Motor boats monthly

I don't like the new format, there is too much emphasis on its employees and their boats, I'm not really interested in who drives what in the mag.
I particularly miss TechTalk, its too broken down and bitty now I feel.
And the boat test format is getting very predictable, can't someone put a hint of Jeremy Clarkson into the description when driving these new boats.
 
gjgm said:
On the whole, doesnt MBY review bigger boats.. ie manufacturers with bigger advertising budgets? And so doesnt it cater for the higher priced boats?
.
Click to expand...

I wish that was true. There's far too much duplication of boat tests between the 2 mags eg. Windy Maestro 40 tested in both MBY and MBM last month. Its almost as if they send one test team and get 2 articles out of it. Years ago there was no duplication. If one mag tested a boat, the other didn't. I can't believe there aren't enough boats around to test to avoid this duplication and if there's one thing that would make me choose to subscribe to only one mag, rather than both, it would be duplication
 
Deleted User said:
I wish that was true. There's far too much duplication of boat tests between the 2 mags eg. Windy Maestro 40 tested in both MBY and MBM last month. Its almost as if they send one test team and get 2 articles out of it. Years ago there was no duplication. If one mag tested a boat, the other didn't. I can't believe there aren't enough boats around to test to avoid this duplication and if there's one thing that would make me choose to subscribe to only one mag, rather than both, it would be duplication
Click to expand...

Surely each mag owes it to THEIR readers to report on the most interesting boats launched. If a new Mondeo was launched it would appear in all the car mags in the same month. I can't imagine Autocar saying, "we won't tell our readers about it, because they can read it in Auto express"

In actual fact I find having 2 independant reports on a particular boat can be very useful if you are actally looking to buy that boat. Each test will be different, with different things picked up and looked at by each mag and often different conclusions.
 
Newsailer said:
Surely each mag owes it to THEIR readers to report on the most interesting boats launched. If a new Mondeo was launched it would appear in all the car mags in the same month. I can't imagine Autocar saying, "we won't tell our readers about it, because they can read it in Auto express"

In actual fact I find having 2 independant reports on a particular boat can be very useful if you are actally looking to buy that boat. Each test will be different, with different things picked up and looked at by each mag and often different conclusions.
Click to expand...

Yup thats the argument they trot out but that's pre-supposing that each test report is independent and unbiased. However the fact is that boat tests are little more than advertorials and nothing is said that might remotely offend any manufacturer who advertises in the mag. Anyway, if a boat test goes wrong the manufacturer will insist that its not published. I dont want to read two advertorials in different magazines
The road tests you see in Autocar are completely different because they dont need to keep advertisers on side to anywhere near the same degree and the tests themselves are far more scientific and objective. To put it bluntly, I would trust the conclusions of an Autocar road test far more than the conclusions of a test in any boat mag and that's not just MBY/MBM because the American boat mags are even worse in this respect
 
Deleted User said:
Yup thats the argument they trot out but that's pre-supposing that each test report is independent and unbiased. However the fact is that boat tests are little more than advertorials and nothing is said that might remotely offend any manufacturer who advertises in the mag. Anyway, if a boat test goes wrong the manufacturer will insist that its not published. I dont want to read two advertorials in different magazines
The road tests you see in Autocar are completely different because they dont need to keep advertisers on side to anywhere near the same degree and the tests themselves are far more scientific and objective. To put it bluntly, I would trust the conclusions of an Autocar road test far more than the conclusions of a test in any boat mag and that's not just MBY/MBM because the American boat mags are even worse in this respect
Click to expand...

Interesting take on things. Do you know this for a fact or is this just your opinion. As an MBM reader I know that Fairline don't advertise in MBM but they have just tested the Squadron 42. In fact in the current issue, the other boat test is a Corvette, someone else who doesn't advertise. Last month, 4 boats tested only one of which ws an advertiser.

