100 Favourite Power Boats - Old Hat

Re: 100 Golden Oldies.

Yep. Just had a look again. Cant even find a boat to look at thats as new as the 89 model, I've already got. Nice review of my previous 79 P33 though. Sort of a historic take you back in time site. Now wonder if theres a gallion or coracle !! <G>

No one can force me to come here-----------
----- I'm a Volunteer!!!

Haydn
 
Re: Re Group tests - memory lane from 1973

I thought it would be interesting to take a group of newly purchased boats and their respective owners, different makes of boat and different engines, then track for a period of time what goes wrong with the boats and the engines and how well the manufacturers dealt with / put right the respective problems.
Of course the dealer or manufacturer should not be aware this is going on until the results are published and the results would be borne out of first hand experience.

Companies like Fairline and Volvo Penta could learn a lot from the sales lost through a feature like this.

Even if MBM wouldnt do this, it could be done through the VP Owners Club site being set up.

A thought anyway
 
It can't believe that it is beyond the wit of MBY to perhaps invite Boat Manufaturers to arrive a day early to the S'Hampton BS so you could perform a mass test of sorts.

You can invite them and point out that no shows will be inidcated in your report. Nothing like a bit of positive pressure. This sort of approach happens (and works) all the time in the motor indusry.

I am just an individual and I can arrange boat test whenever I ask and I can get the builder to usually work around my schedule.

Surely a publication on MBY's gravitas could do a better job than I wot with all the full time staff they have. What other pressing engagements could the MBY journos have that they can't organise a boat or product test and write it up afterwards?

Perhaps we could have a month in the life of an MBY journo feature cause I can't imagine how they could spend 4 weeks a month turning out MBY?

TCM, got any ideas of what an MBY journo's schedule would look like?


yada yada..<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by wakeup on Tue May 14 22:34:33 2002 (server time).</FONT></P>
 
Re: Journo\'s

TCM is an MBY journo. The leopard was put down on the monthly expence sheet!

I doubt whether tho journo's only work for one mag. In fact I know they don't. Peter Caplen wrote an article for Boat Mart International. The same article appeared in MBM a couple of months later. Same text, same piccies same title. Now thats what I call easy money. Do one job, get apid for it twice.

Now where did i put that Box Brownie and the note pad........

Mmmmm. When you break it. You break it big time!!
 
Re: press baron confesses all

ahem, best put the record straight.

I am not a full time journo for MBY. I have written an article from time to time. Best not tell you the rate, except that the git who sent a letter which got printed, saying "i would like to complain about everything in the strongest possible terms" is on a much better rate if he got a whole bottle of whiskey for it. Leopard-wise, I have writ about buying the boat, but the revenue hasn't quite covered the cutlery. In fact, it hasn't quite covered the cost of one place setting- but at least i "got published" which is quite fun.

I think that the waffen-subeditors change it all around and take out some (but not all) of the rubbish jokes. However, I can't remeber the text by the time it comes out in print so that doesn't matter. Best thing is that I do agree with it all, so it makes a good read ("ooh, i've been there too!"). Also, I don't get to park at kings reach tower in london SE1, haven't been to kings reach tower except once to drop off some stuff, and the security goons threw me out just like they will with anyone else. (note to non-londoners: being allowed to park somewhere is the ultimate social status)

I use "John matthews" as nom de plume. Also some proper magazine types take or find pictures and draw some nice maps if needed.

I think that some "real" journos do indeed submit similar articles to different mags, but I don't , cos i don't really know how. Also, of course, some do articles and then combine them up into a book or pilot guide or whatever, and that's fair enuf too.

Not too sure if any of the journo/writing/publishing thing actually funds buying a massive boat unless you invent a crap story about harry flaming potter. I just can't be the only person who is kicking themselves about writing that, but even if i had, i wdn't have dared submit it. But i might now. Look out for "Fabulous Gordon the friendly Triceratops Centre-Forward and his Magic Flying Bicycle" very soon.
 
Re: press baron confesses all

ah but. the secret is. and im writening this all in code. They cpoy wot we rite and just alter it a bit. Leaving us out in the dark.

