Table of contents for Summer 2016 in Practical Boat Owner

with the editor To receive the editor’s monthly email newsletter, sign up on our website: www.pbo.co.uk She’s afloat! After two years’ hard graft, my brother and I finally got our Contessa 26 Red Dragon in the water just as the last issue of PBO went to press. With shiny new paint on her hull and deck, shiny new varnish down below, a new heads, heater, double berth conversion and completely overhauled diesel, wiring and gas systems, she almost looks like a new boat. As such, she should be pleased. But I couldn’t help feeling that she was sighing with frustration as we fiddled around for another day rigging, stowing and carrying out the myriad tasks which seem to need carrying out before the sails can finally go up. A bit…

AUGUST ISSUE ON SALE THURSDAY, JULY 14 PRACTICAL Making a GRP sprayhood ■ Can you replace a canvas hood with a GRP one and still save money? Plus ■ Rebuilding a mast step ■ Replacing wooden slats on cockpit seats with Flexiteek ■ Building a Navigator: a reader constructs a 4.5m dayboat from plans TESTED AIS SARTs ■ Personal locator beacons that show a MOB on your AIS display Mooring line snubbers ■ How well do they take the strain? Forgen Ventus 70 ■ Vertical-axis wind turbine on test BOATS Dufour 35 ■ A much-loved French GRP classic SEAMANSHIP Sail faster easier ■ Simple tweaks for satisfying sailing Single- and short-handed anchoring techniques ■ We try out several ways to make anchoring simpler when sailing solo CRUISING Get around in…

Mad about the boat 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 There are three kinds of engineer, and they’re all dangerous. And that’s because they spend most of their time coming up with solutions for problems that don’t necessarily exist. One example is the Sinclair C5. Of course, the washingmachine-powered electric trike was relatively harmless, as long as you didn’t use it on the road, but more dangerous are the notions of retired engineers: they have workshops, tools, know-how, benches and vices, they lick pencils (which I suppose is a harmless vice) and live in the Black Country where the national dress is brown store coats. But worryingly, even though they’re landlocked…

To ask a question email pbo@timeinc.com and include your address. Pictures are helpful 50 of the most frequently asked boating questions are answered by our experts on the PBO website. Visit www.pbo.co.uk SEA SAFETY Keith Colwell is RNLI Community Safety Manager and author of the RYA Sea Survival Handbook BOAT BUYING David Harding is a regular contributor to PBO: his photo archive is at www.sailingscenes.co.uk CRUISING Stuart Carruthers is the RYA Cruising Manager and has sailed extensively SAILS Ian Brown of the International OneSails loft group is an expert on sails MASTS & RIGS Mike Coates worked in the spar and rigging business for many years SURVEY AND CORROSION Colin Brown runs a marine survey and consultancy company, CB Marine Services ELECTRICS Paul Holland is chairman of the BMEA and…

BATTERY MANAGEMENT M2 DC State-of-Charge Monitor Blue Sea Systems has launched three new products including the M2 DC State-of-Charge Monitor, which utilises organic LED (OLED) technology to assist onboard battery monitoring. M2 OLED digital monitors measure battery voltage, amps and status, and feature adjustable alarms and an auto-dimming display: a gasket creates a waterproof seal on the unit face. The monitors include a MOSFET external circuit relay (ECR) which can be used to control external circuits based on any value measured by the M2 – the ECR is independent of the internal alarm function. The units can monitor state of charge on one battery bank and voltage on up to three battery banks. The monitor offers a quick-glance fuel gauge for your battery system with alarms available for low voltage.…

After a few nights sleeping at anchor, the chances are you’ll be seeking out hot showers, facilities to top up water tanks, fuel, somewhere to recharge batteries, access Wi-Fiand enjoy dinner ashore. We’ve scoured the coasts of England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Shetland Isles and Channel Islands to find comparative visitor berth prices and facilities for 299 locations – just what you need to plan your summer stopovers. Stunning scenery, friendly staff and special offers are just some of the attractions promised by the marinas, harbour authorities, yacht clubs and associations which feature in this comprehensive guide. Prices range from free visitor stays at Fair Isle and Collafirth marinas in the Shetland Isles to the priciest average of ￡5.84 per metre for St Katharine Docks Marina in Central London. There…

