Boat electronics on a budget is the big story this month in the Summer issue of PBO. Rupert Holmes highlights the difference between what you want and what you need on board and shares some top tips for anyone considering tearing the lot out and starting again. We review the Nic 32 and a trio of Great British motor-sailers, plus there are amazing adventures, reader restorations and heaps of top tips for practical boat owners of every type.
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Used boats: popular models reviewed
Nicholson 32 yacht review – the old boat that keeps on trucking
Rupert Holmes test sails one of the best yachts for a long-distance cruise on a budget
“The Nicholson 32 was one of the first production-built GRP yachts of its size. It quickly gained a reputation for being an ultimate go anywhere cruiser that was also fitted out to a high standard. Some 370 were built over an 18-year period, following the launch of the prototype in 1963, and examples have ventured to all parts of the globe (read more…)
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3 Great British motor-sailers compared
Peter Poland reviews the Seadog 30, Fisher 34 and Coaster 33
“Owners of sportier yachts tend to trade up to bigger or more modern models on a fairly regular basis, while owners of heavier and older models – many termed as motor sailers – tend to stick with what they’ve got for a long time. Indeed, often for ever (read more…)
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Amazing adventures
Essex to South Wales: Sailing home before lockdown
Max Liberson sails his 1930s gaff cutter, towing his trusty dinghy, to her new home in Wales
“All winter (more like a long, windy autumn) I watched the weather with horrid fascination as one named storm after another blasted through. But towards the middle of March the rumour started that the storms would stop, and the winds would go easterly. Then the virus situation hit and plans had to be tweaked (read more…)
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St Lawrence Seaway: Locks, lakes and rapids
Belinda Chesman enjoys a lively cruise in Canadian and US waters
“After two seasons cruising on Lake Ontario and among the Thousand Islands we were feeling the lure of the sea and keen to have saltwater under our keel once again. It had been a wonderful experience, but it was time to move on and consider route options from the Lakes to the Atlantic (read more…)
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Real-life survival: Holed below the waterline
Brandy Burridge describes a lucky escape when the hull cracked en-route to Grenada
“When we left Puerto Rico in early August we were worried about running into a tropical storm or, worse still, a hurricane. The thought of getting a crack in our hull and nearly losing our boat (read more…)
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Tony Curphey: 77,500 miles and counting
Ali Wood interviews the record-breaking solo sailor with four circumnavigations under his keel
“In the six years I’ve owned Nicola Deux I’ve sailed 77,650 miles in her. I just love Nicholson 32s. My father-inlaw had one and to me it was the ultimate sea boat: strong and seaworthy. I searched every one that came on the market, and found Nicola Deux in Perpignan, in the South of France. I went down on my motorbike to take a look. Everything was right. She wasn’t too expensive – I just fell in love with her! (read more…)
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Practical tips and ideas for boat owners
How to set up boat electronics on a budget
Rupert Holmes looks at AIS, radar, sonar, multifunction displays and more
“Marine electronics have come a long way since the days when a log, depth sounder, VHF and GPS, or even Decca, were the norm for many boats. It’s now possible to spend the entire value of an older 25-30ft yacht on electronics and still not have a totally comprehensive system. So what are the best options for those who don’t want to splash large amounts of cash on gizmos? (read more…)
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How to install a rode counter
If you want to anchor from the helm you will benefit from installing one of these clever devices. Gilbert Park reports
“I often sail single-handed and after using a rode counter on another boat, I decided to fit one to my Nimbus 365. I already had markers on the chain at 6m intervals and controls for the windlass in the bow and at the helm, but being able to control the boat and know how much rode has gone out (or in) from the helm makes anchoring in strong winds easier and also reduces the likelihood of drifting into another boat when weighing anchor in crowded coves (read more…)
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Engine surgery: step by step rebuild Part 2
Geoff Higginbottom on how to replace the cylinder head on a Volvo MD2030 marine diesel engine
See part 1 of this feature on pbo.co.uk
Fuel injectors on your boat
Stu Davies on how to test, extract and service your own injectors
“My Beneteau Oceanis 381, Sacha, is nearly 20 years old. Her engine is a Volvo Penta MD22, which is an old fashioned 4-cylinder Perkins-derived diesel engine. It has done 3,250 hours running time and is still going strong, using only about a litre of oil per season of about 120 hours running. But last year I noticed it was vibrating a bit at low revs and blowing lots of grey/ black smoke out of the exhaust under
load and at high revs (read more…)
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My keel dropped off in the Thames!
How one PBO reader recovers and reattaches his swing keel from the mud beneath his mooring (read more…)
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Reader restorations
Morgan Giles 30 – complete rebuild
Richard Rogers documents the first 400 hours of his classic 60s GRP boat’s overhaul
“Rebuilding a yacht from scratch, even a small one, requires at least 2,000 hours of work. That’s a lot. To put it in perspective, that’s a 40-hour week, for 50 weeks, or a whole year’s work for one person, give or take. The secret of a successful rebuild is to realise and accept how much work it is, and make the time or the money available, or some combination of both (read more…)
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10-step trailer-sailer restoration
Will Higgs revives a tired Jaguar 22 trailer-sailer with his boatyard team in 10 easy steps
“Recently I found a way to make my passion my profession when I started a brokerage and boat repair company. Our first project was a Leisure 20, which we refitted for a lady at the local sailing club. Soon after, I met a chap who’d bought his first boat – a Jaguar 22 that had been laying neglected on our
moorings at Saltash on the river Tamar for some years, providing a home for several families of seagulls (read more…)