Association Forum - Practical Sailor

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Practical Sailor

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

At Ease
Admiral

Member Avatar

672 Posts

Initially Posted - 01/04/2006 : 21:19:45

My first issue of the new version of PS arrived today. Pretty slick... 40 pages, in color, on glossy paper. They have decided to publish 12 issues of 40 pages rather than 24 issues of 20 pages. Of course, they wanted me to renew my subscription...$57 a year...think I'll pass. I've subscribed to PS off and on for a number of years, keep it for a while then let it expire...then subscribe again. Some good stuff, some not so good...like a while back they devoted a great deal of the publication to flashlights. Don't think many of us spend too much time deciding which light to buy.

For those interested: www.practical-sailor.com

Edited by - on

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 01/04/2006 : 21:30:46

They are running out of stuff to review. Aside from the one or two new revelations and innovations, most of the stuff is same old same old.

I've done the same thing Bert, on a few years, off a few, then they get me with a really low rate and its like I missed my methadone at the clinic and I'm back on the crank again.

Between me and a few buddies we have enough practical sailor to cover about anything you want to do, and PS has done some studies on some pretty crazy stuff. I'd really like to get my hands on their C25 survey, but they won't let us post it anyway.

Its worth the 57 bucks for the first few years, after that, you will get board...or as Bert says, you'll be reading about flashlights.(which are actually pretty important for night racing, however I'll save the 57 and buy 4 more lights and spare batteries.)

dw

Edited by - Champipple on 01/04/2006 21:59:33

JimB517
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 01/04/2006 : 21:56:08

I have their C25 review in hardcopy if you want to read it.

Nice basic boat built to a price point is their bottom line, but we all know that.

Edited by - on

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 01/04/2006 : 21:58:48

Is it something you can scan and shoot to me Jim?

Edited by - on

Sea Trac
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Vanuatu
1357 Posts

Response Posted - 01/04/2006 : 22:03:37

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Duane Wolff
 Is it something you can scan and shoot to me Jim?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
You don't really expect him to document that in a public forum, do you?

Edited by - on

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 01/04/2006 : 22:57:30

Uhm....no, not really, but I wouldn't be surprised if It winds up in one of the 44 email inboxes I have

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 01/05/2006 : 10:03:06

I also did the PS thing until it started getting stale. Kind of like when I quit my subscription to Family Handyman...one can only read the same drywall repair article so many times!

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 01/05/2006 : 12:56:36

how about xerox and mail? I can do that.

Edited by - on

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 01/05/2006 : 14:17:21

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 01/05/2006 : 15:18:25

I just finished reading the last 3 years worth and there was almost nothing of value.
And I still maintain that even the good articles are not neccesarily based on your perspective or needs.
Bottom paint must be judged on ease of application and haul out durability = VC17+
depth sounder... removability and price = humminbird
wood treatment... minimum prep = oil
charts... who cares = I am on a lake
etc
It is really rare that PS would come to the same conclusions as me, so they serve no purpose to me.
There is nothing quite as valuable as local knowledge about a common need. On this forum our common needs bring us knowledge but it still must go through our local filter to be of value.

Edited by - on

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 01/05/2006 : 20:17:53

That because its a small lake Frank.

When your dealing with just under 10000 square miles of lake you'll want to grab some charts.

dw

Edited by - on

existentialsailor
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
1180 Posts

Response Posted - 01/05/2006 : 20:32:57

I certainly use a chart on my lake, but I've only been on it a year. All the islands and various shoals, I don't know if I'll ever remember where they all are.
For a relatively new sailor, PS has been very helpful. I've been reading it only for a year, but learning about systems that I don't even have on my boat has been very helpful. As tme goes by, it helps me decide what I do want to do to Swimmer and what I certainly am never willing to deal with when it comes to equipment. Frank's point is well made as well, you can read yourself into a lather on certain subjects, but what works locally as found out by the locals is especially invaluable. The magazines I personally find no value in are the glossy things like Sailing and Sail. I get them because they were gifts, but they are 10 to 15 minutes worth of reading cover to cover. More fluff than stuff.

Edited by - on

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 01/05/2006 : 20:48:05

I agree with you in part Rick,

Sail Contains some valuable information, but is really more of an industry showcase. Sailing is even more of the same. Although some of the content is rather enlightening, especially the new gear sections and the just commissioned (read's as Duane Can't afford section) as well as the know how section. Some of the Cruising stories are a nice short read right after my cup of morning coffee.

Sailing I haven't read in a while, but from what I know I would agree with your assessment.

