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Deleted User YDKXO
Guest
Thnks, haven't looked at BI for a while as I couldn't ever afford anything in it!
So, MBY vs MBM. The verdict.
- Thread starter tinkicker0
- Start date
Nick_H
Well-Known Member
Someone once described that magazine to me as "the boats you couldn't buy even if you did win the lottery"
ontheplane
Well-Known Member
I fear that the decision to close MBM will be shown by bean counters in the know to be the "right" one - why?
Well I loved the new format of MBM and was going to take out subscription (or have one for Christmas) when they pulled it.
I've bought a couple of MBY's and to be honest they aren't as good for me - I'll never be able to afford most of the stuff in it - and the cruising guides are designed for people with bigger boats too - so that's of little help.
However now I don't have a choice - so I will still probably get a subscription to MBY for Christmas even though it hasn't changed to be more relevant to people like me simply because I can't take out a subscription to MBM any more!
Well I loved the new format of MBM and was going to take out subscription (or have one for Christmas) when they pulled it.
I've bought a couple of MBY's and to be honest they aren't as good for me - I'll never be able to afford most of the stuff in it - and the cruising guides are designed for people with bigger boats too - so that's of little help.
However now I don't have a choice - so I will still probably get a subscription to MBY for Christmas even though it hasn't changed to be more relevant to people like me simply because I can't take out a subscription to MBM any more!
Elessar
Well-Known Member
Give it a chance! Articles are planned months in advance and the MBM closure came as a surprise to the MBY team too!
PCUK
Well-Known Member
MBY won't change and upset its regular readers with black fingernails.
ontheplane
Well-Known Member
It's not the black fingernails so much as the smaller / cheaper boat.
I loved the fact that MBM had started doing real reports on used boats that were smaller and very much more affordable - I can't see MBY doing this - perhaps "can you get anything decent for just £200,000" - but not "What can you get for £12,000"....
I loved the fact that MBM had started doing real reports on used boats that were smaller and very much more affordable - I can't see MBY doing this - perhaps "can you get anything decent for just £200,000" - but not "What can you get for £12,000"....
Elessar
Well-Known Member
they did both black fingernails and the cheaper boat when they did a 5 page article on mine.
up to now they had to differentiate or you would have moaned that the mags were too similar.
give them a chance!
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Deleted User YDKXO
Guest
I subscribed to both mags for many years and they obviously appealed to different sections of the market. To be honest, whilst MBY might dumb itself down a bit, I can't see it alienating it's core subscribers by having regular features on cheaper boats and more practical subjects. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong but I think there are several titles out there aimed at the mainstream yottie market so why is there now only one title aimed at the mainstream mobo market? I can understand why IPC would not want two competing mobo mags but you would think there is market space for another publisher to introduce a mobo mag to fill the vacuum left by the demise of MBM
ari
Well-Known Member
When you say 'cheaper boat', are you referring to the forty three foot twin diesel flybridge cruiser in your profile pic? If so then you may have a slightly different perspective of 'cheaper boat' than some of us..!
It will be interesting to see whether MBY adapt to absorb MBM core readership, but I'd be surprised if we see things like the circa £10,000 used Sunseeker Mustang 20 that was in MBM recently, or the Fletch Speedboat group test (£1,000 - £10,000 area from memory?) or the Seaward 23 vs Channel Island 22 (the former a bit dearer, but the latter available from about £10,000).
Time will tell though.
ari
Well-Known Member
Hang on, I don't think anyone is asking for it to be 'dumbed down' are they..?
Hugo_Andreae
Well-Known Member
One of the elements I am planning to bring across from MBM to MBY is the used boat feature they recently introduced called "Find me a ... (insert boat type here) ".
This will be in addition to our regular larger Used Boat test and will be skewed towards the more affordable end of the market, which we would previously have left to MBM.
Admittedly, we are unlikely to drop to the level of £1,000 Fletchers but I see no reason why we shouldn't include things like RIBs, fast weekenders, gentleman's launches, affordable classics, pilothouse boats etc at prices between £10,000 - £50,000.
Hugo
This will be in addition to our regular larger Used Boat test and will be skewed towards the more affordable end of the market, which we would previously have left to MBM.
Admittedly, we are unlikely to drop to the level of £1,000 Fletchers but I see no reason why we shouldn't include things like RIBs, fast weekenders, gentleman's launches, affordable classics, pilothouse boats etc at prices between £10,000 - £50,000.