I think maybe you are a little paranoid ;)
 
Nealo said:
I'm a fairly recent boat owner and must admit I find it difficult to fathom who MBM is aimed at. I'm not poor by any means but a substantial amount of space is dedicated to reviewing boats I will never, ever, even be able to dream about owning, and, well it just isn't value for money.
Click to expand...

Oh good god no! I don't want pages of dreary Bayliners (although they do test "normal" boats like that, there was a review recently), I want to read about all the stuff I wouldn't/couldn't get access to myself.

It's not a consumer mag (although they do plenty of consumer articles as it happens), it's an enthusiasts mag. There's plenty on line if I'm considering a purchase of a Bayliner 20 footer, or simply I'll go see one.

But I'm never going to get near a Sunseeker Predator Humongous so that's what I want to know about, that's what I want to be put behind the wheel of when I read the article and look at the photos.

Same with the used reviews, let me dream a little, would I buy that if I had the cash? Is it fun to drive? How would it make me feel if I owned it? Is it as good as it looks? Whether I can really afford it is kind of immaterial.

Let me put it this way, as a car enthusiast, when you watch Top Gear would you want to see a review of the Nissan Dreary 1.1L because you might get your wife one next year so that would be useful information. Or do you want to see and be put behind the wheel of the latest Lamborghini in it's full glory because, let's face it, you aint getting near one any other way?

I know what I want to see as a car enthusiast and the exact same applies as a boating enthusiast. Indeed it was proven to be the way to go when Top Gear went less consumer mag and more entertainment show and they stopped testing as many Toyota Tedious's and started buying Ferrari's for £10K instead and then driving them to see what happened. Ratings when through the roof! Now the Toyota might be more relevant, but the Ferrari feature is more fun, more entertaining, more interesting to an enthusiast.

In fact the one change I would make to MBM is away from the slightly boring "information" based reviews that describe in detail how much locker space is under the stairs or what size tender goes on the davits. Not interested, I want to know how it feels, I want to be interested, enthralled, entertained.

The other point to all this is that consumer information type reviews are really only of interest to someone actually thinking of buying that particular boat, everyone else skips that bit and it's wasted space. Whereas an enthusiastically written article on something really interesting has appeal whether it's on your buying radar or not.

Let's face it, we can all dream, whatever our level.
 
Deleted User said:
Yup thats the argument they trot out but that's pre-supposing that each test report is independent and unbiased. However the fact is that boat tests are little more than advertorials and nothing is said that might remotely offend any manufacturer who advertises in the mag. Anyway, if a boat test goes wrong the manufacturer will insist that its not published. I dont want to read two advertorials in different magazines
The road tests you see in Autocar are completely different because they dont need to keep advertisers on side to anywhere near the same degree and the tests themselves are far more scientific and objective. To put it bluntly, I would trust the conclusions of an Autocar road test far more than the conclusions of a test in any boat mag and that's not just MBY/MBM because the American boat mags are even worse in this respect
Click to expand...

[Insert standard defence of magazine's editorial integrity here]

That's all I can muster. I can't keep having this argument.
 
I think there are criticisms in the mags, Mike.Take the Fairline review.. seems to be a few negatives in there, but it presumably isnt a ****,lousy hopeless boat. There isnt a huge amount to say about a boat surely. If one has a smaller cabin than another, that was deliberate.They didnt built it and discover that afterwards. Sure, from time to time, something innovative changes something, but otherwise its a bit subjective, and it all depends on your priorities as a boat owner. Occasionally, there might indeed be a safety fault, or poor design, though that must be getting less frequent these days.
Take the Windy, for example. I hadnt read the reviews before seeing it, but I was a bit shocked at the space down below for £400k+ boat. There again, if that is what I want from a boat, I should buy a flybridge or something. So I cant "criticise" them for it.. its a consequence of whats good elsewhere. A buyer can/cant live with that. But it isnt a "fault"

Separately though, as regards Top Gear, that's not a car programme its a comedy sketch with some little boys. No one can ever possibly choose a car based on the amusing nonsense they come up with. And even the car mags.. if I like car A ,unless its a total pup, thats the car I want to spend my money on, and I dont really care if some magazine says car B is better, coz I dont want car B anyway.
 
gjgm said:
Separately though, as regards Top Gear, that's not a car programme its a comedy sketch with some little boys. No one can ever possibly choose a car based on the amusing nonsense they come up with. And even the car mags.. if I like car A ,unless its a total pup, thats the car I want to spend my money on, and I dont really care if some magazine says car B is better, coz I dont want car B anyway.
Click to expand...


