Which magazine?

bilbobaggins

bilbobaggins

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Earlier this year we chose to cancel our Sky TV and all our multiple magazine regular subscriptions, changed our 'lecky supplier and stopped driving to the pub - so was pleased t'other day when Lady Baggins announced our 'quantitative tightening' was showing measurable results, and that our becoming again 'economically active', as far as a single mag was concerned, was OK.

But which one?

PBO? YM? YW? Classic? Gardeners' World? .....or Nutz?

And then there's the question of how best to pay for it? Monthly DD? 6-monthly? Annually? Or with Tescos Clubcard Vouchers....? What about SIBS Special Offers?

What's likely to be best value....?

Over to you lot! And do say why..... :D
 
Seahorse. The techy stuff will keep a hobbit of your intelligence happy for hours. Computational fluid dynamics, Renold Numbers etc. Good piccys too.
 
Tesco club card vouchers gets my vote. I don't work for them, I just seem to spend a lot of time pushing a trolley round their establishments.
 
Always used to renew at boat shows - got nice presents there or an introductory price.
Odly enough, there's no incentive to renew. All the goodies go to 'new' subscribers.

Years ago, subscribed to PBO, YM and ST. ST was the last one to go, and will most likely be the first one back should I ever take out another subscription.
From time to time, I pick up the occasional YM when waiting for the ferry.
Alsways sort of a let down. Guess IPC has a good reason to wrap 'em in plastic, if I were able to leaf through it before buying...

FWIW, also used to subscribe to the US mag Cruising World (electronic subsription US$26 or thereabouts). When I first got one it was like a breath of fresh air - after three years you see a pattern emerging and it got to be repetitive too. Sailing cats, sailing in Mexico, charter here or there, ...
But you also learn about different boats/builders and equipment. So IMO it was little money well spent.
 
Just back from 3 months away sailing around the Hebridees and found 3 editions of PBO waiting for. Read all 3 over next 3 days. I was so disappointed with all 3 that I cancelled my subscription immediately. I have read them for around 20 years!

I wonder if this reply will get pulled?
 
Yachting Monthly scores way ahead as the cruising person's journal. Some articles can be rather contrived, but it's the best UK magazine around if cruising's your bag and you know one end of the boat from another. And the columnists are excellent (OK, dear Nigel Calder could collaborate with a writer to create his column).

Sailing Today comes across as a low-budget effort and is apparently aimed at either aspiring or witless sailors.

Practical Boat Owner is certainly the best of the mags if you're into engineering aboard. But unless you're hopeless at DIY yourself or you have a boat that's falling apart (plenty do and fair enough), it would seem to appeal to those who take pleasure in fixing or adapting their boats rather than actually sailing them. To the sailor rather than the tinkerer, its rather puerile excitement about, for example, getting to any port other than your own demeans it.

Yachting World is clearly differentiated and touches two markets: a coffee-table mag for those who own seriously large boats, and an interest mag for enthusiasts in yacht racing. Large yacht racing, that is: thirty-something-footers need not apply. It does both excellently.

It's YM for me pretty much every time. But between them, the publications offer something for everyone.

Well, almost everyone. There's not much content in any of them that the dayskipper wouldn't be familiar with (the racing tactics in YW are an exception).
 
BelleSerene said:
Yachting Monthly scores way ahead as the cruising person's journal. Some articles can be rather contrived, but it's the best UK magazine around if cruising's your bag and you know one end of the boat from another. And the columnists are excellent (OK, dear Nigel Calder could collaborate with a writer to create his column).
Click to expand...
Hear, hear! (Or should that be: read, read!)

But it must be very difficult for the editors to find stuff to interest both the newcomers and those that have been taking the rag for years. Libby Purves and Tom Cunliffe do a great job, and articles like "Fastnet Storm-Force Rescue" must surely appeal to everyone.

The "Question of Seamanship" was a good one this month, too. It reminded me of the time I picked up the mooring and dropped the boat hook over the side. I thought "Drat! the dinghy is still in the cockpit locker", gawped as it sped towards the Swellies on the tide, and felt like a pillock. It wasn't until my sterling crew said "Forget it, there's nothing you can do" that I actually put my brain into gear - Freestyle's engine was still running, for Fred's sake! So I dropped the mooring of course, and went after it.

Practical Boat Owner is OK to read if I'm lucky enough to find a copy lying around, but I don't buy it because it has an uncanny knack of running "How to breath new life into a tired old gripthribley" just after I have finished a major gripthribley rebuild.
 
I tend to look at the covers of each mag. and only buy the one (s) which have articles which interest me but if I had to take a subscription out or was offered 1 as a pressie then it would have to be Y.M. Best overall for the sailing I do.

Chris
 
That's all very well, and every word is valued. But it doesn't help me yet in my decision whether or not to convert my good lady's Tesco Clubcard 4X1 Vouchers into some IPC boat porn, or wait a bit, use the Clubcardy stuff for SIBS tickets, and put myself into the hands of IPCs 'rentafloosie' marketing extras.

ps. I've got quite enuff Motor Boat Monthly nav bags. How about something that'll take a Litre Bottle or two of Cherbourg Trip Souvenirs? Or maybe a Discount Voucher for Something Special That Can Only Be Had By Sailing In and Asking Nicely- such as 'Bruichladdich X4'.

Now that's something I'd like to use the Clubcard Vouchers on, so how's about it, IPC?

All in favour say 'Aye!"

:D
 
Sky TV

Also cancelled Sky TV. Have just received an offer to rejoin - half price for 6 months! Signed up but we will cancel when that offer finishes and wait for the next offer.
 
Sailing Mags Etc ..

Picked one up the other day .. Best Outboards .. Got that one last year .. Which inflatable .. Got that .. Which marine vhf .. Which Radar .. Seems to go on and on and on .. We do spend money on updates but the mags seem to just churn out the same thing year after year ..I know that they are driven by their advertisers .. Do an artical and you can keep the engine and dingy .. but as a consumer I would like something better .. BUT WHAT .. I suppose you get to a point where you seem to have what you want and what else is there to buy .. The boat is only so big .. The batteries only last so long and do you really want to go on a week long course to find out how to use the radar when you only go uip and down the coast .. Dont get me wrong we have plans .. French canals .. The Med .. but do you really need all the STUFF .. Off to Turkey .. Fishing Rod .. Never caught a fish yet .. Couple of pairs of shorts ..Two shirts .. a couple of teeshirts .. Plenty of mossi repelant .. See you all in a couple of weeks ..
 
My approach is to sail during the season and to read about sailing over the winter. So I do not subscribe - usually find YM of most interest if I am faced with a range of mags on a newsagents shelf. Some months I decide none of them are sufficiently interesting to merit purchase. I have numerous old copies (ST PBO and YM) around the house which I find interesting to skip through from time to time. Would not waste my time or money with YW - don't learn anything from it.
 
YBW Etc ..

Suppose its a good job we dont have to subscribe to YBW Online .. It seems to be getting a bit which engine , outboard , boat , car etc .. or is that just me .. Bored .. Ready for a holiday ..
 
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