No one can force me to come here-----------
----- I'm a Volunteer!!!

Haydn
 
Re: press baron confesses all

Fabo' Gordon.....thats mine....hands off! Yeah rite, rates of the journo's aint that bad for about half hours work. Cos some of these articles are just stating the bloody obvious! Would do better in printing a couple of big gloosy photos and let you work it out for yerself. Why dont they test em properly. The phrase "The conditions on the test day did'nt really test the hull, but the wash from the photo boat was taken with ease". Corse it was, its a bluddy 16 ft rib. How mush wash that gonna kick up. Go play with the wash from a condor high speed ferry!

The fee did'nt cover the cost of one place setting. Is that cos italian plastic well expensinve then!

All INMHO of course!! <BG>

Mmmmm. When you break it. You break it big time!!
 
Re: press baron confesses all

Umm, well ahem, must say that I try and engineer a flowing text that reads smoothly and oes give the easy impression that its just written as one speaks, but marselies took 40 hours, and each leopard bit took 8 or more, bleat whine whimper god i sound like a blimmin teacher....
 
Re: press baron confesses all

Never read your piece in MBY, cos i don't get it. It was just a general sort of obsrvation of the boat mags in general. The tests always seem to be carried out in sheltered conditions or on days where the weather is of the med type. Well if the mags are aimed at Northern Europe, then why not test the boats in the conditions that they will typically be used in, all within the realms of safety of course. When was the last time that you read a test where the text read " The weather was rather settled when we left port, but half way across the bay, it kicked up and became rather uncomfortable. The Boat in general handled it ok, but at time it caught us out and we crapped ourselves". You don't cos that wont sell boats.

If the tests were a bit more objective and a little closer to reality with regards to the average owner, it would give the larger picture. With that in mind tho, they could moor the thing and say "Looks good, dun'it"

All INMHO of course, now watch me get flammed

Mmmmm. When you break it. You break it big time!!
 
Re: so why the complaint?

eh? just a mo barry, one minute you oh yeah that tcm/leopard etc, and that boat tests sh9ould be like this and that....but then u say u don't read MBY.

Since it's pleasure boating, most powerboats are bought for conditions and purposes other than a 6+ in the Channel, so not a load of point in testing them then. Same as with cars, italian windscreen wipers aren't much cop, so don't expect ballls-oout test of them in a downpour. imho
 
Re: so why the complaint?

I,ll get back tp you in this, its been a long night, I've only just got up!

Mmmmm. When you break it. You break it big time!!
 
Re: so why the complaint?

What you mean!! I bought my boat, wanting it to be sunny every day and flat calm seas. But dont blumin get it. Oh yes, might only set off in flat calm, but. Theres always a lumpy bit some where, like it or not. I dont expect boat to say. " Oh dont like that alot. Take me home. Help." But more. "Oh what fun. Splosh, Splosh"!!

No one can force me to come here-----------
----- I'm a Volunteer!!!

Haydn
 
Re: western approaches

that's cos you keep the boat in the western approaches with the prevailing F4 from 3,000 miles away. The northern cornish beaches are v good for surfboarding, sometimes world class. Praps try moving the boat to nice med area rated at variable 2 and use the boat for fun, instead as an engineering endurance test vehicle. Those covers are to keep the sun off, not the rain, and the cockpit is for sitting in not a landing area for those falling from flybridge :-)
 
Re: so why the complaint?

Perhaps then we could see a review of the best looking boats when moored in the marina. We could see some shots of different gin palaces moored in different ways in and around a marina and they could be assesed by ease of access for the ladies etc.

In fact my pals have a completely different approach to judging the overall value of a boat by the OB count. Let me explain. The OB rating is the number of 'Obligatory B****es' (Sorry if I offend anyone with the Ali G street lingo) that will of course festoon themselves over the front, rear and tops of a boat.

By the way SWMBO and her friends thinks it stands for 'Obligatory Babes'.

Check this OB rating system out yourself. Look through any copy of MBY and check out the number of OBs in the photographs. The bigger the boat and the more sun beds the more OBs. Do these come as optional extras on the bigger brand boats, or is it a happy by product?

