Sailing Mags

gettinthere · Jul 10, 2014

The boat tests come along as the new boats are released. There is usually a press kit with info on the boat and sometimes a 'press event' where the manufacturer does an all day presentation including several sails. So concurrent articles are common for sail, power, ATVs, fishing boats, cars, computers, etc etc.

As for the nite vision story, who knows.

Those 2 mags are owned by competing parent companies so there wouldnt be collusion.

KD3PC · Jul 10, 2014

If you read "enthusiast" magazines by any of the big publishers, Bonnier, AIM, and the like.....you will see that for the past few years, they have common "information" in all of their magazines. Annoying. And a lot of times the "info" is irrelevant to the topic of the magazine.

You will see watches, audio gear, phone stuff, all identical in the sail, diving, car and motorcycle mags they publish.

The other thing I despise, is the "articles" are all now 100 words or so. I enjoy reading, so most of the magazines are of little use to me any more. This is pervasive in the industry, now.

Not sure what demographic they are trying to reach, but it is no longer - me? The good news in another year or so, they will be offering me a subscription and a $2 refund as their subscription base just keeps getting smaller and smaller. And the term of the subscription shorter and shorter....ie a "year's subscription" is actually just 5 or 6 issues.

Progress?

Johnb · Jul 10, 2014

We allowed all our magazine subscriptions to lapse as they seem to be formulaic, fluff and eye candy. Get the feeling that tennis, travel, sailing etc are all written by the same people.

Bob J. · Jul 10, 2014

Johnb said:
Get the feeling that tennis, travel, sailing etc are all written by the same people.

Gives them something to do when they're not at the farm tending to their horses

RECESS · Jul 10, 2014

Good Old Boat is the only one that has held my attention.

PaulK · Jul 10, 2014

other options

"Sailing" magazine seems to have some articles that are a bit longer and which are also worth reading. Bob Perry's design reviews can also be interesting because he picks different themes each month. Recently he did three different catamarans. Other times it's dinghies, cruisers, or racers: a nice variety. "Woodenboat" covers a lot of designers, builders, and history in their pages, with in depth articles on people and places worldwide. They don't just do "how to build" pieces, though they do have them, too.

shemandr · Jul 10, 2014

Ah, I read a number of them. I can criticize any of them, but when I'm bored at work, which is all too common, they are a Godsend. Yeah, they are industry driven - did you think differently? They are struggling to stay in business. We should all read them or they will go away. They may anyway because it's a short attention span world and getting worse by the ticking second.

Chris Patterson · Jul 10, 2014

shemandr said:
Ah, I read a number of them. I can criticize any of them, but when I'm bored at work, which is all too common, they are a Godsend. Yeah, they are industry driven - did you think differently? They are struggling to stay in business. We should all read them or they will go away. They may anyway because it's a short attention span world and getting worse by the ticking second.

Ya know, you are absolutely correct. I've been reading on this thread for a couple of days, and keeping my belligerent mouth shut. I've said on here before my opinion on aforementioned magazines, even have one sub that a customer/friend sent me solely because he knows I hate them. Took me awhile to weed out the heartless scoundrel, but it was a good laugh. On the demise of print. Yes, sadly that is truly the case. Like most people on this board, through the course of my life I've read untold thousands of books and magazines. And for years tried my best to keep every one. Reference material if you will. But a force more powerful than a Magnatar, an x wife, considered it her moral duty to divorce me and keep everything. Sounds fair. Irreplaceable books and some magazines that I mourn WAY more than the woman. So evidently there seems to be some higher affection for the literature..........I'm rambling.. But it struck a chord. Yes hell buy the magazine. Theyve gotta be hurting. I guess. For sure our electronics have won though. Man, what a bummer. For what it's worth, I like Practical Sailor and Professional Boatbuilder. PS with zero advertising has GOT to be eating pop-corn and Kool-Aid for dinner. And doing a damn fine job of torturing new equipment to death so we don't have too. And ProBoat is an industry mag that may not interest most boaters. Pretty high tech engineering by some very smart people. Way beyond what I'll ever do, but it's relevant nonetheless. But I like that about supporting a particular magazine. Makes me feel kinda guilty about stealing them out of the Barnes and Noble. That's got me to thinking about maybe paying for some of them now and then..

higgs · Jul 10, 2014

The only reason I get Sail or cruising World is they both give me a price around $1 an issue. I am not particularly interested in reviews on quarter million dollar + boats I will never own.

