Learning how to prepare your cruising boats for mechanical or electrical breakdowns at sea with essential system redundancy strategies. Richard Thomson reflects on contingency plans to get you home
practical
Emergency seacock repair: How to stop a below-waterline leak
Roger Hughes struggles with a potentially disastrous snapped off skin fitting
Restoring a Contessa 26 over two years for a solo circumnavigation
Joe Bainbridge explains to woodworking tutor Geoff Bowker how his Contessa 26 was refitted ready for an Atlantic circuit
Mainsheet track replacement for smooth, low friction sail handling
Replacing an aging mainsheet track requires careful planning, custom track bending, and selecting the right hardware. Federico Ramírez shares how he did it
How replacing an O-ring fixed an oil leak in my hydraulic steering
For several months I’ve been having to top up the hydraulic steering system reservoir with oil. The reservoir is difficult to access, requiring a panel to be unscrewed, and once…
Best navigation app options tested, and what to consider
Using a navigation app on your tablet or phone to supplement or replace a fully featured chartplotter is a hardy perennial. But by now, the benefits of electronic navigation for…
How one sailor used AquaTeak to create a luxury look for a once plain cockpit
David Larner improves the appearance of his yacht’s cockpit
Teak deck refurbishment: step-by-step to guide to replacing planks and caulking
Teak-laid decks look great on virtually any boat, but sooner or later they’ll need maintenance requiring more than just a scrubbing brush and a bucket of water, as Richard Johnstone-Bryden…
Dinghy repairs on a budget
You don’t have to pursue an award-winning finish in order to transform a neglected, rotting, 12ft sailing dinghy into a perfectly safe and serviceable craft, as David Pugh reports
Replacing a boat windscreen on a budget
Drew Maglio explains how he replaced the shattered windscreen on his Chaparral 2550 SX motor cruiser
How I made a jury rudder from a headboard
Tony Nield improvised a jury rudder from a headboard after the aluminium rudder on his Seal 22 failed in the Menai Strait
Winch servicing: step-by-step maintenance guide
Regular servicing of your winches will optimise their efficiency and prevent premature wear. Stan Cockeram explains how to go about it, and suggests some simple checks to avoid mid-season failures
Why I built a 84kg monster storm anchor to survive any gale
Isaac Adam-Azikri explains why and how he fabricated a monster 84kg storm anchor for his 12m steel cutter
Love me tender: how a liveaboard crew improved their PVC dinghy for adventure
Richard Thomson fitted out his new dinghy with old spares and items found while beachcombing to make it fit for liveaboard life
How to fix a lost in-boom reefing line
Cruising Association members Paul and Val Lingard explain how they threaded an errant reefing line back into their boom
UFO encounter mid-Atlantic: how one boat crew saved their catamaran
Tim Stickley meets the crew of Hanuman which suffered hull damage from an unidentified floating object 150 miles from land
Essential boat construction guide: GRP, wood, and metal
Rupert Holmes looks at what lies under the surface of different types of boat construction and addresses common misconceptions
How I built a lightweight DIY tender for my motorboat from scratch
Charles Beddingfield designs and constructs a 2m pram dinghy from plywood and epoxy to use as a DIY tender for his motorboat Tudor Rose
How I made DIY sails for a Laser
Colin Clayton explains how he experimented with dinghy junk rigs and made his own DIY sails
Boat stuffing box access: the tools and techniques to make it easier
Trying to get at the almost-out-of-reach boat stuffing box is the stuff of nightmares, Dr Ieuan Davies has some ideas that might make life easier