Correct. But we all watch it don't we? Would we still do so if they decided to spend all their time doing serious analysis of the amount of boot space a Honda Jazz has?
 
Newsailer said:
Interesting take on things. Do you know this for a fact or is this just your opinion. As an MBM reader I know that Fairline don't advertise in MBM but they have just tested the Squadron 42. In fact in the current issue, the other boat test is a Corvette, someone else who doesn't advertise. Last month, 4 boats tested only one of which ws an advertiser.

I think maybe you are a little paranoid ;)
Click to expand...

Well you only have to read the tests themselves to know that none are overtly critical. And yes actually I do happen to know somebody who ought to know who once told me in a candid moment that the mags can't afford to be critical in boat tests.
 
Deleted User said:
Well you only have to read the tests themselves to know that none are overtly critical. And yes actually I do happen to know somebody who ought to know who once told me in a candid moment that the mags can't afford to be critical in boat tests.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all your replies I didnt think this post would go on that long, I have mags back to 1990 in my library, well the cupboard under the stairs!.

I took one out from 5 years back, must admit it had less pages than one from say 1992, but was full of adverts, now the net has taken over id say more topics and true to life reports should be included to make up the mags.

Im sick of reading double reports, and yes there are some boats out there that are pants but you never read that on the reports!
 
Deleted User said:
Well you only have to read the tests themselves to know that none are overtly critical. And yes actually I do happen to know somebody who ought to know who once told me in a candid moment that the mags can't afford to be critical in boat tests.
Click to expand...

I've been around here long enough to guess who, well at least narrow it down to 2 possibles, and I am wondering if they had an axe to grind!

I only say this as I also know someone, who tells me quite the opposite :p
 
Surely not

I'm dissillusioned now, you mean these boats might not all be as marvellous as the reviews claim? I thought pretty much any new boat now would be perfect for me. Next thing you'll be telling me there is no father christmas.

:-)
 
I would never dream of questioning FC's sexuality! :-)

Back on topic though - I subscribe to both, its a minor irritation that there is a review of the windy in both, but then there is usually at least one article in each that is priceless as far as I'm concerned. But then I'm only in my second season motor boating. I can see that for the more experienced boaters maybe the only interesting articles are the reviews.
 
SWMBO and I enjoyed the latest issue, I do have a bone to pick.

I have occasionally remarked that the engines could do with having their valves set. SWMBO is of the opinion that I should follow the instructions in the latest mag. I'm too scared:-)
 
Deleted User said:
However the fact is that boat tests are little more than advertorials and nothing is said that might remotely offend any manufacturer who advertises in the mag. Anyway, if a boat test goes wrong the manufacturer will insist that its not published.
Click to expand...

Mike, I suggest you retract that slur on their journalistic integrity immediately! Why there's hardly a review of a £1m+ boat published where they don't slate the lack of fiddles in the crew quarters heads or the absence of an odds and ends tray in the lazarette...
 
Newsailer said:
I've been around here long enough to guess who, well at least narrow it down to 2 possibles, and I am wondering if they had an axe to grind!

I only say this as I also know someone, who tells me quite the opposite :p
Click to expand...

Well I dont know if she or he is somebody you know. Actually, I dont blame boating mags for appearing to be less than critical about boats they test. Magazines are businesses like any other and you dont go out of your way to offend advertisers unless you want to be out of business
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top