Battery management made simple, Plastic vs metal seacocks: which is best? Anchoring with shore lines explained, Tips for replacing curved windows; The appeal of the…
Practical Boat Owner
July issue – 8 May
Navigation and your fingertips: an easy guide to digital charts, plotters and MFDs, How to sail around headlands, races and overfalls, 10 ways to save…
Brighton to Baiona: My first time sailing across Biscay as skipper
We slipped out of Brighton Marina in early October intending to make a non-stop passage to A Coruña. We finally arrived in Baiona a month later, but what a lot…
Colregs made simple: Get your head around the most important boating rules
PBO's expert video guides to the ColRegs
Free download – how to check in to a marina when you don’t speak the language
My French is fairly profficient, but when I was in Italy recently (I don’t speak Italian), I started work on a document that would give the marina office all the information…
Woodworking tools – a DIY boat owner’s guide to getting a professional finish
It’s not difficult to achieve a professional finish using woodworking machines and there are bargains to be had every day on ebay and other buying and selling forums. But do…
February 2020
Is your boat set up for safety? What essential equipment do you need for coastal and harbour cruising anyway? Find out all this and more in the February issue of…
SV Delos Youtube sailing channel exclusive – behind the scenes with The Tribe
My skin was encrusted with a thin layer of salt from an afternoon at the beach. Having only arrived in Grenada a few weeks earlier, my husband and I and…
50ft multihull Hallucine is first ARC yacht to arrive in St Lucia
The lead yachts in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers are now arriving in St Lucia, with 50ft multihull, Hallucine, being the first to cross the line on Friday 06 December.…
January 2020
Would your boat fit in a shipping container? Find out how one PBO reader shipped his beloved fin-keeled 22-footer, plus top tips from the professionals on the woodworking tools you…
Essential boat buyer’s guide: Crucial checks when viewing a boat
By the time you start viewing a shortlist of boats, you should already have a clear idea of how you plan to use your new vessel. You’ll have assessed its…
Essential boat buyer’s guide: Choosing your next boat
Buying a boat is a long-term proposition that needs careful thought and preparation. Yet second-hand boats have never been cheaper in real terms and since the economic crunch of 2008,…
ARC 2019 sets sail from Gran Canaria
PBO waved off the ARC fleet yesterday as they set sail on the 2,700-mile voyage from Gran Canaria to St Lucia. Over a thousand sailors from 53 nations are taking…
Essential Boat Maintenance book – back by popular demand!
The Essential Boat Maintenance book (second edition) is now available at the click of a button from Amazon. Boat owners on every continent can purchase a copy in paperback or…
Fresh water supply guidelines – New best practice document issued
New guidelines have been issued on how to use water facilities safety in marinas, boatyards, sailing centres, canals and other inland waterways.
How to buy an old boat as a project – DIY yacht restoration advice
Growing up sailing on the East Coast it’s fair to say that I caught the bug pretty early on. Family sailing on my father’s yachts and starting in dinghies from…
December 2019
Confessions of a maintenance dodger, 10 things I learned buying an old boat and a handy buyer's checklist for viewing boats for sale. All this and more in the December…
Restoring a Watson 41: The wrecked RNLI lifeboat they laughed at
It all began when my husband Rob’s work took him down to Southampton where, on his travels, he happened to spot an old boatyard. Of course he had to have…
November 2019
Have you got your heart set on a new or second-hand boat? Pick up a copy of the latest PBO for some essential boat-buying tips, plus there's DIY keel fixing,…
Tried and tested: Fenwick’s Over Wintering coating on Treadmaster decking
In January 2018 I reviewed Fenwick’s Tent and Awning Cleaner – a product chiefly marketed to caravan owners – to see how well it would perform at removing stubborn mould…
High and dry: How to lay up your boat for winter storage at home
When you start looking at cranes on eBay to help you store more boats on your property, it might be time to get help. Or maybe that’s not such a…
Casting off with confidence – safe ways for solo sailors to get off the dock
Getting a boat on and off the dock – coming alongside and casting off – can be stressful and, done badly, the experience can ruin a perfectly good weekend. Boating…