Plymouth Pilots

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Plymouth Pilots

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Hand Crafted, traditionally styled motor launches since 1969. "Your adventure, our legacy"

29/10/2026

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁?

Do not start guessing.

Start in order.

Battery.
Isolator.
Connections.
Preheat.
Starter.
Fuel.
Air in the system.

Most small diesel starting problems are simple faults. The trick is not jumping past the obvious ones.

We’ve put a calm, step-by-step guide on the blog for what to check when the engine will not start.

👉 https://www.plymouthpilots.co.uk/news-blog/what-to-do-when-the-engine-will-not-start

Worth saving before you need it.

22/10/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿?

Most winter boat problems do not start in spring.

They start now.

A half-empty diesel tank sits for months and gives diesel bug the perfect chance to build.

A battery slowly discharges until the first good day of the season becomes a charging job.

A raw-water system is left full of seawater and has to take its chances with the frost.

A seacock stays in one position all year, then refuses to move when you actually need it.

A cover sags, loosens or wears through, and water finds its way into the bilge one wet week at a time.

None of it is dramatic. That is the problem.

Laying up properly is not about making the boat spotless for winter. It is about leaving it in a state you will be pleased to find in spring.

We’ve written a practical guide to laying up a small inboard diesel, including antifreeze, impellers, diesel bug, batteries, covers, seacocks and the jobs worth writing down before you forget them.

There are also free lay-up and spring commissioning checklists to download and keep with the boat.

Worth doing before winter quietly becomes next season’s problem.

👉 https://www.plymouthpilots.co.uk/news-blog/laying-up-for-winter-what-actually-matters

15/10/2026

𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗣𝗹𝘆𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗼𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂?

Yes, quite possibly.

And it is better to know that before you buy one.

A Plymouth Pilot suits a particular kind of boating: steady coastal use, inshore fishing, estuaries, rivers, quiet days afloat and time spent enjoying the water rather than rushing across it.

But it is not the right answer for everyone.

If your favourite fishing mark is 15 miles offshore, then passage time matters.

If you want weekends sleeping aboard, a 16' or 18' cuddy is shelter, not accommodation.

If your family are unlikely to come out as often as you hope, you may need to think carefully about whether you would use the boat alone.

If your mooring only takes a certain length, the mooring may decide the model before you do.

And if the tide table feels like an inconvenience, a displacement boat may test your patience.

None of these are faults in the boat.

They are mismatches between the boat and the way it will actually be used.

We’ve written an honest guide to the situations where a Plymouth Pilot might not be the right fit.

Worth a read before you fall for a particular model.

👉 https://www.plymouthpilots.co.uk/news-blog/why-a-plymouth-pilot-might-be-the-wrong-boat

08/10/2026

𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗼𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱?

Yes, but the real question is whether the boat will be ready when the right day comes.

Some of the best days on the water happen in winter.

Cold, crisp, flat calm.

Low clear light.

Hardly another boat about.

A flask of coffee tucked under the cuddy.

The problem is that those days rarely give you much notice.

If the boat is already ashore, the chance is usually gone before you can do anything about it. If she is still afloat but has not been checked for weeks, a full bilge, flat battery or loose cover can turn the one good day of the month into a job instead of a trip.

Winter boating is not difficult, but it does ask for a routine.

For those who keep their boat afloat through winter, what is on your regular check list?

We’ve written a practical guide to using a small boat through winter, what needs checking between trips and how to decide whether staying in or lifting out is the better option.

👉 https://www.plymouthpilots.co.uk/news-blog/can-you-use-a-small-boat-all-year-round

01/10/2026

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁?

If you are looking at an older boat, that question is probably sitting somewhere in the back of your mind.

The honest answer?

The hull will usually outlast most of what is attached to it.

We have a Pilot 18' in the workshop at the moment called Gan Canny. Hull number 212. Launched in 1973. Same family from new. More than fifty years on a drying mooring in Cornwall.

Her hull is still sound.

What stopped her was not the fibreglass. It was the timber under the cockpit sole, quietly rotting where nobody could see it.

That is the bit many buyers miss.

A tired gelcoat can look worse than it is. A solid-looking cockpit floor can hide more than you think. And the year on the paperwork does not tell the whole story.

We’ve written a practical guide to what really limits the lifespan of a fibreglass boat, what to look for on an older Pilot and why age alone is not the thing that decides whether a boat is worth buying.

Worth a read if you are looking at older boats, comparing new vs used or wondering how long a GRP hull can really last.

👉 https://www.plymouthpilots.co.uk/news-blog/lifespan-of-a-fibreglass-boat

01/10/2026

Early start this morning to collect a Plymouth Pilot 18 and bring her back to the workshop.

But when you turn up to this, it’s difficult to complain about the early start!

What a morning. ☀️

There are definitely worse ways to start a working day.

29/09/2026

Guess what we're doing tomorrow!!

24/09/2026

𝗜𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀?

It is one of the first questions people ask when they start looking seriously at small boats.

The honest answer is that the boat is rarely the weakest part of the plan.

A well-found small motor boat can handle more coastal weather than many first-time owners expect. What catches people out is usually the return leg.

You head out in the morning with wind and tide working together. The sea feels comfortable. Nothing seems difficult.

Then the tide turns.

Same wind. Same strength. Same forecast. But now the waves are shorter, steeper and far less pleasant.

Add a deadline into the mix, work in the morning, a long drive, a trailer to load, and that is where sensible decisions start to get harder.

We’ve written a practical guide to what actually causes trouble on coastal trips, why the way home matters so much and the simple checks worth making before you leave.

Worth a read if you are wondering how much boat you really need for coastal use.

👉 [https://www.plymouthpilots.co.uk/news-blog/is-a-small-motor-boat-big-enough-for-coastal-waters]

24/09/2026

Plymouth Pilot 18' for Sale

Peggy has just come up for Brokerage and will soon be at our yard in Plymouth for viewings. She's a 2020 build with a off-white hull and sky-blue ring deck and cuddy. You can view the details here:
https://www.plymouthpilots.co.uk/product/plymouth-pilot-18-peggy

To enquire, contact [email protected] or call 01752 482588.

17/09/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝘀?

It is the question many new boat owners think about, but do not always ask out loud.

The honest answer is usually less dramatic than the version in your head.

A displacement boat will keep her way for a short time, giving you a moment to steer clear, think and get organised. Once the way comes off, the wind and tide take over, which is why the first job is not to start pulling the engine apart.

Position first. Mechanics second.

Get somewhere safe if you can. Get the anchor down. Let someone know where you are. Then work through the obvious causes calmly.

A diesel engine usually stops for a short list of reasons, and the way it stops often tells you where to start looking.

We’ve written a practical guide to what really happens when the engine stops, and what to do in the order that matters.

Worth a read before you ever need it.

👉https://www.plymouthpilots.co.uk/news-blog/when-the-engine-stops-what-really-happens-next

Address

Wixenford
Plymton
PL98AA

Telephone

01752 482588

Website

http://www.plymouthpilots.co.uk/

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