Practical Boat Owner Magazine - May 2023

In this issue

Choosing a bluewater boat
We ask Atlantic cruisers what makes for the perfect long-distance yacht.

Choosing an electric engine
Is converting your boat to electric power worth the investment?

Handheld VHF radios tested
No skipper should be without a ‘mobile’ VHF, but which suits you?

Every day's a school day

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

3 mins

Full steam ahead

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

3 mins

Little beauty!

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

3 mins

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

5 mins

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

10+ mins

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

5 mins

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

10+ mins

PROJECT BOAT RESTORATION Summer on Maximus

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

10+ mins

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

9 mins

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

5 mins

TIPS TO SAIL BETTER Preventer set-up

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

3 mins

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

4 mins

Walking the plank

Alan England looks for a safer way of getting aboard

4 mins

Panama and beyond

Dr Roger Geary recounts a canal transit undertaken in 2018

10+ mins

Read all stories from Practical Boat Owner

Practical Boat Owner Magazine Description:

Published by Time Inc (UK).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.