CATEGORIES

12 of the world's most exciting shipwrecks
Practical Boat Owner

12 of the world's most exciting shipwrecks

James Wood picks his favourite wrecks, from warships and ill-fated expeditions to Bronze Age cargo vessels and Spanish treasure troves

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10 mins  |
September 2022
We swapped sails for power
Practical Boat Owner

We swapped sails for power

Peter Poland meets 10 seasoned sailors who bought motorboats to extend their time afloat after sailboats became too much like hard work

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10+ mins  |
September 2022
Winchelsea Lugger
Practical Boat Owner

Winchelsea Lugger

With a nice, buoyant bow and cod shape they look the part and are superbly seaworthy, says prolific boat owner Clive Marsh

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5 mins  |
September 2022
Homeward bound
Practical Boat Owner

Homeward bound

After a six-month restoration, PBO Project Boat Maximus sails to her new home... but not without a few hitches, reports Ali Wood

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10+ mins  |
September 2022
The long way home
Practical Boat Owner

The long way home

Marsali Taylor encounters difficulties with unseasonable weather during a midsummer night sail from Brae to Aith in Shetland

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6 mins  |
September 2022
Bairns are back!
Practical Boat Owner

Bairns are back!

At last, after two years, we’ve been able to host junior sailing again – and demand is high

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3 mins  |
October 2022
Aye, Aye brother Shackleton
Practical Boat Owner

Aye, Aye brother Shackleton

Seasoned sailor Kia Koropp finally gets the feeling of being worth one’s salt after a two-month ocean passage from South Africa to the Azores

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7 mins  |
October 2022
How to check your rigging
Practical Boat Owner

How to check your rigging

Maintenance of your rigging can save expensive failures and could ultimately be a lifesaver, advises Ben Meakins

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4 mins  |
October 2022
Electric converts
Practical Boat Owner

Electric converts

Self-confessed fair weather sailors Jim and Libby Earle share their take on the TEMO 450 electric outboard, after six months of use

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5 mins  |
October 2022
Just-for-fun delivery trip
Practical Boat Owner

Just-for-fun delivery trip

PBO engine expert Stu Davies and his wife, Laura, take on the challenge of delivering a yacht from south-east Spain to Portugal

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10+ mins  |
October 2022
Record-breaking solar crossing
Practical Boat Owner

Record-breaking solar crossing

Guinness World Record holder Simon Milward explains how he built and motored his solar-powered boat across the English Channel

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10+ mins  |
October 2022
Polycraft Tuffy Tender
Practical Boat Owner

Polycraft Tuffy Tender

With the help of her local sailing clubs, Ali Wood tests this lightweight day boat with both electric and petrol outboard motor power

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9 mins  |
October 2022
Secrets of Swallows and Amazons
Practical Boat Owner

Secrets of Swallows and Amazons

Sophie Neville explains how her role as Titty in the Arthur Ransome classic forged a lifelong love for the iconic dinghy Swallow

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9 mins  |
October 2022
BEST USED YACHTS PRICED £40,000-£50,000
Practical Boat Owner

BEST USED YACHTS PRICED £40,000-£50,000

Peter Poland shortlists the best in a growing stock of pre-loved sailing yachts in this popular price bracket, featuring varied design trends

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10+ mins  |
October 2022
Fête du Flobart
Practical Boat Owner

Fête du Flobart

Prolific boat owner Clive Marsh sings the praises of Sussex beach boats and their French sisters, the Normandy Flobarts

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4 mins  |
October 2022
Shakedown preparations
Practical Boat Owner

Shakedown preparations

Shortly before the post-restoration voyage to Poole, Ali Wood gets to grips with the rewire, new electronics and passage planning

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10+ mins  |
August 2022
Overpowered on the Atlantic coast
Practical Boat Owner

Overpowered on the Atlantic coast

Shannon Deconinck recalls a challenging sail around Cabo de São Vicente in southern Portugal, a headland renowned for its surf

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4 mins  |
August 2022
First world problems
Practical Boat Owner

First world problems

Chris Pearsall, whose yacht sank during a single-handed voyage in the Med, reflects on the circumstances now facing his Ukrainian rescuer

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2 mins  |
August 2022
Upwardly mobile
Practical Boat Owner

Upwardly mobile

Fancy a bigger boat? Get wealthier friends...

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3 mins  |
August 2022
A man in three boats
Practical Boat Owner

A man in three boats

Gilbert Park has a white knuckle experience saving three boats from Storm Eunice

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6 mins  |
August 2022
Gulf Stream adventure
Practical Boat Owner

Gulf Stream adventure

Roger Hughes sails his brigantine schooner Britannia along the largest of the world’s currents

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10+ mins  |
August 2022
A Falcon in Loch Ness
Practical Boat Owner

A Falcon in Loch Ness

Prolific boat owner Clive Marsh charters a roomy 36ft Van de Stadt steel ketch for a pleasant cruise on Scotland’s Caledonian Canal

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4 mins  |
August 2022
Easy ways to sail better
Practical Boat Owner

Easy ways to sail better

Rupert Holmes shares some expert tips on how to make your boat easier to handle, sail faster and safer with better manners

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10+ mins  |
August 2022
A rediscovered boat for all reasons
Practical Boat Owner

A rediscovered boat for all reasons

Once used by the trappers, traders and hunters of the New World, the Adirondack Guide Boat is just as relevant today, says Roger Nadin

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4 mins  |
August 2022
Made in Germany
Practical Boat Owner

Made in Germany

Peter Poland looks at ‘fantastisch’ 30-footers that have proved how a hobby can become a multi-million euro business

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10+ mins  |
August 2022
Why do we change our engine oil?
Practical Boat Owner

Why do we change our engine oil?

PBO's engine whisperer Stu Davies ponders the not-so-silly question

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2 mins  |
Summer 2022
Taking the lead: best 30ft French yachts
Practical Boat Owner

Taking the lead: best 30ft French yachts

Few would dispute that the French production yacht builders have left British builders floundering in their wake, writes Peter Poland

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10+ mins  |
Summer 2022
RS Pulse 63 Electric RIB
Practical Boat Owner

RS Pulse 63 Electric RIB

Jake Frith ponders whether a 23 knot RIB could change the world

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7 mins  |
Summer 2022
ResQLink V FastFind PLBS
Practical Boat Owner

ResQLink V FastFind PLBS

Fox Morgan takes a closer look at the PLBs with Return Link Service

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2 mins  |
Summer 2022
Post-Brexit Channel Hop
Practical Boat Owner

Post-Brexit Channel Hop

The sailing was fantastic, the admin a little onerous and the French Border Patrol visit a surprise - Steve Hodges and Sam McClements share their first post-Brexit Channel hop experience

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10+ mins  |
Summer 2022