Practical Boat Owner reader Tom Fox ponders if a qualified welder could weld anchor chain. Metallurgist Vyv Cox explains what to consider
Top stories
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
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"
Comparing the Westerly Typhoon 37 and 6 other designs
Rupert Holmes looks at the the Westerly Typhoon 37, his favourite Westerly model of all time, and other alternative boats you might want to consider
How to bend acrylic and change your boat’s saloon windows
Andy Pag shares what he learned about bending acrylic while replacing the curved windows of his Lagoon 410.
Dezincification resistant (DZR) skin fittings explained
Vyv Cox busts the myths surrounding the use of dezincification resistant (DZR) seacock materials.
Sailors urged to report collisions with whales and other marine life
Sailors around the world are being urged to participate in an anonymous global survey to document collisions at sea between sailing boats and marine life.
The Garmin chartplotter + 7 other options
Ali Wood weighs in on the Garmin chartplotter and other electronic navigation options from Furuno, Raymarine, B&G, Lowrance, Simrad, and Orca. Furuno Furuno’s NAVNet TZtouch 3 range is available in…
How to install a boat inverter
Roger Hughes explains how he installed a boat inverter to have a powerful new source of silent AC power for his yacht.