My boats' OB rating is 1 possibly 2 so I feel incredibly dissatisified as this is constantly referenced as a minor league OB rated boat by my friends?

What is the OB rating of your boat?



yada yada..
 
Re: ob rating

OK, having viewed Diana I have estimated that your boat would have an OB rating of 10 which is up there in the major leagues (If you'd of had a fly bridge could have scored 2/3 more)

Rationale for scoring, 4 OBs on the two sun beds at the rear. 3 Obs on the sun bed at the front, 1 OB next to captain plus 1 OB opposite seat, leaving 1 OB sprawled in the cockpit seating. Probably room for more than 1 OB in the cockpit seating but would upset the aesthetics. OBs below deck do not count, they must all be on display to count!

The judge's decision is not final and can be influenced in many ways.

Anyone else want an independent OB survey.

So the OB table looks like this.

TCM 10
Wakeup 2

yada yada..<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by wakeup on Wed May 15 11:21:33 2002 (server time).</FONT></P>
 
Re: Oi! No!

Okay...that's it. I feel I have to leap to the defense of my trade. Yes, freelancers pedal their wares wherever they can, but staffers don't, and generally work very hard for b*gger-all money. And if you think that organising a multi-boat test is a doddle, then think again. For a start, most of the "big" boat-builders seem rather reluctant for magazines to test their product (why risk a possibly negative review when you'll be able to sell the boat without a review). It can take several weeks of frustrating, unreturned calls, ignored faxes and e-mails, rearranged travel plans, abortive trips to the other side of the country/continent, and truly massive amounts of grief just to get one test in the bag. Try testing four boats together and the up-f*ck factor increases exponentially.

Allow me to give you a few examples of the lot of a professional boat-tester:

Fly to Palma boat show with photographer to test two boats to be told it's too windy. Go home again.

Fly to Miami boat show with photographer to test a British boat. Arrange time and place. Get there early to find boat has departed 30 minutes previously because they couldn't be bothered to wait. Go home again, having blown several grand of the magazine's travel budget for no feckin reason.

Drive 300 miles to test a boat, to be told on arrival that there's a minor technical glitch and "could we do it some other time?" Go home again.

Go testing an open cockpit boat in North Wales in February, lose your grip in rough seas, fall and suffer a compression fracture of your 5th lumbar vertebra. After four months you can walk again, but your boat-testing days are over.

Finally get to test a boat and write an informed and impartial test, only to find that a mildly disparraging remark has precipitated a petition by the boat-builders workforce for you to be sacked, for you to be publically and rudely blanked by representatives of that company, and for the public to lambast you for "being in the advertiser's pocket". Well, FYTP!

After weeks trying to organise a test, and suffering all the grief that goes with it, you finally get out on the water and it's flat calm. Hmmm...shall we go ahead and test it, or shall we go through the whole process again in the hope that it'll be pouring with rain and blowing a five next time? That's assuming the builder hasn't sold the boat by then. Tough call.

Yes, feel free to have a pop at the magazines and their staff...they're an easy target. They work their balls off and sometimes risk serious injury to bring you fair and independant tests of products in the face of indifference from the trade and contempt from the readers. For an annual salary that's probably less than your Christmas bonus. Why do they bother? Because they love what they do, they take pride in what they do, and just occasionally a reader says something like "good job, well done, you inspired me/made me laugh/made me glad I spent £3.50 on your magazine".
 
Re: Oi! No!

Oh, you sound just like John Wane!! So lets make it easy for you. We'll supply the boats. You can tell them all, cos they've all got little mousey flags on them. Then you say whether my boat is more crap than LJS's or TCM's crap because of XYZ. And so on. Then we just bash you up for insulting us. There you go, problems all solved. Oh and a couple of grand per test, would be much cheaper than flying to Miami or Florida. Also get to test proper boats with bits of sticky tape holding things together and not just mended five minutes before you get there. So more realizoom!!

No one can force me to come here-----------
----- I'm a Volunteer!!!

Haydn
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top