Brian S · Jul 10, 2014

higgs said:
The only reason I get Sail or cruising World is they both give me a price around $1 an issue. I am not particularly interested in reviews on quarter million dollar + boats I will never own.

Where's that "like" or "+1" button? The only 2 mags that get my $ are Good Old Boat and Small Craft Advisor. And sometimes I get guilty that I'm not subscribing to Practical Sailor.

Sail magazine keeps arriving at my door because it can be so cheap to subscribe, but more often than not it pisses me off that they only review boats that the plutocracy can afford, and I ain't one of them...

Sailing magazine does the same thing, reviews the expensive boats, but at least their pictures can be far prettier and more historically illuminating. But they aren't super cheap like Advertising magazine. Uh, I mean, Sail magazine.

But then again, practically the whole middle class sailboat industry has gone belly up. "Middle class" people can't afford to buy new, smaller boats anyway...

justsomeguy · Jul 11, 2014

Brian S said:
Where's that "like" or "+1" button? snip-

See that little set of scales at the bottom of the avatar box, between the "offline/online" indicator and the "report" button?

Click there.

hewebb · Jul 11, 2014

I have been looking for a sailing magazine that fits my type of sailing. I currently take Sail, Practical Sailor & Good old boat. Sail laid on the table for a week or so before I picked it up. GOB & PS are the ones that I read upon arrival. As others have sail I will never own an expensive ocean going boat. Is there a magazine out there that fits us average medium size (25" to 34') boat sailors? There seems to be a lot of them at the marinas. Of course I am an inland lake sailor.

Bob J. · Jul 11, 2014

rfrye1 said:
I just received an offer from Cruising World renew for 3 yrs for $28!!!

The only reason I receive it is you get one free subscription for a year when you go to the boat show in Boston. Speaking of GOB anyone get their July/August issue yet? I keep checking the mail box like I'm waiting for a check...

jimmcgee · Jul 11, 2014

Misfits said:
The only reason I receive it is you get one free subscription for a year when you go to the boat show in Boston. Speaking of GOB anyone get their July/August issue yet? I keep checking the mail box like I'm waiting for a check...

Yep got it a while ago.

jimmcgee · Jul 11, 2014

A lot of magazine subscriptions today don't even cover the cost of printing and mailing. It's all about keeping the number of eyeballs up for advertisers.

You do wonder where the industry is going. I like reading books on a Nook, but with magazines I really prefer the printed version.

jimmcgee · Jul 11, 2014

hewebb said:
Is there a magazine out there that fits us average medium size (25" to 34') boat sailors? There seems to be a lot of them at the marinas. Of course I am an inland lake sailor.

Let me know if you find it, I'm looking for the same magazine.

Charlie Jones s/v Tehani · Jul 11, 2014

jimmcgee said:
Let me know if you find it, I'm looking for the same magazine.

Good Old boat or Small Craft Advisor. GOB is some what expensive because they rely on SUBSCRIBERS rather then advertisers. Karen and Jerry have tried hard to produce a REAL sailor's mag.

When I first went cruising full time in 1980, Cruising World was a REAL cruising magazine. After returning, I've been, shalll we say, less than thrilled with it, to where I don't bother reading it, even free at the marina. They USED to have a really good cruising forum also, but changed the format, and drove many away. SBO picked it up and has been offering a good forum for cruisers for many years- some serious cruisers on there including a few well known circumnavigators-

http://cruising.sailboatowners.com/csbb/index.cgi/page/1/md/index/resetnew/1

JerryA · Jul 13, 2014

I like Good Old Boat and Small Craft Advisor. I've written a couple articles for SCA. Always tried to write about things the average boater can relate to. Sail used my boat and interview in one of their small boat issues. As many of you have mentioned, the majority of mags contain reviews of boats we're not likely to ever see or own. Sometimes I see ideas on those boats I can DIY on my boat.

JerryA