The Logbook

Buying Guides

Step-by-step advice on choosing, inspecting and paying for a boat.

Buying Your First Boat: A Complete UK and European Guide

What to budget, how to survey, and the paperwork that catches first-time buyers out.

Jack & Anchor Editorial3 August 2026 8 min read

A decade on from launch, the modular Oceanis 38 remains one of the smartest used buys in the 38ft class.

3 August 2026 6 min read

Anchorages, marinas and passage planning for Mallorca, Ibiza and Formentera.

3 August 2026 7 min read

Why the Targa 43 remains the yardstick for a 40-foot sports cruiser on both sides of the Channel.

3 August 2026 6 min read

Nine sensible, seaworthy boats you can genuinely buy for the price of a used car.

3 August 2026 7 min read

What a 12m berth really costs in Southampton, Poole, Valencia and Palma.

3 August 2026 5 min read

Day-by-day passage notes, the best anchorages on Hvar, Vis and Korcula, and what a Croatian cruise really costs.

31 July 2026 11 min read

Tides, harbours, hazards and the best weekend routes in Britain's busiest stretch of sailing water.

28 July 2026 9 min read

Deep water, no tidal gate and a walkable city centre — but is the premium over the Hamble justified?

25 July 2026 6 min read

Superyacht standards in the middle of a great city — with berthing rates to match.

22 July 2026 6 min read

Sloping side decks, a genuinely quick hull and a layout built for two — the 410 is a strong used buy.

19 July 2026 8 min read

How to set an anchor that holds in 15 metres, why scope maths changes in the Med, and how to avoid a seagrass fine.

16 July 2026 9 min read