It was back in 2011 that we first came across what was to become the first PBO Project Boat on eBay. Hantu Biru was sitting in a sorry state on a Dorset farm and became ours with the click of a mouse. The next steps weren’t quite so simple!

Former PBO editor David Pugh and former deputy editor Ben Meakins say: ‘We had intended to have her in the water in a year, but the scale of the task ahead soon became apparent, and she finally entered the water three years later.

‘One year on from her launch, we finally finished her off (as much as any boat is ever ‘finished!’) just a day before this handbook went to press.

PBO Project Boat Hantu Biru

‘The incentive of monthly copy deadlines and the fear of blank pages kept us going, but so did the pleasure of a job well done. Each stage of the project felt like a milestone.

‘Another major incentive was the great response from readers, many of whom told us that, inspired by the project, they had started on their own boat restorations.

‘The letters, emails and phone calls, as well as kind comments from so many of you at boat shows, have helped us to continue to make progress with Hantu Biru’s restoration, even in the dark days of snow showers and paint flakes.

‘Of course, you don’t necessarily need to strip a boat back to a bare shell to restore it – it’s perfectly possible to just do the bare minimum required to get back on the water.

‘So enjoy the handbook, dip in and out to see if our experiences can help you do what you need to do, and enjoy sailing your project.

‘We’ll see you out there!’

Paperback and Kindle

To download a digital copy (£9.99) or paperback copy (£14.99) of the Project Boat Handbook, visit Amazon:

• Kindle
  
• Paperback

Apple devices

To download a digital copy of the Project Boat Handbook (£9.99) visit the iTunes store via the following links and download the PBO app:

• UK
• North America
• International