An electric outboard motor is a very different beast to a petrol one. It’s lighter, quieter and cleaner but does have some drawbacks, such as speed, range and cost. Testing…
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KWB DrillBlock handheld drilling jig: tried and tested
Sometimes just knowing what a tool is called is enough to get you out of a pickle. Jake Frith tests the KWB DrillBlock handheld drilling jig
Best antifouling paint: 8 leading options in head-to-head test
In June 2021 we coated the hull of a Hardy Commodore 42 with eight of the best antifouling paint products. The motorboat Raymariner, which is the test boat for Raymarine,…
Record-breaking Jeanne Socrates sets sail again
Jeanne Socrates, 80, is preparing to sail singlehanded again but this time, she is planning a much more relaxed voyage
How to make rope: The modern factory method explained
Running rigging is something you tend to take for granted… until it fails, which is what happened during the boat test of Maximus, our Maxi 84 Project Boat. Fortunately, thanks…
What makes the best liveaboard boat? Jimmy Cornell explains what he’s learned
Every voyage starts with a dream and for me it goes back a long while to when I was a little boy and wanted to become a sailor when I…
Best bilge keel yachts and twin keel yachts for drying out ashore
Back in the late 1970s, I found myself on the horns of a dilemma. For the last decade or so I’d dismissed bilge keels and twin keels as ugly and…
Cornish Cormorant used boat report: The day boat that feels much longer than 12ft
The Cornish Cormorant is an attractive cat-rigged dinghy and I was very pleased when Alex at Anglia Yacht Brokerage was able to locate and deliver one to me. I’d done…
Sunk boat salvage
Marsali Taylor reports on the salvage efforts to raise a wooden vessel at Aith Marina that attracted spectators despite the mizzle and smirr
How to remove mouldy stains from interior woodwork – Ask the experts
Kevin Woods from Dublin writes: “I have a 1991 Feeling 286 Special. Some of its timber interior is stained by black lines in the grain – as you can see…
Best portable toilet: From compostable to flushable units
We’ve all been there; middle of the night, you need a pee. The marina toilet or camping block is just too far away, it’s dark, or you’re with a kid…
Channel Hopping: Racing trimaran Triple Jack’s remarkable comeback
PBO's YouTube aficionado Kass Schmitt praises Triple Jack owners Richard Wooldridge and Steve Davis for taking time out from and sharing the rebuild of their 47ft Derek Kelsall-design trimaran without…
How to pass your RYA Day Skipper Theory course
James Wood gets to grip with navigation, passage planning, tides, buoyage, Colregs and more on his RYA Day Skipper Theory course
Ocean Globe Race 2023 to start from Southampton
The Ocean Globe Race - which is being held to mark the 50th anniversary of the first Whitbread Round the World Race - will start from Southampton in September
Loss of engine power under load: expert advice to solve the problem
Anne Cees Houtman has a problem with a loss of engine power under load. PBO's engine whisperer, Stu Davies thinks he has the answer
When to treat boat osmosis
When does boat osmosis need treating? PBO reader Alastair Hutchison Dorchester asked our experts
Mud team to the rescue! Lessons learned from running aground on a sandbank
Paul Simon used to sing to me that ‘the nearer your destination, the more you’re slip-slidin’ away’. I never knew he’d sailed the Suffolk coast. It was mid-summer and I…
Remote control bow and stern thrusters: reader tested
Will Renilson improves boat handling aboard his Jersey 36 and tests the Vetus remote control system and the Coastline Technology bow and stern thruster
Pocket cruisers: the best boats between 17-20ft
Whether you’re moving on from dinghies, or downsizing to a boat that’s fun without being a financial millstone, here’s a pocket cruisers market guide
How to make a budget boat water tank and sink
Fitting out a boat of any size can quickly get pricey, so Zoran Glozinic repurposes some ‘non yachting items’ for a small sailing cruiser’s new plumbing system