Hugo
petem
Well-Known Member
You can forget about the RIB's Hugo!
ontheplane
Well-Known Member
Why not the circa £1000 fletchers though??
No, not every month of course, but would once a year hurt?? Hell some of your readers might be amazed what you can get for £1000 and think about one as a sporty tender for the "proper" boat.
Me - I'd like a boat between £3000 - £10,000 and am looking at things such as Fletcher 19GTS and 20' cuddys (normally American)...
Articles on this kind of thing can be interesting even for people with dearer boats in the same way an article on a £50,000 boat can be interesting to me even though I can't afford it....
That way we can all enjoy something in MBY.
I've had a subscription for Christmas, but I am really worried there won't be enough of interest to me - please prove me wrong....
No, not every month of course, but would once a year hurt?? Hell some of your readers might be amazed what you can get for £1000 and think about one as a sporty tender for the "proper" boat.
Me - I'd like a boat between £3000 - £10,000 and am looking at things such as Fletcher 19GTS and 20' cuddys (normally American)...
Articles on this kind of thing can be interesting even for people with dearer boats in the same way an article on a £50,000 boat can be interesting to me even though I can't afford it....
That way we can all enjoy something in MBY.
I've had a subscription for Christmas, but I am really worried there won't be enough of interest to me - please prove me wrong....
Beyondhelp
Well-Known Member
Found the real life articles interesting cruises etc, so that was good. I love an adventure. The ££million pound+ boats I read just because they are there. Doesn't really interest me. Over all, this months was ok.
djingrouille
Member
I used to buy MBM for practical things related to the type of boating I do, with the occaional MBY purchase if I fancied entering the dreamworld. Since the stopping of MBM I've been more than happy to live in the semi-dream world! Good cruising articles especially.
ari
Well-Known Member
Agree with you totally. I think the other thing is that features like this help attract new blood into the pastime. There must be plenty of non boat owning enthusiasts who maybe read stuff like this and think 'hey, that could be me, I could afford that!'
Put it this way, if I have an interest for flying and pick up an aircraft magazine in Smiths or at the airport, and it is full of £20,000,000 planes and how Gulfstream have brought out an entry level plane that is 'only' £12,000,000 I am very quickly going to conclude that the whole thing is out of my league.
But if I see a feature about how two guys bought a decent Cessna together for £12,000 and ran it for £3,000 each then suddenly I can identify and I can think 'I could do that!' It doesn't make the feature about the latest £20 mill Gulfstream any less interesting, but it makes the mag a hell of a lot more relevant to me and encourages me in to the sport.
I think this is what MBM did so well and it is a great shame to lose that from the news stands because it got people enthusiastic and brought them on board (if you will pardon the pun). Well, it did for me many years ago.
Hugo_Andreae
Well-Known Member
It's a fair point and I do have a couple of other ideas up my sleeve which may help satisfy these requests. One is a possible column based around more budget friendly boating, the other is a feature I am currently commissioning on more affordable ways of going boating. In the meantime I will have a think about what our lower limits should be for the new series on used boats.
I won't be able to keep every ex-MBM reader happy but I will do my best to ensure there is always enough to keep true boating enthusiasts interested in reading MBY regardless of budget.
ontheplane
Well-Known Member
Why have a lower limit at all??
Obviously you don't want to alienate the existing readership - but I can see interest in an article - "So what kind of fun could you get for £3000" - with a few small RIBS secondhand, small Fletchers etc. Even someone with a 60' yacht in the SoF might think "Hey, you know what, we could keep one of them in the garden and just use it when we aren't abroad for a bit of fun...." (not jealous, no really, I'm not at all... well... maybe a little....)
Totally agree as well that now MBM has been removed, we desperately need a publication that shows that boating can be affordable (even though it is pretty costly) and whilst they've done a decent job with the online mag (Motorboat Owner I think it is) I hate reading a mag online - I want a proper magazine.
My point is - why do you need a lower limit at all. Stick with what you do now - but a few times a year do a trailboat feature, a "What can you get for" feature and so on...
Trundlebug
Well-Known Member
OK with the general plans but I'm with Petem.
Forget the RIBS. They were a major turn off for me in MBM and would be even more so in MBY.
Forget the RIBS. They were a major turn off for me in MBM and would be even more so in MBY.
Elessar
Well-Known Member
Because the real low end stuff should be in PBO. Which should get motor boats back in the fold after the deliberately slammed the door on mobos a few years back.