John Connell keeps his spinnaker in check by devising and constructing a home-made spinnaker snuffer
Practical Boat Owner
How to replace boat headlining with PVC planking
Roger Hughes replaces old vinyl boat headlining with easy-to-clean white PVC planking
Casting a cutless bearing housing
Don Fitzroy Smith turns to the experts when an obsolete fitting can’t be found
The solution to fuel impurity
Engine maintenance is a mainstay of boat ownership but new technology has enabled the average boat owner to spend more time on sailing and less with his or her head…
How to fit new rubber port light seals
David Parker describes the process involved in replacing the old rubber seals on his boat's port lights
How to deal with rubbish at sea
It’s irresponsible to simply chuck rubbish overboard when at sea. So what do you do with it? Tom and Vicky Jackson have some answers
How to make your boots non-scratch to save your boat decks
Charles Beddingfield comes up with a way to make his boots non-scratch
Cruising from Orkney to Kinlochbervie
Nick and Alison Boxall sail their 35ft 6in Southerly 110 from Mainland to mainland, from Orkney to Kinlochbervie, Scotland
What I learned during a boat knockdown while sailing alone
Freya Terry gets an early lesson in the perils of single-handed sailing when she embarks on a round-UK and Ireland circumnavigation in her distinctive She 31
How to build a custom boat port
Ben Russell gets busy constructing his own custom boat shed
Heavy weather sailing techniques: how to protect your boat in storm conditions
Øyvind Bordal and Magne Klann explain the steps you need to take to protect your rig and sails when the weather turns
The Juggens manoeuvre to get you off a lee shore
Peter Kersey draws on the wisdom of an old smack sailor to get his engineless Drascombe Lugger out of trouble off a lee shore
How to refurbish a scruffy outboard cowling
Rebecca Beck shares how she improved her outboard cowling
Rebuilding an outboard motor gearbox: step-by-step
Small outboard motors can often be a low priority when it comes to maintenance. David Parker found out the hard way that his trusty little engine had been ignored for…
Making a hull fitting to fit a depth transducer
Many makes of depth displays use a standard transducer such as those made by NASA, Airmar, B&G, Raymarine and other manufacturers worldwide. These work by transmitting and receiving a signal…
Solo sailing tips – anchoring and berthing
Andrew Blyth, who regularly sails his 9m Maurice Griffiths cutter single-handed, describes a selection of methods for dealing with tricky berthing and anchoring situations when single- or short-handed
How to make a DIY boom brake for £8.95
David Holmes reflects on the success of his simple boom brake
Why you should still make a passage plan
Cruising guide author Robert Bailey explains the importance of not being completely dependent on electronic chartplotters and why it is still vital to make a passage plan
Basic survival celestial navigation
Making a ‘mer pass’ observation is one of the simplest, yet most useful navigation tools for sailors to possess, explains Jay Renton
Florentino Das: a shoestring voyage of adventure across the Pacific in a 24ft boat
Richard King and Serafin Colmenares Jr. look back at the remarkable Pacific voyage of Florentino Das in his 24ft home-built boat