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Old 23-01-2013, 16:59   #76
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Re: Opinions on "Practical Sailor" Magazine?

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It just goes to show how there are so many variables in anchoring that it is very hard to design a test. I have mentioned on here before how I once went through a big front in Key West with people dragging all around me and yet we didn't move--it turned out my anchor was hooked on a pipeline going across the harbor.
hahah the old pipeline trick it works every time !!
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Old 23-01-2013, 17:54   #77
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Re: Opinions on "Practical Sailor" Magazine?

and a hell of a lot safer than 'the old undersea electric cable trick'!
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Old 23-01-2013, 22:13   #78
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Re: Opinions on "Practical Sailor" Magazine?

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Not so sure about this- it sure seemed fishy to me when they highly rated the xyz anchor and then a complete turn around on the next review, as if they were given a bad check from XYZ- I bought one after there glowing report and its useless- $400 worth of crap-

Ram, I am so sorry you weren’t happy with our anchor test in mud bottom, and respect your opinion. I would be glad to personally explain the test results and help you choose an anchor that better suits the needs of your charter company. My e-mail is further up in this thread. We test anchors in different bottoms and results vary among the same anchor in different bottoms. I assure you that if you or anyone else carried out the same test we did with the XYZ, they would get the same results. I often work on behalf of subscribers who are not happy with the products they have purchased based on our test reports to return, get credit or exchange the products. If you contact me directly regarding your experience with the XYZ, I can see what I can do to help. All of our e-books, like the magazine, are satisfaction guaranteed. Don't like them? We can refund you or give you credit.

I would encourage you to Google the names of myself, our technical editor, or contributing editors, or editors at large (all listed on page 2 of the magazine), so you can learn more about some of the experts who put in long hard hours testing equipment for PS. Our testers include some well-respected sailors who post here. These are dedicated sailors, professionals with various areas of expertise, who have faith in our mission. I believe that once you have a clearer picture of who we are and what we do, it will encourage you to think twice before suggesting some kind of bias . . . or worse. Although you may not have intended it or even be aware of it, your comment attacks the core values of our organization and the very good people behind it. This is something that I take personally. Say what you like about the the editor’s snotty, pompous, self-important, delusional attitude (that’s me! ) . . . but to suggest some sort of impropriety among our testers and their reporting is complete and utter . . .(my apology, I almost lost it there) . . not very nice.

At the risk of committing forum hari-kari, I recommend anyone reading this thread to sign up for a free trail subscription and find out for yourself what the new Practical Sailor is about. The new online-only subscription will be available this week.

Darrell
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Old 24-01-2013, 03:30   #79
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Re: Opinions on "Practical Sailor" Magazine?

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At the risk of committing forum hari-kari, I recommend anyone reading this thread to sign up for a free trail subscription and find out for yourself what the new Practical Sailor is about. The new online-only subscription will be available this week.

Darrell
I got a free copy last month. I didn't notice anything different about it than from the past 2 times I had a subscription. What is supposedly "new" about it?

What's the deal with the online-only verision?
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Old 24-01-2013, 04:52   #80
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Re: Opinions on "Practical Sailor" Magazine?

Hi Don, thank you for reading the magazine..

It is harakiri. (Yes my mistake, I still need a copy editor.) Don't know much about the new online sub myself, just got an email from IT who had been working on for a while. There should be something on the website soon.
Regarding changes: The core mission hasn't changed. Opening the archives and making it free to all subscribers is probably the biggest change I've encouraged. Offering an online-only subscription is the other. (As I mentioned in my previous post, I cruised and lived aboard for many years so recognize the limited usefulness of a paper subscription in Port Vila.) Currently subscribers can download entire PDFs of each issue. Other more subtle changes to PS include a well-defined and graded rating rating system, color photography, greater online presence, new features (including "ocean tested" input from respected sailors who have used for months or years products we have recommended), online bookstore featuring specialized e-books, new staff and contributors, expanded electronics and systems testing (we just tested watermakers), etc. If you read the magazine within last five years you not might notice any change--10 years ago yes. Some people like the new, some prefer the old. (We used to be twice a month and black and white and many people tell me they miss that.) Regarding online version, there should be something on the website soon. Again, I am sorry but I don't read PM from this site, nor do I monitor it enough (particularly now as deadline approaches) to provide timely response. A reader told me about this thread and encouraged me to respond. (Many have strong loyalties to the mag, and I'm hoping more current subscribers will offer their opinions here, as many already have.) If there are specific changes you'd like to see, or something that needs my response, please contact me directly and I'll do my best to help. To see whether we've tested something, you can use our advanced search feature, or Google "practical sailor + [the product name]

Darrell
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Old 24-01-2013, 04:57   #81
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Re: Opinions on "Practical Sailor" Magazine?

