boat owner

News

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P

ractical Boat Owner

magazine will once again

be bringing a team of marine

industry experts to Beaulieu

Boatjumble for a day of

free practical talks

and demonstrations.

Held on Sunday 24 April

between 9am-5pm, within the

grounds of Beaulieu Estate in

Hampshire, the Boatjumble is the

largest event of its kind in the UK

and annually attracts thousands

of bargain hunters. Following the

success of last year’s inaugural

PBO Ask the Experts LIVE! we will

once again be hosting a large

marquee close to the show’s main

gate, where visitors can enjoy free

practical demonstrations and

talks, plus the chance to quiz the

experts with boating questions.

International Paint’s chemist

Kate Moss will return to Experts

LIVE! for a second year, this time

to share her expertise on how to

prep and apply varnish to boats.

Kate said: ‘Last year’s event was a

great success, with hundreds of

people coming to get practical

help on all aspects of painting

their boat.

‘The focus for the demonstration

this year is varnishing, and we

will be covering various topics –

from surface preparation and old

varnish removal, to application

and repair techniques – as well

as maintenance during the

season. We look forward to

seeing you there!’

Viking Life-Saving Equipment

PBO Ask the Experts LIVE! returns

to the Beaulieu Boatjumble

International Paint’s Kate Moss and Roger Bolton’s demonstration

at PBO Ask the Experts LIVE! at last year’s Beaulieu Boatjumble

will be hosting a liferaft inflation

demonstration, Paul Singer of

British Marine South West will be

sharing top tips and revealing

the pitfalls of buying and selling

boats, and Sika’s technical

services expert Gareth Ross will

demonstrate how to use sealants

for bonding and waterproofing on

board. Gareth said: ‘Last year’s

event was a huge success for us,

and we enjoyed a very positive

response from those that attended

and a huge amount of interest

in our products and how to

correctly apply them.’

An expert from Wessex Resins will

demonstrate the safe and effective

handling of epoxy products in the

repair and fit-out of wood and

glassfibre on your boat, and David

Wells from South Devon College

will show how tasty, inventive

dishes can be prepared on just

one or two gas burners in limited

galley space. Meanwhile, Golden

Arrow Marine’s Dave Hill will

stage a practical demonstration

on keeping diesel engines in

tip-top shape, RNLI community

safety resources and development

coordinator Mike Hannam will

hold a free lifejacket clinic, and

PBO tester Alan Watson will

offer his expertise about

electronics on board.

■ Visit http://www.pbo.co.uk/

expertslive for updates.

Quote PBOMAG16 for 15%

off boatjumble tickets. For

further information about

Beaulieu Boatjumble visit

http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/

events/boatjumble.

DIY

antifouling

conference

R

epresentatives from the
UK’s leading paint
manufacturers, along with
PBO, attended a meeting at
the Southampton Hilton in
early February to discuss the
results of a comprehensive
survey to study the DIY use
of antifouling (AF) paints.
Ahead of the possible
implementation of EU regulations
that could restrict the application
and use of antifouling paints to
professional applicators, the
British Coatings Federation
(BCF) commissioned a survey,
which was completed by just
under 2,500 boat owners.
The survey confirmed that over
90% of those surveyed are well
aware of the hazards involved in
the application of AF paints, and
use the appropriate personal
protective equipment. It also
highlighted areas where
improvements could be made,
including provision of training
courses, guidance on disposal
of waste paint, and minimising
the risks of skin contact with AF
paint during its application. BCF
members and interested parties
discussed ways to proceed, with
a strategic action plan to defend
the continued use of AF paints
by the DIY applicator.
Watch this space, and go
online at http://www.pbo.co.uk to find
out how to continue safely
applying antifouling yourself.

A

low-pressure system,
named Storm Imogen,
brought ‘phenomenal sea
states’ off the south-west coast
of Britain in early February.
The Met Office issued an amber
‘be prepared’ national severe
weather warning for very strong
winds on 8-9 February as Storm
Imogen moved across southern
England and South Wales. At
sea, waves topped 16m (52ft 6in)
and a wave of 19.1m (63ft) was
recorded off St Ives, the Met
Office said. Fastnet lighthouse,
off the south-west of County
Cork, recorded sustained winds
of up to 121mph, and Met Office
forecaster Emma Sillitoe said
winds had hit 96mph at the
Needles off the Isle of Wight.

Storm Imogen batters parts of Britain

One manifestation of the dramatic effects of Storm Imogen: a huge

wave breaks over the pier behind Porthcawl RNLI

Steve Jones

Boat Register

goes public

T

he Old Gaffers Association

is opening up its online

Boat Register to the public.

The OGA has collected details

on members’ boats for nearly

50 years, with nearly 4,

boats in the archives. At present

over 1,000 are visible, but only

to logged-in members on the

OGA website. With the exception

of ownership details, these

records will be available to the

public after some modifications,

and when members have been

given the option to request that

their boat is not made public.

Extensive paper archives will be

added to the online database.

■ http://www.oga.org.uk