Your right bashing is probably to strong.The funny part about that is I wasn't even refering it to what I read on hear. I think everyone that has picked up the PB issue I keep on my coffee table makes a comment " Oh PB is not what it use to be. Look how thin it is" and then it goes from there

I'm a third child too. Ah I wish I did't suck at typing then maybe I could add some value to the thread instead of my useless banter

lol Go to bed....

Hahaha...I love the ideas. About the photo on a trailer comment...I think a picture of a boat on a trailer is kind've stagnent and thus the reason it is not shown. Running shots are more dynamic and exciting than a picture of a boat sitting on it's trailer (unless of course you're talking about a tilt trailer;)). I've read a lot of comments, suggestions and complaints about the magazine over the years and this is the first time I've ever heard someone want a photo of the boat on the trailer. :drink: The bottoms of the boats are important but I think the performance numbers represent that aspect.

And you'll be happy to know the recent boat tests were completed with the majority of the boats that could be considered "small boats" for the most part.

I can't I'm a Vampire

Me too right with ya Jimmy. :evilb:

For richer for poorer, in sickness and in health...etc.

Powerboat has been there for decades and deserves our support as does any magazine publisher that invests against the current tide to promote the sport we love. I am afraid that the real downfall of all of these periodicals however is the web and not the current economy as some have suggested. With the world's appetite for instant news and gratification, coupled with the "interactive" nature of electronic media (you can't ask a printed magazine an immediate question regarding further clarification of a statement...or mis-statement) Poweboat and the others have an uphill battle.

The danger is that the massive amount of emotional and amateurish "noise" on the web will drown out and devalue the work of the few truly talented and insightful authors and journalists still in existence.

Ringggggggggggggg!! "Good morning. This is World Champion Boat Company. How may I help you?"
"Hiiiiiiiiiiii! This is Nick Boats, calling from 'Lucky Sperm Boating Magazine." "How may I hum, er, help you?" "We want to do a test on your new 'I used to be a Skater, 40' 1"' model. "Let me find _______________________ (your name here). I think he is polishing his World Champion trophies. There are ninety of them.".
"Hello." "This is Nick Boats." "H, NIck" "We want to do a test on your all-new forty plus one cat." "Cool, man, *****in' (West coast boat company)." "I understand this boat is all new. How fast?" "We haven't run it yet, but the motors that we are borrowing went 174 at LOTO." "Hey, sounds great!" "By the way, we just happen to have a double truck ad available next to the article." "I'll take it."

Fast forward two weeks. Riiiiiiiiiiing. "This is Nick. Let me speak to 'His name's there'. "*****in', man. How was the test? "Well, the boat floated upside down when we launched it." "Uh oh. You won't print any thing bad, will you?" "Are you still gonna run the double truck ad?" "Yes." "Then we will just run the original test on the 40 Skater."

"*****in', man."

new magazine
 

most of this post has good points. another mag. would be good. I miss family and perf boating , they had a good variety. as for PB, I have had a subscription for 10 years and will probably renew with hopes it comes back to what it once was.my 2cents more pics and mre indepth coverage,example the loto shoot out, how about some pics of the crowd ? there is some really cool rides out there. not just pics of dave scott or doc janson. they spent the money to go there, they took a ton of photos,why not publish some of that? maybe there all just to old and lost interest.

I enjoy using the internet as much as the next guy, but for me online issues will never replace the traditional magazine. I don't carry a computer with me everywhere I go. I like having the magazine there if I want to grab it and take it with me...to lunch, to a friend's, even to the can. I usually keep one or two in the car (car mag, too). I like paging through it, rather than clicking pages. It also requires no power and it never runs slow or freezes.

My family has subscribed to Powerboat for nearly 30 years. I've kept many issues and like to look back at old tests. That's my main interest - the tests. That's where I've been most disappointed in Powerboat, lately. There are too few boat tests. I also don't care for the aerial test boat shots common in the last few years. Seems like the main photo is almost always shot from above. No one other than birds and pilots see boats from that location. Also, how many tests of Eliminator and DCB tunnels in the 28' - 32' range need testing? Too many, IMO.

I will continue supporting Powerboat, but I can't say I've enjoyed the magazine as much as I used to. I hope it improves.

How fast did it go upside down? These are questions for which true afficionados require answers......... I have seen many boats that appear to have faster decks than hulls.

I am also curious about the speed advantage gained from various paint jobs and bling. For instance what is the difference in speed between a boat with or without oversized gauges? Also is an in house paint job faster than an out house paint job?

What?....... Brownie was joking?....on OSO? Well I never! So there really is no "I used to be a Skater 40' 1" hull? Oh there is ...?...but Brownie was clever enough to cover up the name?

I get it.......

Good job Brownie....

