PBO reader Les Broughton is struggling to glue his teak planking to the fibreglass in his cockpit. Boat builder Lyndon March has the answer
woodwork
Surface preparation for polishing or varnishing a boat
Mirka’s Andy Mierau shares trade tips on how to prepare surfaces for polishing or varnishing
Boat wood: a complete guide for yacht owners
Boatbuilder and finisher Lyndon March explains which types of wood work best for different repairs and modifications on board
Why plywood boats are making a comeback
A wonder material in the 1950s and 1960s, plywood is making a comeback. Rupert Holmes analyses what lies behind a new wave of plywood boats
How to make an emergency boat step
Trevor Martin makes a simple boat step for getting out of your vessel in an emergency
Replacing a rotten companionway step
James Wood gets to grips with epoxy when repairing a rotten step support on Maximus's companionway
DIY boat ladder: how to make one on a budget
Zoran Glozinic shares how he made a safe and sturdy DIY boat ladder on a minimal budget
A new build nesting dinghy for a newlywed couple
In the days before inflatable dinghies it was common to have a hard dinghy, to be left on the mooring or hoisted onto the foredeck of your yacht, or atop…
How to build a Baby Tender – the miniature clinker boat baby cradle
I first saw a cradle boat at a wooden-boat show years ago, and thought to myself: ‘When I have kids, I’ll build one of these’. Fast forward a decade, and…
How to make a customised plywood-epoxy box – no screws or nails
On any boat, particularly smaller craft, the stowage of more delicate objects is always a challenge and for expensive items some sort of protective casing is required. Metal cases (when…
Don’t let the sun shine in! Making a hatch shade board
You can keep cool in hot weather without resorting to amp-chewing fans and air-conditioners. Richard Hare shows how to make a simple hatch blanking plate
How to cut rounded corners with a hole saw
How to cut rounded corners with a hole saw
Using a router
A power router can make light work of jobs that would otherwise take ages by hand. Julian Peckham has some tips for its use
Sharpening chisels and plane irons
Blunt tools a problem? Razor-sharp chisels and planes produce a much better job and are easier and safer to use. Julian Peckham shows how it’s done
Using a wood plane
There’s more to using a simple hand wood plane than first meets the eye. It’s not just a case of screwing a knurled knob in or out to adjust the…
8 quick tips for varnishing
Some tips and tricks to get the best finish possible when varnishing your boat's woodwork
How to improve your emergency tiller
A boat move in the marina required me to go astern the full length of a narrow fairway between two long pontoons and turn 90° to port at the very end.…