News and current affairs from the world of boating SEND US YOUR STORIES Email news editor Laura Hodgetts at newspbo@timeinc.com, tel: 01202 440825 The UK and French governments have combined to improve security, collaborate on returns and deter migrants from making the perilous journey across the Channel. The first batch of patrol vessels will be in place in the coming months, with all of the vessels operational by the end of next year, helping to intercept attempts to smuggle dangerous weapons, drugs and migrants into the country. In addition, the Immigration Minister will meet with his Dutch and Belgian counterparts in June 2016 to continue discussions on their joint commitment to strengthen port security and to tackle organised crime. This comes after the former head of the Royal Navy, Lord…

DUBARRY PACIFIC DECK SHOE Save £50 off the MRP. New, water-resistant men’s deck shoe, crafted from Dubarry’s DryFast-DrySoft leather, with contrasting sole. Colours: Brown, Navy, Old Rum. Sizes: 41-47 ■ Force 4 Tel: 0845 130 0710 www.force4.co.uk PRICE £74.95 MAJONI DOCK BUMPER SET Two heavy-duty 110cm, ¾ round dock bumpers plus one flexible bumper for inner or outer corners. ■ Boat Gear Direct Tel: 01473 655541 www.boatgeardirect.co.uk PRICE £99.95 AQUA4 GRADE 40 CALIBRATED ANCHOR CHAIN Sourced exclusively from Maggi Catena in Italy, hot dip galvanised and proof tested chain. Summer promotion 33% off, eg 50m 8mm DIN766 £261.70, 50m 10mm DIN766 £ 428.80. ■ Jimmy Green Marine Tel: 01297 20744 www.jimmygreen.co.uk PRICE 50m of 8mm £261.70…

Flotsam and jetsam Sam Llewellyn is editor of The Marine Quarterly, www.marinequarterly.com, and author of nautical thrillers. Three years ago he bought a Corribee on eBay There was a time when it was necessary to keep busy on passage. Richard Henry Dana Jr, in his great Two Years Before the Mast, describes a shipboard life dedicated to the remaking of the ship’s rigging on the painting-the-Forth-Bridge principle. During the universality of wooden boats, there was always a spot of maintenance to do. But the world is no longer wooden, and even the Forth Bridge has been coated in some kind of epoxy that will last till Doomsday. The chandleries are full of pre-spliced lines and electronic plotters. What, then, do you actually do on the long, cool hike from A…

As a yachtsman who mostly sails single-handed, I find my Albin Ballad Josin to be an ideal boat for the purpose. She’s seaworthy, strong, safe, easy to handle and with excellent, predictable sailing characteristics. Over the last 50 years of cruising boat design, a priority has been placed upon improving space, comfort and facilities: when Josin comes into a harbour she’s accordingly surrounded or squeezed out by much larger, more modern boats. These have a higher potential cruising speed, so they can get to the next harbour first and occupy the best spots. There’s not much I can do about that – but during nearly 30 years of sailing in Josin, I’ve carried out a number of adaptations which have at least made her into a safer and more comfortable…

Basic bearings... A. Plain bearings are often simple and cheap. They can withstand large loads, and are fine for things that don’t move much – like mast halyard sheaves. B. Roller bearings come in all shapes and sizes, and move easily while withstanding high loads. C. Ball bearings aren’t quite as strong, but can cope with loads from different angles. D. Some older blocks had Tufnol or plastic sheaves, running on a plain stainless steel axle pin. E. Modern blocks are often made of hi-tech plastics and stainless steel, and may have self-lubricating bearings. These can be rollers, or balls, of different colours that indicate the sort of loads they can bear. F. Traditional bearings and sliders need some lubrication, such as oil, grease or a silicone spray. Too much,…

