Essential skills, planning and kit for your best summer afloat, Bonding & sealants guide, How to sail tidal estuaries, Yacht handing on rivers, Silicone antifouling…
Practical Boat Owner
May issue – out 13 March
Tune your rig so your boat points higher and sails better, The ultimate cruising guide to Britain and Ireland, Essential propeller care, How to check…
15. Rounding the bilges
Chine in your hands: PBO takes a turn at shaping the project boat’s bilge. David Pugh reports
14. Completing the hull skin
We’ve made great progress this month, and as a result the hull skin is now complete, save for a lot of fairing – but that’s for another month! Ben Meakins…
13. Starting on the hull skin underside
This month, the Secret’s structure is finished off with the addition of bottom stringers, bevelled chine battens and forefoot cheek pieces. Ben Meakins reports
Build your own Western Skiff – part 1: the first steps
Finally, after months of planning and discussion, the moment of truth had arrived: the first Western Skiff MkII kit, put together by Jordan Boats, was being delivered to its first…
Free boat plans – update plus extra plans and photos published
Four weeks on from the relaunch of the Nigel Irens designed Western Skiff, we offer our first round of updates. In addition to the 39-page set of A-zero paper plans…
12. Turning the hull over to start on the bottom
It could be put off no longer: the time had come to work on the bottom of our Secret 20, which meant rotating her through 180°. David Pugh reports
11. Sheer, decks and gunwales
Strong and stable: PBO’s Secret 20 is strengthened before being turned in the next step of her construction. David Pugh reports
10. Adding hull sides
With the addition of her 6mm ply hull panels, PBO’s Secret 20 starts to look less like basketwork and more like a boat. David Pugh reports
9. Deck beams and chainplates
This month’s project boat tasks include fitting laminated deck beams and reinforcing the chainplates. Ben Meakins reports
8. Fitting intermediate and lower stringers
It’s time to fit the intermediate and lower stringers to PBO’s Secret 20 kit boat. David Pugh reports
How to design and fit a 50lt holding tank for a Westerly Konsort
My Westerly Konsort Koto was built in 1980 and featured a loo outlet connected direct to the sea via a 1.5in Blakes seacock. But having decided to join the Emsworth…
Paying tribute to Robert Braithwaite CBE
PBO was saddened to hear that Robert Braithwaite, founder of Sunseeker International, passed away in the early hours of this morning at the age of 75.
7. Scarf joints and stringers
Building a kit boat is a bit like a child’s dot-to-dot drawing. See the full set of articles: Building the Secret 20 kit boat with PBO. The framework is made…
6. Fitting the hatches
It’s time for PBO’s Secret 20 kit boat to be equipped with a beneficial set of hatches. David Pugh reports
5. Filleting all the frame joints
PBO’s Secret 20 kit boat now boasts around 250 fillets, and the transom has been fitted. Ben Meakins reports
4. How to make the perfect epoxy fillet
David Pugh describes the process required to produce accurate coves while keeping mess and waste to a minimum
3. Fitting the frames, fitting cockpit seats and foredeck beam
The previous article in this series (Part 2: Birth of a boat – truing stem and stern) saw the keel set up with stem and sternpost – and not much…
2. Birth of a boat: truing stem and stern
David Pugh and Ben Meakins tackle the truing up of the new project boat’s keel, stem and stern – and enjoy a long-deferred sea trial in a completed Secret 20…
Return of the sporty trailable cruiser
A performance weekender built in Britain has been missing for a long time – which is why it’s good to meet the BTC-22, says David Harding
PBO Small Craft Almanac corrections March 2019
Download free PDF of corrections for the PBO almanac