Published by Time Inc. (UK) Ltd 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
The past is not even past…
Warning over camping stove use
E10 fuel affects older petrol engines
Northern Ireland’s diesel debacle
Round the Island again
Brits may quit EU cruising
EU-sed boat sale costs set to rise
Myanmar’s tainted timber
New VHF licence requirement
Brexit’s boat tax deadline extended
Southampton Boat Show back on
Jester’s ‘non-organiser’ steps down
DIARY DATES • Events may be subject to COVID-19 restrictions. Check with organisers
Regional News • News from your cruising area
Letters • Readers share their thoughts and opinions
Passport to success • How a day sail became an heroic adventure
Keeping your cool • The art of anchoring without yelling…
Planning ahead • Sea time and ‘me’ time are always at a premium
Back on the water 10 top tips for preparing your boat • Returning to your boat after lockdown might fill you with trepidation, but these basic checks advised by insurance broker Steve Risk will help ensure your boat’s in good condition to start the season
GREAT BRITISH MOTORBOATS • Compact, well-built, trailable and affordable, Jake Kavanagh looks at what is available for a great British staycation
FURTHER READING ONLINE…
10 Lessons from a round-Britain cruise • From facing your fears to using weather apps, reliable kit and backup plans, Melvyn Webb’s advice is hard won
Melvyn’s round-Britain kit list • These are some of the things that made the trip easier
Opinion: lifeboat versus liferaft • When is a liferaft a legal requirement, and will a ‘lifeboat’ suffice?
Brilliant used boats of Italy and Slovenia • Rupert Holmes reports on a selection of top designs from some of the Mediterranean’s most spectacular regions
Comet 11 • Price: €30,000-€50,000
Grand Soleil 34 • Price: €17,000-€25,000
Te Salt Cruiser • €8,000-€12,000
Alpa 11.50 • Price: €18,000-€40,000
Italian industry
Slovenia
Elan 333 • €30,000-€50,000
The Seascape story
Solar panels: everything you need to know • Want to add solar panels to your boat, or wonder how to make the most of those you already have? David Berry has some advice
Insolation: or how much power is reaching me?
How much sunlight can you expect? • The final crucial piece of information you need to be able to scientifically specify your system is how much sunlight you can expect to receive. This might sound impossible, but in fact it’s easier than you think, thanks to some handy scientific data published online by the European Joint Research Centre.
New Gear • Rupert Holmes checks out the latest marine gear
Scottish solitude • Charmian Entwistle’s COVID summer cruise from Skye finds the Inner Hebridean anchorages and beaches almost completely deserted
Restoring Ros Ailither • Hazel McCabe recalls the project of a lifetime as she and her partner convert a trawler into a liveaboard motor-sailer
New hybrid for Old Nick • Paul Sumpner weighs up all the electric options and opts for a unique set-up
The joy of sextants • Gilbert Park has fun delving through boat jumbles, books, websites and apps in a quest to learn this traditional form of navigation
Familiarity breeds a grounding • Paul Anthony engages mental autopilot a few buoys...