Opinions on "Practical Sailor" Magazine?

[ronbo1]

Well...I would imagine the C&C 40 hasn't changed much from 1996.

[deluxe68]

Originally Posted by ronbo1

Well...I would imagine the C&C 40 hasn't changed much from 1996.

The boat has gotten 18 years older. Some parts may no longer be made, some inherent design problems with the boat may have surfaced. I do not have a problem with PS coming out with a new review, it is just that they put next to zero effort into it and mostly did a cut-and-paste from an earlier review.

[cabo_sailor]

I used to subscribe a long time ago but eventually dropped it, like I've dropped all most all magazine subscriptions, except Good Old Boat, In most cases I can get a ton of review info from the internet including from the people that actually use it.

In addition I was rather peeved. PS recommended a particular brand of varnish. Those of you that have seen a CR38 close-up know it is not a trivial prep job. I followed the directions and looked great, for about 3 months then it began looking like it had been sitting for years.

I contacted PS and was told that although they recommended, they didn't use it on their test boat. What they used was the product I now use exclusively but I was faced with weeks of re-doing the prep A web search revealed others had similar problems.

In short, I did not think it worth the price.

Rich

Rich

[RainDog]

To me Practical Sailor was not worth it for the price until they put all their archives online. Now it is totally worth it.

[Amapola]

We've been subscribers for 20+ years. We like it so much that we kept the subscription after we sold our Tayana 37 for a trawler in 2004.

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by cabo_sailor

What they used was the product I now use exclusively

What do you use Rich?

[cabo_sailor]

Originally Posted by Mycroft

What do you use Rich?

Mycroft,

I use Z-Spar Flagship varnish

Rich

[lifeofreilly57]

I've been a subscriber for some time, some articles good, some just OK, I'm particularly annoyed by the number of articles about I Phone applications, OK, I get it, those guys are I-Phone cultists (it's a particularly rabid cult, just bring up the subject in a social setting), who else would wait in line for the model4.5d to pay hundreds for a slightly different case, I don't get it. Droid phones outnumber I-Phones in the general public, and usually for much less money, write articles towards multiple applications, don't live in a bubble.
Otherwise I have benefited from a number of recommendations they've made, however I do vet any advice given by any one source as anyone can have a certain bias, also the advice is only for people who fall into the specific set of circumstances their testing is aimed at. Like all choices, if what your doing is going to require major work to accomplish don't trust any one source, ask around, some of the best recommendations I've gotten were from boat owners who had gone through similar retrofits/upgrades and had to live with the results. I'm usually pretty honest about products I've used in the past when asked by others, good or bad, I also will say whether the failure was due to my misapplication or a product that did not live up to expectations.
The internet provides a wealth of information, good and bad, a magazine article only provides one source of information but it's a good starting point. If it's a subject I'm totally unfamiliar with an article can help in giving me some criteria in figuring out how I should look critically at the piece or system I'm looking to use, it's a starting point.
I also agree that putting their archive on the net to subscribers is helpful, especially since I'm not avers to buying second hand. I'm not saying I'm cheap or anything like that.....
Did I mention I-Phone fanatics? Always been a little wary of cults.

[lifeofreilly57]

Originally Posted by cabo_sailor

Mycroft,

I use Z-Spar Flagship varnish

Rich

By the gallon?
My wife just spent 4 days sanding the teak on our boat for a total refinish (it was totally let go by previous owner) then looked at the CR 38 next to us in the boatyard and said "holy crap" that's a lot of teak!
Makes her pain more bearable.
How often do you have to do maintenance on yours? I'm in New England so it's not as tough on varnish as you neck of the woods but since we're down to bare wood and starting fresh I'm interested.

[jtsailjt]

I subscribe again after a several year break and think it is generally worthwhile. I think they are unbiased and do a good job of testing products and if they make a mistake or have updated information they make that available. For things like bottom paint and anchors where you really couldn't do the research yourself, it's nice to have access to their results. Of course you have to apply a little common sense to what they write.