P.S. Baron Schwartz is still waiting for those "original" designs you promised him.

If only it were that easy.

Brownie, I love you!

Because word is getting around, it makes sense for us to give potential readers a heads-up on Sport Boat magazine. First, I must thank my friend and colleague Matt Trulio for sharing the news on his blog and here on Offshoreonly.com

Very simply stated, Sport Boat’s parent company, Source Interlink Media, is exploring a business opportunity. Because Source Interlink Media publishes some 65 automotive titles, it serves a large pool of potential advertisers that might be interested in the performance marine market. With Sport Boat magazine, Source Interlink Media is not necessarily catering to the boat manufacturing segment, and is intended to be profitable without advertising dollars from boat manufacturers.

In more specific terms, Source Interlink Media publishes several “special interest” publications in various markets each year to gauge whether regular publication is viable and profitable. For example, Source Interlink Media published Bound by Ink, a special interest tattoo magazine, and it has since become not only a quarterly title, but also the largest-circulation tattoo magazine in North America.

This “pilot balloon” approach is typical of how large publishing companies launch magazines. Similarly, Camaro Performers, GM High Tech Performance and Engine Masters—all of which are now published regularly—were launched the same way. Economics will dictate Sport Boat’s fate. If people buy the magazine, if it sells well on the newsstand, it will continue. If they don’t, then it will not.

For those who said they liked Family & Performance Boating, they’ll be glad to learn former FPB executive editor Warren Kosikov played a significant role in shaping Sport Boat. I served as editor-in-chief of the premiere issue. In addition, magazine publishing veterans like associate publisher Joe Rode and executive editor Gregg Mansfield were instrumental in putting the first issue together.

We hope people enjoy it, because if there is one constant among performance boaters, it’s that your appetite for news and information about your passion is boundless.

Look for it on the newsstand January 25.

Just my opinion and I am sure nobody else cares but.....i cancelled PB just because it seems more like car and driver rather than hot rod magazine.

It is out of touch with the guy who is actually paying to read it...only features brand new $500,000 boats. Even though there is a "tech" page the guys that need info/guidance aren't in the super expensive boats. Face it, if you can afford that you just pay someone to figure it out!!

How about readers rides and some custom builds or something. Nice rebuilds of boats a few years old???

I can dream without a monthly subscription. Hotboat used to do some stuff like that and i wish they were still around!!!

Will there be a subscription available, or just hope that the local magazine retailer gets it?

Suntimes,

Source Interlink Media enjoys excellent economies of scale in distribution. If there is a decent newsstand near you, it most likely will have it. Subscriptions will not be available immediately. However, if Sport Boat goes quarterly, Source Interlink Media has a method for offering readers subscription-like service.

Good luck with the new project.

I agree totally with the above.

And what the hell happened to December for PowerBoat? As a subscriber, I got a October/November issue and then a January/February issue! Unfortunately, we just reupped the subscription but it will get cancelled next time til they go back to 12 issues a year.

If SportBoat does 12 issues a year, sign me up for the first subscription. 5 boating magazine subscriptions is better than 4 :drink:

It's a pretty expensive proposition producing any magazine, let alone a good one. Well-written articles, tests, staffing and production costs money. I'd rather pay $20 a year for six great issues than $5 for a crappy monthly.

Which brings to mind some utter irony.

Boating in itself is based on the proverbial hole in the water into which one pours money theory. Performance boating makes your everyday recreational boating look downright cheap by comparison. It just seems a little silly having these "with my hard earned money" replies when we;re talking about the rough equivalent of 5 gallons of gas for a subscription.

Just sayin'

Thanks for the additional information, Brett. Now we can get back to why Powerboat sucks.

Oh wait, we already have.

Note the somewhat tonque-in-cheek yet slightly bitter tone.

+1

I have plenty photos of before and after refabs (mostly Baja's) As Baja closed here in Ohio, we have become the place that Sea Ray, and Fountain have directed customer questions on Baja models older than 2009. We could do a story on your 226?

XT

Someone needs to tell the new mag to hire you to write for them!

Unfortunately after tons of time and money through numerous upgrades my 226 was sold to my best friend. And he did not seem to have the same passion for caring for it.

I am about to move onto a formula 272 sr1 that is nice but will go through tons of upgrades. That is the kind of stuff I am interested in in a magazine.

Boat upgrades, realistic engine builds. Stuff I can actually do!!!

Matt, thanks for posting this. It made me realize I miss reading Powerboat Magazine. We used to get it for FREE at the BAJA factory (boxful!). I dont have a problem with 6 issues a year. I just subscribed a few minutes ago online. Its still a bargain at $3.33 an issue. I'll just drink 12 beers tonight instead of 13! :drink:

I also didnt realize just how much info the website contained. Looks like I have a new place to spend my time after I get burnt out on the "bitter" threads. :ernaehrung004:

http://www.powerboatmag.com/

Thanks, TeamBaja, for the kind words, on the magazine.