Send us your local news stories. Email PBO news editor Laura Hodgetts at newspbo@timeinc.com, tel: 01202 440825, or write to the address on page 5 CHANNEL ISLANDS GUERNSEY PIER PLANS Guernsey Harbours has unveiled plans to significantly upgrade facilities on the island’s Crown Pier, also known as the Victoria Pier. Located alongside the Victoria Marina, the pier has a restaurant, plus toilet and shower facilities that serve more than 30,000 visiting sailors each year and demand has increased since the well-received Swan pontoon link up. The site is in a prominent conservation area of St Peter Port, with several 19th century buildings. Guernsey Harbours is seeking a commercial partner to help redevelop the area. Matt Le Page, president of the Guernsey Marine Traders Association, said: ‘We’re really pleased with this…

Email pbo@timeinc.com or write to us at the address on page 5. Photos are appreciated, letters may be edited. www.twitter.com/p_b_o www.facebook.com/practicalboatownermag FUEL POLISHING ALONE WON’T BEAT THE BUG Polished off Over a number of years, I have developed a managed approach to ensure that clean diesel is delivered to my engine. Installing an onboard fuel polishing system (as described in my article ‘Onboard diesel polishing’, PBO February) was just one more defence against diesel bug – alongside using anti-bug additives, fitting an additional in-line filter, keeping the tank full over winter and taking regular drain-offs from the bottom of the tank. It was disappointing to read David White’s letter, ‘Bugged by diesel bug doctrine’ (PBO March), as he seemed to assume that polishing was being suggested as the answer to…

Monthly musings Yacht surveyor and designer Andrew Simpson cruises with his wife Chele in his own-design 11.9m (39ft) yacht Shindig. Read his blog at www.offshore-sailor.com If you’re cruising the Eastern Caribbean it won’t be long before you come into contact with boat vendors – almost invariably colourful gents in equally colourful boats. They are usually selling edible products such as fruit or bread, the freshness of which is rarely in doubt. And you usually don’t have to wait long for these folk are not layabouts. On the contrary they tend to be early risers so a ‘good morning Shindig’ hail and a tap on the hull may occur any time after sunrise. Now fortunately I’m an early-bird too, having long since learned that words hit the page with more agility…

Thermal imaging, like most technologies, is getting cheaper. Fitting an infrared camera to your boat would once cost several thousand pounds; now, £180 will buy you a plug-in camera for your Apple or Android phone which, while not delivering the same sensitivity as its pricier brethren, will give you some of the night vision advantages this technology offers. Made by market heavyweight FLIR, the FLIR One combines a thermal and a conventional monochrome camera to give an overlaid image, which helps make sense of the thermal picture while the conventional camera still has enough light to perform. After that, you’re on your own. Gadget fans will need no persuasion to buy one of these devices at this price, but is that all it is: a gadget? We identified two potential…

Got a question? Email pbo@timeinc.com Here’s just a selection of the latest questions from PBO readers. Email or write to the address on page 5 and our experts will answer your queries SEA SAFETY Which lifejacket is best for children? Q When buying a children’s lifejacket is it safest or best to have the tether attachment at the back or at the front? Our daughter is 13 and close to outgrowing her current Crewsaver lifejacket, which has a built-in harness with tether attachment point at the back: I’ve always understood that should someone end up overboard, it’s better they be towed face-up on their back, which implies that a tether clipped at the back is safest. But it’s clear that for most people (excluding very young children who might fiddle…

PBO PROJECT BOAT HANDBOOK ■ This 128-page restoration guide follows Hantu Biru’s journey from a Dorset fish farm to cross-Channel cruising. All for only £4.99 with free UK postage and packaging. Tel: 01202 440830 2016 PBO SMALL CRAFT ALMANAC ■ Full of information covering UK waters, Ireland and much of north Europe. Order yours now from chandleries and online bookstores. Just £17.99 or Tel: 01256 302699 PBO SKIPPER’S HANDBOOK ■ Your quickreference guide, featuring 64 pages of expert advice on Colregs, cruising, safety, sail trim, maintenance and equipment, all for only £1.99 Tel: 01202 440830 PBO SKETCHBOOKS 3, 4 & 5 IN STOCK £3.75 each or 3 for £10 Sketchbooks 1-5 are available to download from www.pbo.co.uk PBO CARTOON MUGS Celebrating eight years of Claudia Myatt cartooning in PBO, a…