CATEGORIES

Dealing with serious emergencies
Practical Boat Owner

Dealing with serious emergencies

Jimmy Cornell explains how he dealt with grounding, prop entanglement, collision, lightning strike, a carbon monoxide scare... and more!

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10+ mins  |
June 2023
Holy belt and braces
Practical Boat Owner

Holy belt and braces

Divine intervention and the leisure seafarer

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3 mins  |
June 2023
Sailing in Sir Robin's wake
Practical Boat Owner

Sailing in Sir Robin's wake

Sharks and logs, they can both be awkward

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3 mins  |
June 2023
Mozambique Channel adventure
Practical Boat Owner

Mozambique Channel adventure

Robin Barrett swaps his elderly Eventide for a high performance Farrier trimaran to explore the south east coast of Africa

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5 mins  |
June 2023
Coping with seasickness
Practical Boat Owner

Coping with seasickness

Rachael Sprot shares how to deal with the dreaded Mal de mer to avoid ruining the day

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5 mins  |
June 2023
Leaving a dock
Practical Boat Owner

Leaving a dock

Powerboat instructor Jon Mendez shares his expert tips for leaving an alongside berth in a single-engined RIB

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2 mins  |
June 2023
Remote boat monitoring and security cameras
Practical Boat Owner

Remote boat monitoring and security cameras

Rupert Holmes looks at options for monitoring of boats that will warn of intruders, change of location and impact from other vessels

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4 mins  |
June 2023
Drascombe & Devon Lugger v the Dabber
Practical Boat Owner

Drascombe & Devon Lugger v the Dabber

Designed for safe family boating under sail, oar or power, but taken long distance by intrepid sailors

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4 mins  |
June 2023
Choosing the right project boat
Practical Boat Owner

Choosing the right project boat

How do you distinguish a real bargain boat from one that’s not worth restoring, even if it’s free

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10 mins  |
June 2023
Orkney Longliner & Sussex beach boat
Practical Boat Owner

Orkney Longliner & Sussex beach boat

Clive shares his local knowledge on the best way to travel from Rye Bay upriver to Bodiam Castle in East Sussex - including his choice of open motorboat and family activities en route

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5 mins  |
May 2023
Little beauty!
Practical Boat Owner

Little beauty!

Size is relative and dependant on the sailing activity and weather conditions

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3 mins  |
May 2023
Full steam ahead
Practical Boat Owner

Full steam ahead

Welcome to the world of steam - clean, tidy and almost silent

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3 mins  |
May 2023
Every day's a school day
Practical Boat Owner

Every day's a school day

Thirsting for Day Skipper Practical knowledge, sea-schools appear curiously unavailable

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3 mins  |
May 2023
TIPS TO SAIL BETTER Preventer set-up
Practical Boat Owner

TIPS TO SAIL BETTER Preventer set-up

Pip Hare explains why you should rig a boom preventer for downwind sailing

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3 mins  |
May 2023
JESSICA WATSON Courage on and off the water
Practical Boat Owner

JESSICA WATSON Courage on and off the water

While True Spirit was being filmed, celebrating her teenage solo circumnavigation, the 29-year-old was battling her biggest challenge ashore

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8 mins  |
May 2023
Panama and beyond
Practical Boat Owner

Panama and beyond

Dr Roger Geary recounts a canal transit undertaken in 2018

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10+ mins  |
May 2023
Walking the plank
Practical Boat Owner

Walking the plank

Alan England looks for a safer way of getting aboard

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4 mins  |
May 2023
Are we sinking?
Practical Boat Owner

Are we sinking?

A heavily pregnant Kerry Buchanan tries to stem the water ingress in a 11ft 6in plywood dinghy off the coast of Donegal in the northwest of Ireland

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4 mins  |
May 2023
Thinking of going electric?
Practical Boat Owner

Thinking of going electric?

Electric propulsion is clean, near silent and can even be self-refuelling, but is it worth the investment? Jake Kavanagh considers the options

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5 mins  |
May 2023
Getting an old diesel engine to run
Practical Boat Owner

Getting an old diesel engine to run

Is it worth buying a boat with a non-running engine? Vyv Cox has some tips on what to look for before deciding if it's a viable project

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9 mins  |
May 2023
PROJECT BOAT RESTORATION Summer on Maximus
Practical Boat Owner

PROJECT BOAT RESTORATION Summer on Maximus

Ali Wood ventures out on a summer cruise with the family...but not everything goes to plan

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10+ mins  |
May 2023
Onboard problem solving
Practical Boat Owner

Onboard problem solving

Cruising doyen Jimmy Cornell shares 50 years of lateral thinking from his first hull fit-out to what he stows as gear essentials

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10+ mins  |
May 2023
Atlantic pioneer
Practical Boat Owner

Atlantic pioneer

Nicolette Milnes Walker was the first woman to sail solo and non-stop from the UK to the USA. Julia Jones charts her trailblazing achievement

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5 mins  |
May 2023
A boat fit for purpose
Practical Boat Owner

A boat fit for purpose

What makes the perfect bluewater boat? Ali Wood asks the owners of two catamarans and two monohulls crossing the North Atlantic

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10+ mins  |
May 2023
Selecting the right gear...
Practical Boat Owner

Selecting the right gear...

Coming into a crowded marina late at night after a great day sailing across Lyme Bay, Andrew Carter's feathering prop failed and jammed in 'full ahead' - even when engaged in astern

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8 mins  |
March 2023
Sunk boat salvage
Practical Boat Owner

Sunk boat salvage

Marsali Taylor reports on the salvage efforts to raise a wooden vessel at Aith Marina that attracted spectators despite the mizzle and smirr

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3 mins  |
March 2023
Tried & Tested
Practical Boat Owner

Tried & Tested

Will Renilson improves boat handling aboard his Jersey 36

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4 mins  |
March 2023
New Gear
Practical Boat Owner

New Gear

Rupert Holmes gets an early look at the latest ideas

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5 mins  |
March 2023
Back to (sea) school
Practical Boat Owner

Back to (sea) school

James Wood gets to grip with navigation, passage planning, tides, buoyage, Colregs and more on his RYA Day Skipper Theory course

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8 mins  |
March 2023
Changing times
Practical Boat Owner

Changing times

Alasdair Kirkpatrick tells Ali Wood about narrowboat innovations including a fully accessible design plus hybrid and electric propulsion

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5 mins  |
March 2023