CATEGORIES

Little ships and the wrong sort of waves
Practical Boat Owner

Little ships and the wrong sort of waves

Why the correct manoeuvres for the sea conditions will reduce hogging and sagging stress on both ship and crew

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5 mins  |
November 2023
Watching boats, saving jerseys
Practical Boat Owner

Watching boats, saving jerseys

It's amazing what you can see from a hospital window if it's the right hospital

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3 mins  |
November 2023
Sweating the mooring asset
Practical Boat Owner

Sweating the mooring asset

Sam Llewellyn looks at ways of getting top value out of his boat's swinging mooring

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3 mins  |
November 2023
A little confession
Practical Boat Owner

A little confession

The Sailfish 18 fan has had his head turned by another classic boat... made from wood

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3 mins  |
November 2023
Routing in tide
Practical Boat Owner

Routing in tide

Professional meteorologist and expert sailor Chris Tibbs explains how to navigate more efficiently through tidal waters

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4 mins  |
September 2023
Sinking pontoons and a twisted knee
Practical Boat Owner

Sinking pontoons and a twisted knee

John Latham experiences an inauspicious start to his cruise from Dublin to Northern Ireland when hit by gale force winds in harbour

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7 mins  |
September 2023
Build your kit boat like an expert
Practical Boat Owner

Build your kit boat like an expert

Polly Robinson shares her best practice for constructing a boat from a pre-cut kit, and how to troubleshoot potential problems

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7 mins  |
September 2023
How to fit your own autopilot
Practical Boat Owner

How to fit your own autopilot

Gilbert Park shows how he installed a new autopilot on his Trusty T23 motorboat

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7 mins  |
September 2023
Diesel heat exchanger and manifold repair
Practical Boat Owner

Diesel heat exchanger and manifold repair

Barry Pickthall explains how he carried out engine repairs on a budget after a couple of years of Covid lockdown neglect

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3 mins  |
September 2023
Do I need my vessel re-certified?
Practical Boat Owner

Do I need my vessel re-certified?

Surveyor Ben Sutcliffe-Davies gives his advice on the implications to be considered when making changes to your boat

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2 mins  |
September 2023
How to design modifications for your boat
Practical Boat Owner

How to design modifications for your boat

Yacht designer lan Nicolson explains how to make changes to living space on board

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10 mins  |
September 2023
Portable toilet buyer's guide
Practical Boat Owner

Portable toilet buyer's guide

Ali Wood checks out the best places to go... when you really need to go

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9 mins  |
September 2023
Long-haul cruising CHECKLIST
Practical Boat Owner

Long-haul cruising CHECKLIST

Jimmy Cornell boils down decades' worth of world cruising surveys to find the factors that affect voyage success

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10+ mins  |
September 2023
Boats for cruising around the UK
Practical Boat Owner

Boats for cruising around the UK

Duncan Kent chooses the best sail and motor boats under 40ft for circumnavigating the islands of Britain and Ireland

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10+ mins  |
September 2023
Traditional Broads motor cruisers
Practical Boat Owner

Traditional Broads motor cruisers

Why large wooden traditional cruisers such as the 43ft Silver Jubilee class are Clive and his wife's favourite holiday charter vessels

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4 mins  |
September 2023
Calm day antics
Practical Boat Owner

Calm day antics

Getting close to seabirds, achieving a level horizon... and not dropping the camera

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3 mins  |
September 2023
Death of the compass?
Practical Boat Owner

Death of the compass?

Navigation-what's hot and what's not

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3 mins  |
September 2023
A narrow escape
Practical Boat Owner

A narrow escape

Dave struggles to remember why owning a classic boat is such a privilege...

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2 mins  |
September 2023
Fair winds to yachtsman Duncan Lougee
Practical Boat Owner

Fair winds to yachtsman Duncan Lougee

Tributes have been paid to a solo skipper who disappeared while sailing his 25ft Folkboat from the UK's south coast to Ireland as part of the Jester Baltimore Challenge.

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2 mins  |
September 2023
Dreamboats
Practical Boat Owner

Dreamboats

Travels among the Great Unlaunched

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3 mins  |
August 2023
It's the voices
Practical Boat Owner

It's the voices

When you can’t do right for doing wrong, doing wrong Is the right thing to do

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3 mins  |
August 2023
Cruising through mountainous Wales
Practical Boat Owner

Cruising through mountainous Wales

Charles Beddingfield takes a nostalgic tour of Milford Haven and the Pembrokeshire coast

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8 mins  |
August 2023
How NOT to start the sailing season
Practical Boat Owner

How NOT to start the sailing season

It's like the boat-launching Olympics for Greg Manning as he leaps hurdles and avoids cutting corners to cover 1,920 miles back and forth in 15 days to get his yacht safely afloat

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7 mins  |
August 2023
Safe mast climbing
Practical Boat Owner

Safe mast climbing

Most of us prefer to climb the mast when safely alongside, but what if you have to climb it at sea? Pip Hare shares tips and techniques

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3 mins  |
August 2023
e-Cat conversion
Practical Boat Owner

e-Cat conversion

Michael Sanatani’s electrification of a British fishing catamaran into a Canadian family cruiser

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6 mins  |
August 2023
Frank and Margaret Dye
Practical Boat Owner

Frank and Margaret Dye

Roger Barnes reflects on the legacy of small-boat sailors Frank and Margaret Dye

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7 mins  |
August 2023
Lost at sea
Practical Boat Owner

Lost at sea

Cruising pioneer Peter Tangvald's son, Thomas, disappeared after sailing from South America in 2014. Kathy Catton recalls her memories of him

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5 mins  |
August 2023
A modern take on the traditional proa
Practical Boat Owner

A modern take on the traditional proa

Ali Wood finds out more about visionary designer Rob Denney

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4 mins  |
August 2023
Hull design HOW IT IMPACTS PERFORMANCE
Practical Boat Owner

Hull design HOW IT IMPACTS PERFORMANCE

Peter Poland explains how hull design has evolved over the years and how this affects boat handling and accommodation

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10+ mins  |
August 2023
Crossing Wide Bay bar
Practical Boat Owner

Crossing Wide Bay bar

crossing John Tylor recalls a treacherous sideways, and while asleep-on the tropical Queensland coast with his good friend Don

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6 mins  |
Summer 2023