Best Wetsuits for Kayaking UK — What Thickness and What to Buy UK water is cold. Even in summer. The average sea temperature around the English coast in July sits between 14 and 17 degrees Celsius — cold enough to cause cold water shock if you capsize and enter the water unexpectedly. A wetsuit keeps…
Marine Safety Equipment for Small Boats UK — What You Actually Need Small boats — RIBs, day boats, small cruisers under 6 metres — present specific safety challenges that larger vessel checklists do not address. The equipment needs to be compact, immediately accessible, and relevant to the specific risks of small boat operation close to…
Best Handheld VHF Radio UK — What to Buy and Why It Matters A handheld VHF radio is the single most important additional piece of safety equipment after your fixed radio. If your vessel’s electrical system fails, if you go overboard and get separated from the boat, if the fixed set is damaged — a…
Best Life Jackets for Boating UK — 150N vs 275N and What to Actually Buy I wear a lifejacket offshore every time I step on deck. Not because someone told me to — because I understand what the North Sea does and I have no interest in finding out what it is like without one….
Best Life Jackets for Fishing UK — What Sea Anglers Actually Need Fishing from a boat is one of the highest-risk recreational activities on the water in the UK. Sea anglers typically fish alone or in small groups, often at night or in poor conditions, on vessels that can be small and unstable when weight…
Best Life Jackets for Kids UK — Sizing, Safety, and Our Top Picks A child’s lifejacket is not a smaller version of an adult’s. It needs to be sized specifically for the child’s weight — not their age, not their height — and it needs to hold their head above water in a way that…
Best Inflatable Kayak for Beginners UK — What to Actually Buy Buying your first inflatable kayak does not need to be complicated. Most beginners make the same three mistakes — buying on price alone, not understanding what drop-stitch construction actually means and safety. Get those two things right and you will buy the right kayak…
Best Dry Robes UK 2026 — What to Buy and Why They Are Worth Every Penny After a cold water swim, a cold sea kayak, or any time you come out of UK water — a dry robe is the best thing you can put on. Not a towel. Not a hoodie. A proper waterproof…
Best VHF Radio for Beginners UK If you are new to boating or sailing and trying to work out what VHF radio to buy — the choice can feel overwhelming. Fixed or handheld? With DSC or without? AIS? MMSI? It does not need to be complicated. Here is the straight answer. Do You Actually Need…
Best Inflatable Kayaks UK — What to Buy for Rivers, Lakes, and Beyond I have kayaked a lot. On a yellow Intex K2 with friends on the River Severn — genuinely one of the best days you can have outdoors in the UK. Wild camping trips, kit in the back, a cold beer waiting at…
Best Inflatable SUP Boards UK — What to Buy and Why PSI Matters More Than Price I have paddled on the River Wye, the Great Ouse, and on the sea in Greece and Croatia. It is genuinely enjoyable — easy enough to get going on, peaceful when conditions are right, and a great way to…
Best Liferafts UK — What to Buy and Why It Matters A liferaft is the piece of equipment you hope you never use and absolutely must have when you do. It is not a purchase to make on price alone. It is not something to buy second-hand without a verified service history. And it is…