Do magazines really give us what we want?

Illusion

Member
Joined
10 Nov 2006
Messages
296
Location
Swanwick
Visit site
Having recently spent a bit of time looking at jet ribs and tenders for our boat, we’ve spent a bit of time talking to both dealers & builders at both ends of the scale, from the large mainstream manufacturers to the small one man band operations.

What becomes apparent is that in general when you try to refer back to reports or tests in magazines you only seem to see the big boys. Actually many smaller outfits have mentioned that none of the magazine publications are really that interested in featuring their products because they don’t have large advertising budgets. If they do they can’t normally fit them in for 6 to 12 months at best.

I’ve no axe to grind with any of the magazines, nor I’m I a disgruntled small manufacturer, instead just a reader & potential customer wanting to know all the options available to me. It’s possible the smaller companies may even be offering a better, more innovative or more suitable product to fit my needs?
Do we really get to see and hear complete and balanced tests with reviews that include all the products available, not just the mainstream products most of us already know about?
 

Whitelighter

Active member
Joined
4 Apr 2005
Messages
13,977
Location
Looking out of the window
Visit site
I feel I should defend the magasines a little on this front. Firstly, yes I have commited to IPC and CSL (Sports Boat & RIB) to advertise with them this year, but my contribution is in no way near the size of companies such as Sealine or Princess.

However, I have had a positive reception from both companies, and features editors have been in contact with me, keen to test the boat - particularly as a new brand to the UK. I am sure they are not perfect, and either company has yet to test the boat, but so far I have found Carl and Rob at IPC and Chris at CSL to be very supportive of the new venture
 

RobWales

Active member
Joined
21 Sep 2006
Messages
1,962
Location
Gran Canaria
www.3ksengineering.com
Well as a very small fish myself in a MASSIVE timber market I don't see why I should get any press?
However in my town I'm a major player...........!!

Get my drift? /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 

RobWales

Active member
Joined
21 Sep 2006
Messages
1,962
Location
Gran Canaria
www.3ksengineering.com
I'll get my coat....................
Hard day at work,can't wait till Friday comes,but hey been over the nags head to slake a very serious thirst and I know what I meant.......ish!
Ignore...................... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 

Whitelighter

Active member
Joined
4 Apr 2005
Messages
13,977
Location
Looking out of the window
Visit site
No, because I wouldn't have been on that end of things. As someone in the trade, setting up a very small company in the industry, my experience has been in contrast (thus far) to that of the companies you have spoken to.

I think, on this thread, that very fact means that I should respond with my trade hat on. By just reading the mags, we will never know what minority products were left out - so no-one can really comment.
 

rickp

Active member
Joined
10 Nov 2002
Messages
5,913
Location
New Zealand
Visit site
Looks crap on my screen though:

jbsig.png


Rick
 

Whitelighter

Active member
Joined
4 Apr 2005
Messages
13,977
Location
Looking out of the window
Visit site
[ QUOTE ]
Take your trade hat off, would your response be the same as it was when you were just a keen boating memeber of the public?

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh, and I still am a keen boating member of the public. And no, I din't grow a second head either.
 

JohnRob

New member
Joined
12 Aug 2003
Messages
220
Visit site
It's easy to criticise...so I will!

Boat reviews - reckon there need to be more back to back comparisons to be of real value. Where they have been done, great. eg the Fairline/Princess/Sealine flybridge shoot out. It doesn't have to be a competition - just draw out the differences

Cruising - useful to keep, but lots of repeated articles. Also, all the pilotage and flowery descriptions are nice but a better guide on things to do and see would be helpful. Cruising companions usually have the same limitations.

Products - go to the boat shows and there's humungous amounts of stuff. very little ever gets into the pages of mb mags

maintenance - some good, some terrible. Bought one mag claiming to be the answer to teak deck care and it said virtually nothing. Absolute rubbish. Yet there have been some very useful articles. More esoteric stuff please eg keeping holding tanks fresh as a mountain stream!

ratings - I recall a Jeanneau 46 and Nordwest 42 were rated 9/10. Look at the detail and the former didn't seem to stack up based on the detailed ratings. The latter I could believe. Not really sure about the merits of the overall rating anyway - depends entirely how you weight the criteria based on what's important to you. Oh and far too much tolerance of engine access for dwarves only - too much mediocre design is accepted.

So, should we be spoon fed with all this stuff? Well, if you really want to discover it all for yourself, then you don't have to read it!

End of term report: imho, could do better! As it is, I don't subscribe, just buy those with articles I want.

ItS
 

Sneds

Well-known member
Joined
26 Feb 2007
Messages
4,890
Location
Bristol
Visit site
I subscribe to 3 mags and enjoy them all!
I enjoy reading the tests of new very expensive boats (although my budget is £40k and 2nd hand).
One thing I would like though is some tests/reviews of older models in my price range.
Perhaps chosing one or two from various brokers and putting them through their paces?
 

RobWales

Active member
Joined
21 Sep 2006
Messages
1,962
Location
Gran Canaria
www.3ksengineering.com
Boatmart mag in fairness do feature a selection from the 2nd hand market,regarding putting them through their paces =no!

I agree though Sneds there is little help in this budget sector and my findings confirm that a lot of brokers don't realise that the guys like us who have sub 50k to spend are infact working our way up the scale and will remember those that were of most help when we decide on further upgrades IMHO.
 

gjgm

Active member
Joined
14 Mar 2002
Messages
8,110
Location
London
Visit site
I suppose its also a question of who provides a test sample at the time needed- and just how many they can test in the given time. I guess there is a question of do you really want to be part of a shoot out?I thought reviews of tenders a while back was pretty good- lots of little differences that you'd only appreciate after owning it for a week.
But boating is so personally subjective. The recent reviews of Sealine 38 was full of praise. I think I'd give up boating if I had to own one. And the A35 reviewed in the last edition.. my God, the cockpit reminded me of a tube train-who on earth would want to own that? Well, someone, I suppose. So I quite like the reviews, mainly coz it seems to eliminate 95pct of the products available ! Sometimes the magazines takes 120 seconds to read, other times there seems to be lots of interest. But isnt that the same with every hobby magazine?
And of course, if it really gets boring, I can just stop buying it.
 

PowerYachtBlog

Well-known member
Joined
21 May 2007
Messages
4,298
Location
Malta - Med Sea
www.poweryachtblog.com
I think the main problem of the British mags is that they focus too much on who advertises on them and not give much chance to competing comeptitors

for e.g. i really like the open minded approach of the Italian boating magazines where you find a bit of everything
still the Italian market is much volatile to the UK one which is dominated by 3 or 4 British builders and may be some 2 or 3 exporters sometimes putting some alternative to the offers of the UK builders
 
Top