On sale now! Looking forward to the London Boat Show with a two-for-one ticket offer, plus nautical Christmas gift ideas and plenty more for boat owners of all types: sail and power

BOATS

Class associations

How bands of dedicated enthusiasts offer boat owners sound advice and a social network

Tested: Drakkar 24

Daysailer with a difference: The Drakkar 24, a spacious day boat that is fast and easy to sail

SEAMANSHIP

Refining a rig

How to improve your boat’s performance under sail

Chastised by the sea

Learning from experience: Charles Godden regrets not acting on concerns about his anchor stowage

GEAR

Buyer’s guide to wifi on board

Duncan Kent examines the proliferation of wifi boosters and routers on the market

New gear

This month features a weather forecasting app, digital AIS transponder, a breathable jacket and other Christmas present ideas

Installing a Planar heater

Ross Farncombe installs an inexpensive diesel boat heater

CRUISING

Timeless Tenby

Ali Wood visits this charming resort and port in West Wales

Idyllic Ionian anchorages

Georgina Moon on peaceful places to drop the hook in Greek waters

 

PRACTICALS

Rebuilding a Yanmar
An inexpensive way to restore an engine that has seized up

Monitor a starter battery
A DIY idea to permanently display the charge in your starter battery

Gelcoat repainting
How and why to use one-pack paint on a yacht’s topsides

Fitting a fuel tank
Rob Gibson on how he replaced the rusty tank on his Trapper 500

Restoring hull shine
When polishing no longer works, Mike Pickles says try respraying

Filtering varnish
Make your paint and varnish last by filtering the congealed lumps

Reinforcing a dinghy hull
Step by step guide to using woven cloth to reinforce a GRP hull

Cleaning Treadmaster
Richard Hare rids his deck of mould