hired a flybridge cruiser on the Canal du Midi. The brief handover focused on how…
Embracing electronic navigation – one reluctant boater’s tale
Celestial navigation instructor Paul Jones reluctantly got to grips with electronic navigation and is now "out of the fog and into the future"