Editor Jason Johson and the crew at Powerboat have done a ton of work on the website and it's shows. Obviously, it's not as interactive as offshoreonly.com—the site has no message boards—but the new blogs are solid and you can find news (some of which I gather) there in real time, which is something no magazine can do.

Once again, even though this thread has drifted from its original topic, all of your input is valued.

Matt--

Thanks for all of your boat news and unbiased reporting. I'm glad you post here--it adds a lot to this website and makes it easy for me to keep up with!

Ditto
 

Well said. I miss the rebuild articles that gave us average Joe's hope to be able to play in a sport/hobby that many of us really can't justify.
I remember after reading a PB maybe 10yrs ago sending them a letter after figuring the average cost of the boats in said issue.
I think it was $230K. Remember that was 10 yrs ago!
The high zoot boats are cool but how many 25' Baja's and Formula's do you see in comparison?
Which would you rather read about? A. The latest and greatest $750K Nor-Tec/Outer limits or B. A guy that makes $30K a year and just finished a 2 yr restoration on a 30' Panther?
I just dropped one of my car magazines too after they started pandering to the rich guys that paid a $100K to a shop to restore their '68 Z-28 to Concourse quality. Who cares? Show me a primer'd '68 Dart w/a time slip from the track and how they built it!
Or......, your at the dock and the guy pulls in in the new $750K wizmobile and right beside him is the restored Panther. Which do you look at
? (want a hint?)

Matt, don't get upset, I have been playing nice. <g> but.....I think PBM or any other mag has to think outside their usual box. They need to give something we can't get on the web.

An example, how about head to head tests such as Fountain vs Velocity vs Sunsation etc. Compare the bottoms, the interior, the ride, the speed etc. Just like a car mag would compare a Mustang, a Camero and a Charger. This is something you or Eric Colby could do and do well! Nobody is doing this and while it has been a while, the last time I saw any PBM tests they make it even harder, for the reader, by mixing up the type and sizes boats into many issues.

It times like these you can not survive by doing the same old thing. Give people something they can not get elsewhere and people, including me will come back to PBM.

I really do enjoy your articles and the coverage you provide. The two go-fast boat magazines I get are Performance Boats and PowerBoat. It just seems like every month (bi-monthly now) that Performance Boats gets closer to PowerBoat quality. I looked forward to getting PowerBoat every month and it switching to bi-monthly mid subscription kinda ticked me off.

You have been playing nice indeed, my friend. Not at all upset. All good here.

Your suggestions have serious merit. Like-sized/hull type boats with the same power going head to head is a great idea. It's also one the industry has resisted, as you can imagine, but with the downturn (that's understating things quite a bit) in the market the game has changed.

Earlier in this thread I listed the stories in the last issue. It was a pretty big list. Wonder how we got them all in, especially in such a thin issue? Very simple—economics. Boat tests are expensive for builders and magazines. Ergo, in times like these we have a lot fewer of them. And even with a skinny magazine, the "feature well" opens up because you don't have to pack the magazine with boat tests. The days of ten tests in an issue are, in my opinion, gone and not coming back.

So we have to be a lot more selective and thoughtful in how we present a far more limited numbers of tests. Like you, I would rather see head-to-head comparisons than random boat tests, regardless of what anyone thinks of them, that have no comparative context.

So I love the idea. Obviously, I'm not the only person involved with Powerboat but I love it. It certainly had occurred to us before—hence the various round-ups we've done in the past few years—but to be honest it's been tough sell with the industry, which can be quite thin-skinned. That's because frankly, one builder will "win" and another builder will "lose."

But the game has changed. I believe that to properly promote/display/ its products the industry will have to take chances. Head to head testing is one of those chances.

I seriously believe that performance boat mags will need to change and innovate or will disappear. The same old S**t doesn't work anymore.

I don't know how and I know it will be expensive but they need to do tests and evaluations independent of the manufacturers.

While I have been a PBM basher at times I would much rather have them change and thrive then go belly up.

Take care and Merry Christmas, Matt.

Agreed.

The trouble is: Go-fast boats are expensive. Consumer Reports can buy 10 refrigerators, for example, and test them independently. But boats are such big-ticket items that magazines have to work with manufacturers or they simply don't have access to their products.

But ... I hear what you are saying and I completely agree with you. Print media is facing previously unheard of challenges—for the first time in history the ad dollars spent on online advertising surpassed the ad dollars spent on newspaper advertising this year—and it needs to create a more-compelling product That's essentially what you're asking for. It's also what you deserve.

Merry Christmas to you, too, Padraig.