Darrel ,
Taking anything anyone says personally, is a sure way to live an unhappy life -Practical Sailor is not who you are its just words and a very limited opinion that can and does change at any given moment--- My comments were not directed at you Personally only the Rag your publishing - I’m sure you’re a good man just trying to make a living—and I’m sure some of your recommendations are great, but like the rest of us you make mistakes, only yours cost others money it could even cost lives-`(im sure its saved folks money also)

I have 4 anchors onboard & I’m happy I never had to rely on the XYZ- the one Practical Sailor recommended or I would have lost my boat & maybe my life--I was a subscriber and what I posted is from my own personal experience & perspective- I read your Popular Sailor and, listened to your recommendation and I got burned, that is a fact- Practical Sailor Said that the XYZ was rated highly, or very highly as I remember (its been years) and so I took it that your tests were true and complete. I then forked over $400 and bought THE XYZ- - then soon after , and I’m not sure of the time frame here could be months to a year later Practical Sailor came out with some more tests that said the anchor performed poorly-
This was too late for me and who knows how many other folks who did the same thing I did and bought an anchor for $400 that has got to be one of the worst anchors made in recent times- I wasted $400 along with I can only guess dozens of other people. I’ve used this anchor on just about all conceivable conditions and its not been good in any of them-for my boat- Before I bought it I called the maker personally and talked to him- he assured me it would work just fine, so with that & your glowing report I bought the anchor, and threw the $400 in the garbage.

The manufacture was a very nice man, in fact very enthusiastic , but in the end the xyz anchor would not work on my boat-in any conditions and his advice was no better than Practical Sailors – -so I contacted the manufacture again & he refunded $100 to me , but I’m still stuck with something that does not work at all, and this is because I believed in Practical Sailor at the time- --
This all seemed a little fishy to me, and the thought of a payoff entered my mind, we all are aware that this sort of thing happens and while I don’t know it to be fact, it’s certainly a possibility, at least in my mind- one report says it preformed great & the other Poor- SO after that Practical Sailors credibility was rated poorly by me personally & I put that last issue in the bathroom where it could do the most good , it did save me the cost of toilet paper that month and that did save me money~ Sorry if im a bit hard on PS here but its what I have experienced-its nothing personal, just my opinion.
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Old 24-01-2013, 05:12   #82
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Re: Opinions on "Practical Sailor" Magazine?

Ok I gotta know, what is this XYZ anchor that is so dangerous and had its rating changed from good to bad?
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Old 24-01-2013, 05:28   #83
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Re: Opinions on "Practical Sailor" Magazine?

I disagree Ram. What you said was very personal. You said, without evidence, that you thought the review was tainted by corruption. The publisher is standing behind that review and you are saying because we know it can happen (the abstract) then you think it is a possibility here. That sounds like you are saying the publisher is likely corrupt and that publisher is a person so how much more personal can you be. You can't say a person is "a good man just trying to make a living" and then say it is possible that he took a payoff to give an anchor a good review. They are contradictory. You can't make the case that the magazine is "just words" not "who you are" when the very honesty of the words are being questioned. The words can from a person, they didn't appear there on there own. Questioning the words is questioning the person.
If I said well "I think Ram is just a Rocna plant trying to diss the XYZ anchor". I have no evidence of that but it has happened before so I suspect that is what is happening now". Would that not be personal? If someone who had a bad time on one of your charters accused you of malfeasance would you think that it was just business or would you think it was personal?
I think we are being cowards by using this "it's just the internet no one believes anything we say here". When you call someone out personally or by a small project that is intimately associated with them it is not different then calling them out in person. You should stand by the accusation and have facts or evidence to back it up. Your opinion of PS cannot be questioned as it is just your opinion of the magazine. Your opinion that the reviewers were in the pocket of the anchor company should need more facts to back it up.

Just my opinion,
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Old 24-01-2013, 05:48   #84
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Re: Opinions on "Practical Sailor" Magazine?

Ram - I've really enjoyed the videos you posted in one of the other threads, but you are losing me here. You seem to be angry way out of proportion to the $300 "loss" you claim to have suffered, even though you apparently still have the XYZ anchor in inventory. There are so many different variables to anchoring. I'm certain that if you posted the actual anchor name that this thread would be joined by a number of people coming to its defense. You can find people that swear by almost any anchor design, and at the same time find others that despise it. Anchoring is not a one-size-fits-all kind of thing.

The thing about Practical Sailor is, they give you all the information about the methodology they used to test the products, along with detailed results. You can skip right to the end and see which product got the recommendation, but to really understand how they arrived at that decision you need to read the entire article. This lets you decide if they tested the product in a way that matches how you will use it.