Sailing World (and I assume Cruising World and their new mag coming soon - Boat Works) are probably more up our alley. Sailing world is one of the few publications (beside Scuttlebut online) that gives racing information. They also go into a lot about racing tactics. By far Sailing World covers more of what I want to read. I am going to assume Cruising World does the same for cruisers.

The one I am waiting to see is the Boat Works, which is supposed to be centered around fixing up old sailboats.

dw

Edited by - Champipple on 01/05/2006 22:14:59

kevinmac
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
732 Posts

Response Posted - 01/05/2006 : 22:07:35

FWIW to everyone, as a new keelboat owner interested primarily in cruising, but learning about racing, I think two British magazines are by far the best: Yachting World, and Practical Boat Owner. The equipment articles have a European slant, and the destination articles are all in Europe, but still, there is more valuable stuff there for a C250 owner than most issues of Cruising World, and certainly more than the others you listed. BoatWorks is interesting, but not as good as Practical Boat Owner, IMHO.

Edited by - on

Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
1893 Posts

Response Posted - 01/05/2006 : 22:49:08

I picked up a copy of Boat Works at a news stand a few months ago. I like it. It's much more hands-on than anything I've seen lately except Good Old Boat. I still miss Small Boat Journal. Practical Sailor used to have a how-to companion publication that was OK, but very expensive. I subscribe to Sail and Practical Sailor off and on. Practical Sailor is kind of expensive, and Sail, although dirt cheap, has too much fluff and high end ads.

-- Leon Sisson

Edited by - on

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 01/05/2006 : 23:04:01

While we are on the magazine topic - if there are any others that you might like to see a discounted price on post them here and I'll try and find a link via one of our affiliates.

Duane

Edited by - on

tmhansen
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
397 Posts

Response Posted - 01/06/2006 : 01:15:08

Somehow my wife let me subscribe to 3 magazines they are in order of preference

Good Old Boat
Latitude 38
Sail

I also get the BoatUS and claims magazine that comes with Boat US insurance. I too tried PS but found it was just too much money for as much interest as it held for me. Like Frank, my criteria often differed from theirs. Still some of the articles were interesting. Most notable was the test of bilge pumps in real life type set ups vs the published rates.

Edited by - on

existentialsailor
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
1180 Posts

Response Posted - 01/06/2006 : 05:51:47

Some folks here might find this magazine of interest:

https://www.dotcodotuk.co.uk/secure/seahorse.co.uk/anarchists.php

Edited by - on

reuben
Navigator

Members Avatar

USA
202 Posts

Response Posted - 01/06/2006 : 08:02:01

My cheerful confession is that the oft-dissed advertisements, the bright glimpses of product & azure skies, the unlikely promises of perfection, are part of the reason I love magazines like Sail and Cruising World. They seem designed to draw people through beauty and the offer of dreams, which if I am honest is my chief reason for being here. Do I really want to see another expensive photo of the new Catalina Morgan 44 spanking the sunlit waves? Well - yeah, actually. Come blistering windchilled January I am only too glad when the unrealistic & impractical Sail shows up in my rural-delivery box, and when I need to solve a problem or find a chart it's not a magazine I'll seek anyway: it's the West Marine catalogue, or my sailor brother-in-law, or it's all of you.

Happy reading, brethren!

Edited by - on

At Ease
Admiral

Members Avatar

672 Posts

Response Posted - 01/06/2006 : 16:29:19

On several occasions folks have said they stopped subscribing to Sail because it was full of way too expensive boats, going to way too far away and expensive places. To me, that's two good reasons to subscribe...I can read about boats I'll never own going to places I'll never go, all from the comfort of my recliner. Althought the cruiser life sounds interesting, I think it would get very old in a hurry. Having lived in the Caribbean, island hopping was fun, but don't think I'd want to cross an ocean.

Edited by - on

sailorman
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
69 Posts

Response Posted - 01/06/2006 : 22:50:13

I used to subscribe to Cruising World but I got my fill of reading a magazine that has a problem with small (yes, that's us) boats and coastal cruising. It's nice to read about far away places, but better yet to read about places you can actually go, gather information about it, make actual plans. No magazine fills that bill yet, though some come close. Part of the problem is the builders that like to go for the long mark and profit from a small number of boats with a high markup. Catalina does the same thing: when was the last time you saw an ad for the 250 or 22. They run ads of their big money boats( high profit). But, that is why they are in business, to make money. Our job is to decide where our money goes, and where to sail>

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.