Looking into upgrading our failing Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) house batteries to lithium-ion a couple of years ago, we found the price of a commercial system was somewhat beyond our budget. Nevertheless, we wondered whether a DIY approach would bring

Silicone adhesive sealant, new rubber gasket, acetone, masking tape, assorted screwdrivers, flat blade, locking pliers. 1 Peel away the inner rubber seal, if there is one. The window pane is usually held in place by inner and outer frames, which are

Although there remains a large number of lead-acid battery aficionados in the more traditional marine electrical businesses, battery technology has recently progressed in leaps and bounds. Over the past couple of decades, the world’s top battery expe

I live full-time on our 44ft ketch with my husband, Tim, and our dog, Pip. Tim is an engineer, and over the past few years, he has become a bit of a lithium battery geek. I have a more limited understanding of the subject, received by osmosis through

Dave Selby is the proud owner of a 5.48m (18ft) Sailfish, which he keeps on a swinging mooring on the picturesque Blackwater estuary in Essex Circumnavigators are a select bunch, and rarer still are those who’ve notched up three, so it’s with particu

Clive Marsh discovered small boats while working for Canadian Pacific Steamships and is a past Commodore of the Merchant Navy Association Boat Club. In this series he shares tales from his 50 years of boat ownership. Sailboat ownership for me began w

Adventurer James Ketchell has pledged to provide inspiring educational content, streamed from boat to classroom when he sails solo around the world in a Class 40 yacht. James, who keeps Mind Set at Premier’s Gosport Marina, hopes to depart in Septemb

A boat owner who drove a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) around 18 knots – almost three times the speed limit – in Falmouth’s inner harbour on a busy summer’s day has been ordered to pay £3,061 in fines and costs by Magistrates in Truro, Cornwall. David

For many first-timers on their way to France, the English Channel passage is an exercise in which all their knowledge of planning, tides, navigation, weather, collision regulations and boat handling will be tested simultaneously. Several factors will

Junk Rig Association spokesman David Tyler said: “Even a seasoned sailor in a well-found boat and in very familiar waters, will occasionally misjudge a situation. Ninety-nine times out of a 100, you’d manage to retreat with your tail between your leg

Leaking decks are perceived as a nuisance by some boatowners, who are often prepared to put up with them and turn a blind eye: ‘That’s boats for you!’ The reason for this might simply be because many boats are only used when the weather is fine. If r

Irish businessman and mariner Enda O’Coineen is seeking international support for a project to build a replica of Ernest Shackleton’s ship. The original three-masted barquentine Endurance, used by Sir Ernest Shackleton during his 1914-16 Antarctic ex

Draycote Water Sailing Club (DWSC) has been crowned Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Club of the Year. The trophy was presented by Olympic gold medallist Eilidh McIntyre at the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show in February. The awards panel whittled appl

Many makes of depth displays use a standard transducer such as those made by NASA, Airmar, B&G, Raymarine and other manufacturers worldwide. These work by transmitting and receiving a signal of around 150kHz, but some are lower frequency at 50-100kHz

Tributes have been paid to renowned boatbuilder and designer Iain Oughtred, who passed away, aged 84, in hospital on the Isle of Skye on 21 February. In addition to his popular Caledonia Yawl, Ness Yawl, Grebe, Tammie Norrie and the Acorn skiff desig

Racing around the world is extremely hard on boats. For ocean-going GRP production boats designed before 1988, some over 50 years old, it is especially challenging. This is an extra factor facing competitors in the Ocean Globe Race, a circumnavigatio

In ‘Trailer-sailing in Cardigan Bay’ (PBO, April 2024) Frank Sibly suggests that the Etap22i ‘is about the largest boat that can be trailed and launched’. Not so: we’ve trailed and launched our Swallow Yachts Bay Cruiser 26 Iris to Spain a several ti

For more expert advice, visit pbo.co.uk/expert-advice/expert-answers Q My yacht Spook, a Dufour 40, has a Volvo sail drive. Last November while changing the engine oil I noticed the gearbox oil had changed to a creamy opaque colour and its level had

Ever since I was eight or nine years old I’ve always wanted a Jeanneau Sun 2000. I don’t know what it was about this pretty trailer-sailer that made me dream of owning one; maybe it was her sleek lines or the example which appeared unloved, sat at Fa

We’ve devised a simple method for picking up lines on our finger pontoon mooring that may be of interest to others. It consists of a pole made of 20mm plastic pipe that has a rowlock attached at the top. The base is attached to an angle bracket with

Firstly, I would like to congratulate Mike Attree on doing what a lot of people would like to do. However, I would point out that there is a lot of energy in a lithium LiFePO4 battery system – nearly twice as much useable as a similar-sized lead-acid