Practical Boat Owner

Published by TI Media Limited Practical Boat Owner is Britain's biggest-selling boating magazine, trusted and respected by all its readers. A source of useful and helpful information for both power and sail boat owners, PBO helps you get the most from your boat acting as a forum for interacting with like-minded individuals.

Practical Boat Owner

Waiting for the tide • WITH THE EDITOR

Plan to phase out legacy MOB devices • News and current affairs from the world of boating

Concern about DSC alarm

Eight bells for PBO’s Emrhys Barrell

Skipper airlifted after clinging to a cliff

50,000th engine sold

Satellite boost

Persistent gender inequity continues

New work‑shadowing programme

Interactive editions of popular guides

Sustainable dredging schemes success

UK’s biggest marina operator expands

DIARY DATES

Marked Gear = Safe Gear • A new campaign is calling for existing guidance around the marking of static fishing gear to be mandatory – and you can join!

Regional news • News from your cruising area

Letters • Sharing your boating thoughts and opinions

Channel hopping • Essential monthly highlights from the world of online sailing channels with Kass Schmitt

The mystery of missing mud • A shake-down cruise brings seasonal bounty

Cardinal virtues • Heading back to the new age of navigation

Putting Karima back together • Keeping my Offshore 8M in shape is no small job – but it’s worth it to go sailing again

Dinghy launching tips • Keep a very long rope handy and, if launching single-handed, find a bystander to help… preferably one without a Rottweiler

Wonderful Westerly • As the Westerly Owners’ Association marks its 60th anniversary, Laura Hodgetts explores the history of these beloved GRP classics

TIMELINE OF THE WESTERLY

Racing dinghies vs motorboats • Based on experience, Gilbert Park ponders what every motorboat owner should consider when sharing the water with dinghy racers

Gybe-talkin’ • Cruising instructor Ben Lowings explains how to gybe safely and the techniques used when dealing with different sail types

The Nordic Folkboat • Despite low headroom, spartan accommodation and a potentially wet ride, the Folkboat remains one of the most iconic yachts of the last 100 years. Nic Compton finds out why

Building a bluewater cruising yacht • Beryl Chalmers spent six years building and fitting out a 48ft ferrocement ketch in the 1980s, which she then spent 13 happy years sailing

FERRO FIT-OUT TIMELINE

New gear • Rupert Holmes looks at the latest marine products

Hot water systems • Having hot water on board your boat can make cruising a whole lot more pleasant. Duncan Kent explains how to achieve it

ePropulsion eLite electric outboard

KEELBOLT CHECKS + why it matters • A keel shouldn’t just fall off–there are warning signs for keel integrity that every boat owner should know, says Ali Wood

Investigation

Prepping the hull and keel

Reassembly

Tender upgrade • Richard Thomson fitted out his new dinghy with old spares and items found while beachcombing to make it fit for liveaboard life

Build a light tender • Charles Beddingfield designs and constructs a 2m pram dinghy

Fuel problems solved • Following fuel injector problems, Mike Corp cleans through his Nauticat 311’s diesel system to ensure smooth and reliable running

Making a Perspex switch panel • Tony Davies shows how he made a simple helm dashboard switch panel using 10mm black polycarbonate

Cutting, sanding and polishing Perspex

Drilling, tapping and cutting slots in Perspex

Practical Boat...