PBO and me

[Daydream believer]

Perhaps it was unfair to use the "wonky hole" chap as an example as he may be reading this. I can only wish him well & hope he carries on.
However, I was trying to make a point that there are loads of useful tips that one stores away in ones mind for when they might come in handy. Sometimes it is not the actual thing one wants but reading how someone went about it sets one off on the right track to solve one's own problems. That is where the mags come in handy.

I would further add that in MOST cases the advice has been read through by people with some knowledge. I am sure that many will agree that some of the replies on this forum are really from people sitting in the armchair ( like I am right now) watching TV & dreaming up a silly solution which is not really of much use but which may set the OP off on the wrong foot.

To make matters worse, there is often so much disagreement, take Vics & Paul Rainbow as a recent example.(nothing against you guys, but you do like your spats!!) There is little that they can find to agree about, yet both might claim to be " experts" in their field. How can an inexperienced person rely on either. I tend to ignore both to be on the safe side.:encouragement no, not really!! just joking)

 

[rogerthebodger]

I stopped buying PBO a while ago even through I used to look forward to PBO when it first came out when I lived in the UK.

I did look forward to all the practical articles not just to show me hod to do things but what ideas other people had to make their boating easier and safer.

I still had copies of the PBO sketch books of Dick Everitt's pages in the PBO under the same name.

PBO boating has changed over the years from the days when people would build then own hull or buy a pre molded hull and deck and fit it out them selves like Colvic's and others.

People have got less free time and more money which saw the rise of the completed boats, instant gratification.

I am clearly one of the guys who can and are able to design and fitout my own boat as can be seem from the link in my signature. Lots of people are what some call cheque book sailors, I know a few.

I can easy pay some one to do the work for me and some times I do but I prefer to do a lot myself so I know its done properly and if it goes wrong I can fix it. But we are not all the same and we need to accept that.

There is also egos that come into play and you can get alpha males going up against each other some times.

The question what is an expert. well an ex is a "has been" and a spert is a "drip under pressure".

What is your definition of an expert ?

 

[TOKOLOSHI]

The advertising helps the production costs of the magazine.

Why do the advertisers waste their Budget? They must know its just binned!:encouragement:

 

[Praxinoscope]

I always thought an expert was someone who knew more and more about less and less until they know bugger all about anything.

 

[ghostlymoron]

When I first used to buy PBO it was my ambition to get a Swift 18, many years later I was given a Leisure 17. As others have said, articles come round regularly - service your outboard, winterize your engine, apply antifouling - so it's less likely to see an article that's interesting unless you're new to it. So the mag must appeal to novices - and I'm afraid it doesn't.

 

[JanZ]

I always thought an expert was someone who knew more and more about less and less until they know bugger all about anything.

I always thought that was the description of a 'specialist'.

 

[Topcat47]

I"m a magazine refuznik. When i bought my boat, PBO was awash with good sensible practical advice for guys like me with small(ish) boats and a limited budget. I started to lose my interest when you'd find the same boat tested in all of the current monthlies. PBO and YM (and ST) used to print useful harbour guides as well. The last things PBO did that had any interest for me were the crash test boat and the Project boat but after buying a couple of relevant issues I came to the conclusion that it was a lot of money each month for a publication with only one article that was relevant to my sailing.

This forum, however, is fantastic. You do get good helpful advice when you have a problem. OK some problems crop up again and again but that's just folks .

Trolls are an occupational hazard for the internet and easily ignored.

 

[Neeves]

I find it interesting that though there are many positive comment on the PBO part of the forum, and maybe scuttlebutt, the numbers indicate only 3,000+ active member. Not many if you consider the number of boats. The 3,000 will cover MoBo also.

There do tend to be a number of visitor. A bit of drift - if they visit why not join??

If the data has any validity we are a very small part of the whole. The forum are useful - but the numbers defined imply only for a few.

Jonathan

 

[rogerthebodger]

Why do the advertisers waste their Budget? They must know its just binned!:encouragement:

Amy advertising executive will tell you that half is advertising budget is wasted but he does not know which half.

 

[Habebty]

I have been a PBO subscriber for about 19 years, for the first 7-8 years, just about every article was useful and I couldn't get enough info. Now with a little bit more experience I can work most things out for myself. I still like PBO a lot. YM is getting less relevant for me for some reason I can't determine. I binned Sailing Today sub a while ago as changed focus.
I think this type of sailing mag (PBO) is still brilliant for the newcomer, and still partly useful for the experienced sailor, after all you never stop learning.

 

[JumbleDuck]

YM is getting less relevant for me for some reason I can't determine. I binned Sailing Today sub a while ago as changed focus.

My young crew was an avid reader of both mags until recently, but has dropped YM because "it's going the same way as Sailing Today".

 

[Sandro]

What worries me is what happens to this forum if PBO folds.

Me too

 

[Sandy]

Me too

There are plenty more forums out there, we just need to move en-mass.

 

[Daydream believer]

There are plenty more forums out there, we just need to move en-mass.

Of course you could support this forum by actually buying PBO at regular intervals instead of poncing forum use for free:encouragement:

 

[mogmog2]

There are plenty more forums out there, we just need to move en-mass.

I've mostly come across US ones like Sailing Anarchy and the subscription only Boat Diesel. What else is out there? Thanks.
If this folds, the resource that is all the past posts will be lost though?

 

[Poignard]

I've mostly come across US ones like Sailing Anarchy and the subscription only Boat Diesel. What else is out there? Thanks.
If this folds, the resource that is all the past posts will be lost though?

http://www.cruisersforum.com/

http://forum.woodenboat.com/

 

[JumbleDuck]

Of course you could support this forum by actually buying PBO at regular intervals instead of poncing forum use for free:encouragement:

I don't believe for a second that these forums costs the mags a penny. If anything, the reverse.

 

[mogmog2]

I don't believe for a second that these forums costs the mags a penny. If anything, the reverse.

Other forums I'm on have sponsors, so it seems like there is a cost. The V-Bulletin Gold package for high bandwidth is about £570pa.
But we're advertised at, which may or may not bring in meaningful revenue.
Not a lot of money to Time Magazines, but if the bean-counters are looking to trim costs...

 

[UK-WOOZY]

i stopped buying PBO as the product reviews became less, the mag became thinner I would be a happy contributer to the forum the same way wiki takes contributions.