It’s no secret, of course, that maintaining a beautifully clean hull is the result of both regular work and use of the right tools. Yet it’s all too easy to…
Expert boat advice
Best boating apps: 9 essential downloads for iPhone and Android
It’s now physically possible and affordable to carry detailed charts of almost the whole globe in your pocket thanks to the dizzying array of boating apps out there. There’s no…
Best EPIRB: 4 emergency beacons to keep you safe at sea
When to choose an EPIRB? Emergency Personal Indicating Radio Beacons (or EPIRBs for short) are probably the best-known emergency beacons thanks to their long history and use in high profile…
Best satellite phone: 6 models to help you keep in touch at sea
There are numerous companies out there offering connectivity at varying cost and global coverage. Buying a satellite phone is, of course, just the start – you’ll also need a SIM…
Best sailing gloves: 8 top pairs to protect your hands and keep them warm
For much of the year thermal insulation is an important attribute for sailing gloves, and is especially true for those on faster boats such as RIBs, where windchill can be…
Best boat dehumidifier: 10 powerful models to keep your boat dry
It sounds obvious, but boats tend to live in a damp environment. Even if you keep yours ashore or in your driveway, damp can still present a problem – just…
Best lifejacket: 13 top choices that could save your life
Whatever else you might find on a boat, you will usually find lifejackets. In the context of this feature we’re talking specifically about the best lifejacket options as opposed to…
Best personal locator beacons and AIS units: 7 top options for boating
Not so long ago simply locating a crew member who had fallen overboard in anything other than the most benign of conditions was a massive challenge, thanks to personal locator…
Best dog lifejackets: 6 top buoyancy aids for your canine crewmate
Not only does a dog lifejacket provide extra floatation, but they are also fluorescent, to aid location in low light, and also have grab handles to make it easy to…
Best boat wax: 5 top products to make your topsides shine
Many boat owners simply apply boat wax to the topsides once a year, and while this will look good for a short time, to get a really good result it’s…
Best depth sounder models from handheld to top of the range
The trend in recent years is towards boats running the vast majority of boat data through a chartplotter or Multi Function Display (MFD) but most of the best depth sounder…
Best boat sandals: 8 sensible summer solutions for sailing footwear
Unless it’s the weather for boots, most people wear deck shoes on a boat. They might be the conventional moccasin type or the newer generation of high-performance deck trainers, but…
Best Christmas gifts for sailors: What to buy the boat owner who has everything
What do you buy the boat owner who has everything? With so many potential Christmas gifts for sailors on the market, it can be easy to get lost, so we’ve…
Best boat paint: 9 of the best DIY topcoats for fibreglass, wood or metal
Nothing improves the look of a boat quite like a fresh lick of high-quality boat paint. Whether your boat is wooden, steel or GRP, today’s easily applied topcoats can give…
Best chartplotter: 6 great options from marine MFDs to tablets
Before we get into which are the best chartplotters or MFDs, it is worth briefly noting the difference between the terms ‘chartplotter’ and ‘MFD’. The terms are broadly used interchangeably,…
Best sailing hats: Top boating headwear from simple caps to sou’westers and helmets
What makes a good sailing hat? In the summer as well as a good pair of sailing sunglasses, you need a good sailing hat for protection from the sun (especially…
Best trolling motors: 8 electric outboard alternatives that really pack a punch
So you’re looking for an electric outboard to whizz your RIB around the harbour. Who wouldn’t want a fancy Torqeedo to hang off your transom? But at £1,450 and up,…
Best handheld marine radios: 8 feature-rich VHF options for your boat
The significant improvements in a number of areas in recent years have seen handheld marine radios move from merely a communications device to something altogether more useful. As technology has…
Best boat shoes for sailing: From leather moccasins to high-tech deck trainers
The traditional leather deck shoe has long been the mainstay of most manufacturer’s range of boat shoes. However, trainer style options tend to offer more technical features that improve comfort,…
Best sailing sunglasses: 10 practical options for eye protection on the water
Those of us who go afloat expose ourselves to a lot of ultraviolet (UV) radiation – even on cloudy days in northern Europe. We all know that too much UV…