Several years ago they did an anchor test and basically said that even a large Fishermans Anchor didn't hold well so they couldn't recommend it. Of course it doesn't hold well in mud or sand because it has small flukes and wasn't designed to be used in those conditions, but if you are in an area with large rocks or a very hard bottom that's hard for a large fluke to penetrate, it would work much better than most others. They dissed a perfectly good anchor because they seemingly didn't know what conditions it was designed for. Really stupid. But if they had left out the editorializing about it and simply included the information that it didn't hold well in soft mud but then tested all the anchors in conditions more favorable to the Fisherman, they would have painted a much clearer and more complete picture of the relative merits of different types of anchors. So, it helps to know how you plan to use something and to really look at how they tested it before you accept their recommendation.

But that said, I recently bought a boat that had a barrier coat applied a few years ago and then only about 2 or 3 coats of Trinidad over it since then so the bottom is in pretty good shape. I'm looking to switch to a good ablative to apply over it and Practical Sailor has the most complete and thorough and unbiased testing that I can find so I am turning to them for guidance. But before I settle on one product, I'll also ask some other good sources if what PS sailor has to say sounds reasonable to them.

If PS helps you make just one good purchasing decision per year, that alone can very easily more than pay for the cost of a subscription. I plan to keep getting it and consulting it fairly regularly.

[s/v Beth]

I am a PS subscriber. I don't mind their articles. Got upset when their anchor man went after Mantus- almost cancelled then, but that was a CF thing- his articles in PS seem to be pretty good.
I do not like their subscription dept. Renewed my subscription a couple of years ago and they gave me "Plane and Pilot" or some small plane crap. I pointed it out to them, and they still had me on the plane mag, with all its attendant advertising from shorty's from who know where trying to get me to buy flying lessons and gloves and homes next to an airport in Timbuktu.
The only thing more annoying than getting fluff sailing adds is getting plane fluff adds when I don't fly! They never did figure it out- even sent me a renewal notice for the mag- now that was a waste of two bits.
But that's not Nick's fault. He tries to do the right thing, and I think most of the time he does. I would like him to review the Dragonflies, or that newer tri coming out of Poland that is spost to be a cruiser, yet has hydofoils. Hey- its 2014! The wind is changing!

[Capn Jimbo]

In my middle age I was quite an avid sailor - Columbia 26 and Tahiti Ketch (oak, 1936). Having retired recently, I decided I had to get back up to speed, replace my lost library of books, etc., eg Don Casey and the like.

I do remember Practical Sailor - who could forget - and honestly, I am truly surprised at not only the number of negative comments, but the smug condescension with which many are posted. Ridiculous.

Face it mate, this is - are you sitting - the mind boggling amount of $19.95, the price of a pizza, for access to years and years of focused articles, reviews, comparisons, letters and more. What a stupendous resource.

For these posters to suggest that well, "it's all on the internet" - as though there was actually a single subject or opinion on which the "internet" agreed - is well, ridiculous. That these very same posters have invested tens of thousands, yet just have to have that one extra Papa John's with extra pepperoni, is silly.

G'wan. Pass on the pepperoni. and please get real. It's $19.95 and pro or con, you'll have access to a resource that is unmatched. Relax. Breathe. Subscribe.

[MarkSF]

Well, it's $19.95 for an introductory offer, then it goes up to $40 per year.

But that's not the part that I minded. It's the MOUNTAIN of crap that they send you for a year, if you don't re-subscribe.

Contrast that to Small Craft Advisor (which has 10 times the level of interest to me). They send you a renewal notice, and, er, that's it. If they can behave ethically, why can't Practical Sailor?

[s/v Beth]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

Well, it's $19.95 for an introductory offer, then it goes up to $40 per year.

But that's not the part that I minded. It's the MOUNTAIN of crap that they send you for a year, if you don't re-subscribe.

Contrast that to Small Craft Advisor (which has 10 times the level of interest to me). They send you a renewal notice, and, er, that's it. If they can behave ethically, why can't Practical Sailor?

PS was bought out by a magazine company. They are a bunch of yahoos that sent me a years worth of Pilot mag when I ordered two years worth of PS. Its not PS's fault. They are owned by someone else.
BTW, I have felt that the articles in PS have been improving over the last few years, anyone else notice this?

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Jimbo.