As far as a recommendation changing over time, I have seen it more than once when PS revisits a product and gets different results. This can be due to the company changing manufacturing processes or materials, relocating to China, whatever. I think it is great that they go back and let people know when something has changed.
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Old 24-01-2013, 05:55   #85
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Re: Opinions on "Practical Sailor" Magazine?

having cruised the south pacific at the same time as darrell(practicalsailor) and his lovely wife teresa,in company i can personally affirm his integrity as an experinced sailor.
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Old 24-01-2013, 06:08   #86
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Re: Opinions on "Practical Sailor" Magazine?

I found when I subscribed to practical sailor I tended to buy more boat stuff I didn't need. I also lusted after more expensive boat stuff I didn't need.

My expenditures on the boat went down quite a bit when I let this subscription lapse.

Sailing is still fun.

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Old 24-01-2013, 06:39   #87
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Re: Opinions on "Practical Sailor" Magazine?

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Darrel ,
.I then forked over $400 and bought THE XYZ- - then soon after , and I’m not sure of the time frame here could be months to a year later Practical Sailor came out with some more tests that said the anchor performed poorly-
This was too late for me and who knows how many other folks who did the same thing I did and bought an anchor for $400 that has got to be one of the worst anchors made in recent times- I wasted $400 along with I can only guess dozens of other people. I’ve used this anchor on just about all conceivable conditions and its not been good in any of them-for my boat- Before I bought it I called the maker personally and talked to him- he assured me it would work just fine, so with that & your glowing report I bought the anchor, and threw the $400 in the garbage.
With a cat in the Med and a trawler in Florida you are trashing a publication that doesn't accept advertising (unheard of in this time/space) about a 400.00 item. The amount that you probably blow on one night on the town every now and then.

Stop the whining and be more objective. It is totally out of line and uncharitable to publically accuse PS of unethical behavior without one shred of evidence especially when they are trying to solve a problem as difficult as anchor testing. Could it be that they just didn't get the test right?

I remember the article well when it came out. If you used some logic and reason you would know that the PS recomendation was based on the test results for the conditions the anchor was tested. The PS test results and conclusions are well caveated in their articles. That test was for only one set of conditions if I recall correctly.

I found PS to be a valuable resource through the years. I use the information from PS as part of my decision process along with my personal situation (where I am sailing, my boat, etc.), cost, logic, reason, and other factors. This process has worked well for me except when I weight my own logic and reason too high.
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Old 24-01-2013, 06:41   #88
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Re: Opinions on "Practical Sailor" Magazine?

I doubt if PS claims that the Reviews are to be treated as Gospel, just one more datapoint along the way - and likely most use to simply bring a product to the attention of folk.

Never used an XYZ anchor, but doesn't pass my initial sniff test - I would need more than a Mag review to part me with $400 on a "new & improved" product.

For an unknown (to me) product I would probably also need at least a thread on CF! (with half the folks swearing it is great and the other half predicting doom!).

As me Granny used to say: "Can't please all of the people all of the time - so f#ck 'em ".......but I guess PS can't say that .
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Old 24-01-2013, 06:49   #89
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Re: Opinions on "Practical Sailor" Magazine?

I've been sailing/racing since '70's, so have a decent background. I subscribed to PS in mid-late 90's and found it very useful. Then a decade away from boats. Subscribed again a year ago, just renewed. I find it useful again now that I'm rigging up a new (1981) 37' Seidelmann. I don't "need" every article, and try to glean what I need from tests etc. Back-issues online are great. I believe sub cost is ok, given what I'm learning/saving. I have faith in the integrity of the PS staff. This forum is useful too, particularly to filter thru experiences of real-world users. These are two of multiple sources that inform us - no single source is perfect for all applications.
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Old 24-01-2013, 06:57   #90
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Re: Opinions on "Practical Sailor" Magazine?

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Hi Don, thank you for reading the magazine..

It is harakiri. (Yes my mistake, I still need a copy editor.)
Yes, you do need a copy editor. I wonder if my own application for that position was ever read? I sent it in after seeing yet another issue with three or four clangers.

I've been a long-time subscriber, and I realize even editors think Microsoft Word can do this job, but errors in spelling, grammar and product names really do lower the tone in the sense that one wonders "if they can't bother to get this right...".

I still like PS and clearly am happy to pay for it, but would appreciate a little more care with the copy. It reflects on the perception of the care taken with the testing and product evaluations if it reads like a middle-school science project.

Kudos to you, however, for braving Internet wrath and random slagging, even if CF is notably polite compared to, say, Sailing Anarchy...
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