Practical Boat Owner

Published by TI Media Limited 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

Simple and easy

‘Recognise our invaluable independent lifeboats’ – call for Government funding • News and current affairs from the world of boating

Coastguard sinks drifting project boat

Nominate your 2025 Yachtsman of the Year and Young Sailor of the Year

Diamond milestone

World Sailing honours

EU recognition for recreational craft

Britain’s waterways face financial peril

Cargo ship hit moored yachts

British Sailing Team axes new base plan

Celebrating 60 years of the Contessa

DIARY DATES

Electrical failure sparks yacht rescue

News from your cruising area

Letters • Sharing your boating thoughts and opinions

Channel hopping • Essential monthly highlights from the world of online sailing channels with Kass Schmitt

Cooking up a proper storm • Gaining the competitive edge is just a case of combining galley skills with sail handling

Fun on water • Lessons in sail training inspiration

Island lifeline • The ferry joys of living on an archipelago in the heart of the North Sea

Orkney Coastliner 14 • A lightweight sea boat that is easy to launch and recover

How I built a 1m boat to cross the Atlantic • Microyacht adventurer Andrew Bedwell tells Katy Stickland how he resurrected his Atlantic ocean world record challenge

Being in full control • Jon Mendez explains how to throttle and trim your outboard engine

SunCamper 31 • An example of the new breed of river cruiser, the SunCamper 31 looks unlike anything most of us have seen before– but there’s a very good reason for that, as David Harding explains

Berthing short-handed • Alastair Buchan explains the steps for berthing your boat in a marina when you’re sailing solo or with limited crew

Second life for a seiner • Ben Lowings looks at the history of the 17ft salmon seiner Shambler, and how it has become a true community boat

Sustainable material makeovers • Advances in marine fabrics mean it’s now possible to make your boat look brand new again without costing the earth, says Jake Kavanagh

Boats for Caribbean cruising • Phil Clandillon looks at the best second-hand yachts for crossing the Atlantic and sailing the Caribbean

New gear • Rupert Holmes reports on the DAME Design Awards

Navigating your chartplotter • Accuracy always trumps efficiency, but can you improve one without harming the other? Rob Melotti investigates how to set up your chartplotter to get the most out of it

Book reviews • Katy Stickland shares our recommended maritime reads

Charting connectivity and software updates • John Payne examines the hardware and software he uses on his boat, and what you need to consider when using electronic charts

Outboard SOS • PBO’s engine expert, Stu Davies, explains how to troubleshoot outboard motor problems to get them running again

How to service a 2-stroke outboard • Stu Davies revives a 1989 2hp outboard motor

SAVE 50%!* WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE • Expert advice and step-by-step guides to every hands-on boating job, impartial in-depth gear and boat reviews, practical cruising tips… and more!

Prop…er job • Gilbert Park refurbishes a pitted starboard propeller on his Seaward 29 motor cruiser

Building a carbon fibre spinnaker pole • Colin King aims for light weight and saves himself...