I would imagine that with the industry down turn, finding media and content to fill the magazine and write about things was tough to come by.

This new magazine seems like a nice piece to add to the industry. I like it better than powerboat.

Magazines just like newspapers need advertisers to pay for the majority of the thing. A necessary evil. How many newspapers have gone to the wayside or shrunk in content because of the internet. Kinda hard to pay the bills with only the few dollars for the mag or a few cents for the newspaper comming in without advertising dollars.

Yes it sucks that the issue sizes have shrunk, some have gone away totally, or publication has been cut to 6 issues. Be thankful we have something to read and look at. Could be worse, we could have nothing.

Give them credit for still attempting to make a go of it in these tough economic times.

I wish the Magazine all the luck in the world, as I do the people trying to make it work. However, in the day of the internet, one can get info instantly, whether it be racing, poker runs, or tech info. the camera phone has made "new Top Secret designs" a thing of the past as well. OSO has been around since, hell I cant remember that far back, although I am member 203 or something like that. If there is something you want to know this is one of the places you will come to. it is reality that printed material is yesterday's news. I remember back in the 70's reading Powerboat and it covered "all" powerboat racing. Bill Muncey was a contributing writer, I personally think Magazine's need to cover every aspect of racing on the water.

Matt, the book looks great. Congrats, and keep up the good work.

Thanks again. Can a brutha get a PDF?
I need to print some posters. :evilb:

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/1899/sportboat.jpg

I prefer to think of Powerboat, Performance boats, and now SportBoat as enjoyable, entertaining, relaxing education. Not the news flash. Newsflashes are nothing new, having been around since WABC's first radio broadcast in NYC in 1907. With a magazine I get to feel it, ruffle it a little bit, and sit down anywhere I'm comfortable with good light and enjoy it. I work 10-12 hours some days on a computer and it is a work device to me much more than a leisure device. A magazine has none of the feel of a computer to me, no moving images or pop ups to catch my eye and annoy me, and is a much more pleasant and relaxing read. If I want all that the computer is just a step away.

Certainly understand what you are saying.

Earlier in this thread, I found myself defending Powerboat, my competitor, when I came on to let people know about Sportboat on newsstands. Mildly ironic and very entertaining.

Magazines are a reader's medium. In other words, if you enjoy reading in and of itself, you probably like magazines. The internet is a "looking" medium, meaning you come to it primarily to find information through text and photos. That's why the stories on speedonthewater.com are typically short and to the point.

That's also why a thread with lots of great photos will capture far more viewers than one with an important story.

I certainly don't know everything about the online world, but I have been working online since 2000 for Boats.com. The numbers back the points I just made.

Multiple magazines covering a single marketplace are a sign of a healthy marketplace. And competition breeds a better product. For both of those reasons, I want Sportboat's competitors to thrive.

hay matt thanks for the care package got it you rock

You're in good hands at Source Interlink. One thing I would really leverage is all the fantastic hot rodding knowledge they have there. I'd personally like to see engine mods and buildups, and more technical features.

For one reason or another, new boat builders have in general priced themselves out of the reach of the mainstream market - arguably their bread and butter for the last 20 years into the "premium" category. Powerboat followed this trend.

There's a big opportunity to bring it back to the average powerboater (who is still an affluent consumer) with used boat articles, mod articles and buildup articles.

Good luck and I will buy the winter issue when I see it on the news stand.

I bought both of the mags and really liked the sport boat mag. Good job Matt. I wish the mags were a little more tech oriented. Powerboaters know their motors etc. It would be nice to see "real build ups" with dyno runs etc. How about what kind of intake manifold is really best on the water and why? An engine builder shoot out. These kind of articles would play for both wealthy and average Joe boater. Just my 2 cents.

I agree and disagree with that. There might not be as much NEW stuff to write about, but what is the one thing everyone has been wanting to see in these mags for years? The readers rides. There is enough content right here on OSO for the next 100 issues, and I would love to see it print and pictures.

Matt, once again thanks for everything you bring to the table. I still look forward to your posts. :drink: