Premium bonding: Ben Meakins outlines some techniques for getting the most out of sealant without ending up covered in the sticky stuff
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Best marine binoculars: 10 of the best pairs of 7×50 compass binoculars tested
Alex Bell and a PBO test team focus their attention on 10 sets of 7x50 compass binoculars, checking them for efficiency, accuracy, clarity of image and ease of reading
Trysail trimming: a guide for sailors
Ben Meakins explains how to set and deploy trysails to improve boat control in high-wind conditions
How to apply KiwiGrip to your deck
Ben Meakins used KiwiGrip deck paint to refresh the non-slip on his boat’s decks last winter – but how well did it cope with a season’s abuse?
Fitting synthetic teak to a cockpit
Ben Meakins shows how he installed synthetic teak Dek-King seating
14 tips for single handed anchoring
Ben Meakins tries out some methods for dropping and recovering the anchor for singlehanded sailors in crowded anchorages
Ultrasonic antifouling tested: 4 cutting edge options for keeping your hull clean
N.B. This article was first published in the January 2015 issue of PBO and some of the products below have now been discontinued. Ultrasonic antifouling has been around in the…
Seized outboard engine – how to bring a Mariner 2hp back to life
The trouble began when I bought a rowing dinghy to use as a tender instead of a borrowed sailing club dinghy. Our trusty 1980s vintage Mariner 2hp outboard engine hadn’t…
Colregs made simple: Get your head around the most important boating rules
PBO's expert video guides to the ColRegs
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
9. Deck beams and chainplates
This month’s project boat tasks include fitting laminated deck beams and reinforcing the chainplates. Ben Meakins 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
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…
Rescuing Essex Melody – a classic cruiser purpose built for the East Coast
John Rogers describes the heritage and restoration of Essex Melody, a classic, Maldon-built 23-footer which originally took to the water in 1959
Applying antifouling safely
Ben Meakins discovers the importance of wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when antifouling a hull – and issues some propitious advice
Tested: 12 bosun’s chairs
Are you sitting comfortably? Let’s hope so – especially when climbing the mast. Ben Meakins tests the comfort, safety and build quality of 12 bosun’s chairs
Hatches fitted
Before the stringers, deck beams and hull sides go on was a good opportunity to add hatches to our Secret 20 build. These will allow access to the bilges -and…
Fillets galore
Once all the frames had been installed on the keel (see our last update), it was time to break out the laser level again and go around, truing up the…
Best bilge cleaners: how to clean an oily, smelly bilge
Ben Meakins gets down and dirty in the pursuance of the most effective way to clean oily, malodorous bilges