Practical Boat Owner – August 2019

Contents

No. 642 AUGUST 2019 • £4.

PBO 642 AUGUST 2019

www pbo co uk

BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING BOATING MAGAZINE

GEAR REVIEWS · PROJECTS · SEAMANSHIP · CRUISING · MAINTENANCE

SMALL + SEAWORTHYThe science behind

strong small boats

LITTLE LIFT-KEELERS The best trailable

pocket cruisers

RESTORATION READER

£13k Florida cruiserFrom £2k wreck to

TOUGHEST BOATRNLI Shannon class: made in the UK

GEAR REVIEWS · PROJECTS · SEAMANSHIP · CRUISINGGEAR REVIEWS · PROJECTS · SEAMANSHIP · CRUISING· MAINTENANCE· MAINTENANCE

BUILDINGTHE WORLD’S

AWESOME AUTHORS

The best sailing stories for

children

SMALL BOAT

SPECIAL

SEW LIKE A PRO DIY sprayhood

& bimini

Save £££s

SOUTHAMPTON

B OAT

SHOW PREVIEW

 HEADS HELPHow to service

your pump!

 FUEL LINES Lessons

learned

WINDLASSWired &

ready

GEAR REVIEWS · PROJECTS · SEAMANSHIP · CRUISINGGEAR REVIEWS · PROJECTS · SEAMANSHIP · CRUISINGGEAR REVIEWS · PROJECTS · SEAMANSHIP · CRUISING· MAINTENANCE· MAINTENANCE· MAINTENANCE

PAGES^30 

OF DIY

ROUND WALES TOURNarrow locks to big

seas in a 20-footer

Cover image: Norfolk Gypsy, Kingfi sher. Photo by

David Harding wwwsailingscenes.co.uk

Welcome to the August 2019 issue

PRACTICAL

86

52

48

60

70

58

REGULARS

5 Waiting for the tide

6 News

12 Readers’ letters

14 Dave Selby

16 Sam Llewellyn

18 Andrew Simpson

56 New Gear

80 Marsali Taylor

84 Ask the experts

88 Cruising Notes

98 Sketchbook

40 The American Dream

How a college couple turned

to boat restoration to get their

ideal Florida cruiser

66 PBO Project boat

This month we see the

bulkheads and beams go in!

70 Heads pump help

The easy way to dismantle

and service a heads pump

74 Sprayhood and bimini

Save £££s by sewing your

own in this step-by-step guide

82 Practical Projects

Boarding ladder makeover,

heavy-duty boat-hook and a

bosun’s chair alternative

86 Powering a windlass

Duncan Kent explores the

best options for a 34ft cruiser

34 The Shannon story

Building the world’s toughest boat at

the RNLI headquarters in Poole

48 Nautical fiction for kids

Exciting new authors to inspire

today’s young sailors

52 Dodgy engine dilemma

Lessons learned from a spluttering

engine in the Bristol Channel

58 Southampton Boat Show

Essential guide to boats, brands and

family fun at this year’s big event

88 Hebridean escape

Plus the top 10 Med destinations

and why Croatia tops the list

Coastal cruiser goes

inland – page 60

26

20

40

34

74

SAVE

MONEY AND

SUBSCRIBE!

pbo.co.uk

for deals^

David Harding

Keith Brame/Alamy

A remote Hebridean

harbour – page 88

Cornish Shrimper – one of our pick of

shoal-draught boats from page 20

BOATS, CRUISING &

SEAMANSHIP

20 Shoal-

draught

mini cruisers

Super second-hand shoal

draught boats up to 20ft in length

26 Small and seaworthy

Boatbuilder Bjorn Haraldsson on

why small boats measure up to

sail offshore

30 Size of the times

As new family cruisers get

ever bigger, David Harding

investigates what’s left at the

smaller end of the market

60 Round Wales in a

20-footer

A harbourmaster’s adventure

through narrow locks, leafy rivers

and big seas

SMALL

BOATS

SPECIAL!