What started as a joke between sailing partners became a transformational DIY bow thruster project. David Jolly and I are partners on Kindred Spirit, a 1985 Bayfield 32C that we bought in 2020. We’ve spent enough time on the boat to know that this is the boat for us. We love its cutter configuration, stability, […]
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Ali Wood meets the ARC+ crew who battled squalls and rough seas to tow a dismasted yacht to safety
Boat towing: lessons learned from assisting a dismasted yacht in the Atlantic
“A bacon and egg roll started it all,” says skipper Alfie Moore. “We thought we’d run out of ketchup but then Stu found another bottle. We bit into our rolls at the same time,...
Andy Pag attempts to rebuild a Spectra watermaker on a budget
When breaking the unit down to its constituent parts keep everything labelled and take lots of pictures for the rebuild. Credit: Andy PagIs a cheap Spectra watermaker worth rebuilding? Andy Pag shares a cautionary tale
Maybe I should have listened to the voice telling me to walk away, but I needed a watermaker after my Osmosea unit died and here was a Spectra unit, supposedly the Rolls Royce of watermakers, being advertised at a fair price.
...
Alasdair Kirkpatrick explains how he came to launch Beacon Park Boats and how a personal setback prompted him to build wheelchair friendly and electric canal boats
Alasdair Kirkpatrick launched his own narrowboat company and built the boatsWhen I was working for the National Grid I decided that I wanted to be self-employed. I’ve always loved sailing and fancied running a yacht marina. I was flicking through the Saturday Times when I noticed an advert for a canal boat business in Llanfoist, South Wales. I asked for the...
James Wood discovers the joys and challenges of narrowboating on a canal hire boat in the Brecon Beacons
James and family onboard canal boat Puffin in WalesHave you ever wandered down an autumnal towpath, amid the mild fug of stove smoke, and wondered how cosy a trip aboard a canal barge could be? I know I had. A few steps more and a welcoming pub is usually to be found, only adding to the appeal.
So when my wife, Ali, suggested a narrowboat holiday with...
Don Fitzroy Smith fashions cheap, light, easy to stow and make bunk ladder and headboards for getting in and out of forepeak berth more easily
Step construction details on the DIY bunk ladder. Credit: Don Fitzroy SmithWith the infill piece fitted, the forward berth on our Victoria 34 is above waist height for my wife and therefore not easy to get into, so I built a two-step bunk ladder to help with access, writes Don Fitzroy Smith.
To provide a suitable mount I built two headboards onto a square spar that I rounded over...
En esta tercera entrega tratamos algunos de los problemas más comunes que afectan al sistema de transmisión y gobierno. Estos incluyen defectos en las hélices, corrosión en los ánodos de hélice/eje, cojinete de arbotantes o fallos de retenes en eje de colas o en línea. Algunos de estos defectos, si no son atendidos, pueden provocar daños más graves, por esta razón es necesario respetar los intervalos de mantenimiento recomendados.
Daños en la héliceLas...
Paul and Sally Weston turn their neglected Mitchell 31 Sea Angler into a canal motorboat to cruise the French coast and the canals
Mitch moored at Beaucette in the Channel Island of Guernsey. Credit: Paul and Sally WestonTransforming a Sea Angler into a canal motorboat for exploring the French coast and canals
Designed for taking parties of anglers out for fishing trips, Mitch, our Mitchell 31 MkII Sea Angler is in essence a very simple boat.
There is a large open cockpit with the...
Cliff White stumbles upon the answer to a head-scratching laptop charging problem
Charger tips look the same, but they’re not…Credit: Cliff WhiteLaptop charging problems on board: one sailor’s solution
I was struggling to find a reliable way to charge my HP laptop on my boat.
The home (mains voltage) charger purports to produce 19V to charge my laptop’s 10.8V...
PBO reader Nicholas Phillips wants advice on the best gasket sealant for bonding his marine windows. Our expert Sven Petersen has this advice…
Some portlights are sealed with a gasket tape that is compressed between the window and hull surface, while others, like this one from a Sadler 32, use a mastic sealantNicholas Phillips writes: “I have a Hunter Boats Horizon 30. When built they used a gasket material sealing the Perspex marine windows called Inseal.
“I’m replacing the windows and want to source the same. It was...