Sad State of PassageMaker

[jungpeter]

For what it's worth, I sent the following email to the editor of Passagemaker Magazine last November. Not so surprisingly, no response to date, either via an email reply, or in the magazine. So much for a subscriber contribution. And as the issues continue, I will no longer renew either.

" Dear Mr. Parkinson,

As a charter subscriber to PASSAGEMAKER magazine, I have maintained my subscription from its inception, though the middle east coast-centric Annapolis years, through various ownership changes, to today's southeast-centric persona of the magazine. As such, I acknowledge and support the impossibility of being the end-all boating magazine for all persons, 100% of the time. So it's the caribbean fan's turn this month-I get it.

However, my perception of the editorial direction of today's magazine seems to be drifting towards becoming the "Sunset Magazine of boating" rather than your own moniker of "The World's Cruising Authority". In particular, September's issue includes your personal editorial admonition to "...appreciate being just a little late". That's sorta hard with a freezer full of food, a failed generator, and a mechanic thats "...just a little late."

Your boat review of the Krogen Express reads as a travelogue of the Abacos, and fails to reveal little more than the bare essentials of what the Krogen Express is all about.

The Rum Renaissance? Really?

Lastly, there's the total puff piece regarding the delivery of a Beneteau Swift Trawler 47 from the Pacific Northwest towards Southern California. Sorry, I still don't believe the hype. Ask Beneteau to turn that puppy around, and steam from SoCal to the PNW in late summer into the teeth of the typical 25 knot NW wind, with 4-6' wind chop over a 10' swell, for multiple days 24/7 and THEN report how happy and smiley the delivery captain is. Methinks it'll be a different story.

PASSAGEMAKER reminds me more and more of the little old lady at the burger stand-"where's the meat"? "

Regards,

Pete

 

[Waterford]

Yes, PM took a nosedive but I still subscribe. It’s always good for an hour in the recliner, even if it turns into a nap. The only boating magazine I still look forward to is Pacific Yachting, a Canadian publication that focuses on my kind of cruising in British Columbia waters. Otherwise, TF is my go-to source for other boating info needs, thanks to all of you!

 

[Peter B]

Bill "Pantaloon", "Partalore", "Parletore", "Paralatore"? Is this thread intended as some sort of joke?

I've never had occasion to read PMM.

Moby, if you've never been a regular reader of Passage Maker Magazine, especially back in the good old days when the person who launched the mag, Bill Parlatore, was owner and editor, this thread will make absolutely no sense at all, so don't worry about it.
But if you're interested in knowing more...
https://www.followingseas.media/our-story/

 

[OldDan1943]

I stepped away from the traditional trawler such as my N46 and moved to a 34/36 AT. Yes, I am happy with the move.
I have poured big buck into this boat, just as I poured big bucks into my N46.
I like the traditional profile of these N46 and the AT34 boat.
The Passage Maker would write endless articles on the traditional boats. The upper length was less than 50ft. These were the boats that most people could afford.
Alas, the PM has become a 'sales platform' for new and bigger boats and new electronics, IMO.
I dont know if PM contains trouble shooting and maintenance information.
This forum seems to be the 'go to' site for quick responses.

 

[syjos]

My first experience with Passagemaker was in 1995 or 1996. I was walking through a tent at the Seattle Floating Boat Show and towards the back was a couple sitting at a plain banquet table. It was Bill and Laurene Parlatore with a stack of the first premier issue of Passagemaker Magazine. They were selling subscriptions to a new magazine devoted to boats not covered by other boat magazines - trawlers and ocean boats. Pay for a subscriptions and get the first issue to take with you. The first issue had no date, just "Premier Issue".

It was a slow weekday and little traffic so my wife and I talked to Bill and Laurene for quite a while. We talked about boating, trawlers, PNW etc. They asked a lot of questions.

When I told them that I was a boat driving instructor and captain for hire, they really started asking questions. Bill tried really hard to get me to write articles for the magazine and gave me a Submission Guideline. The pay for an article was not very much so writing for a magazine did not seem worthwhile to me and I did not envision myself sitting at a computer writing articles at that time. And I wasn't sure if Passagemaker was going to have an Issue #2. In 1995 there were many outstanding boating magazines and the trawler and passage making boat market hadn't exploded yet. Passagemaker Magazine created that market.

This was before Bob Lane and Steve D'Antonio wrote for Passagemaker.

My missed opportunity. Not huge monetary reward but the exposure would have been great for my part time business. I enjoy writing now and have more free time.

And now I spend a lot of time writing post for this forum, with no pay. Hmmmmmm.

I subscribed to Passagemake until 2003 or so until the magazine got bloated with ads and reviews of boats I could not afford. The early issues were full of how to articles, stories about older trawlers and manufacturers and reviews of trawlers I could afford.

 

[syjos]

This post reminded me that I need to sell my collection of Passagemaker Magazines.

I have Premier issue #1 to early 2010's

I have not decided if I should sell the whole lot as a package or individual issues or individual years.

I'll list them on eBay when I return from my winter warm weather trip.

If anyone is interested PM me.

 

[Northern Spy]

On that note I've got Pacific Yachting magazines way back into the '80s if anyone is interested in taking them off my hands.

I'll even deliver them free*.





*To your boat, while moored in the Powell River/Westview harbour.

 

[menzies]

This post reminded me that I need to sell my collection of Passagemaker Magazines.

I have Premier issue #1 to early 2010's

I have not decided if I should sell the whole lot as a package or individual issues or individual years.

I'll list them on eBay when I return from my winter warm weather trip.

If anyone is interested PM me.

God luck with that. See post # 1.

 

[BruceK]

PeterB, the fate of Passagemaker should make us the more thankful we still have the free "Afloat" magazine. Worth every cent, and more.

 

[BandB]

PeterB, the fate of Passagemaker should make us the more thankful we still have the free "Afloat" magazine. Worth every cent, and more.

Had Passagemaker gone the free route, they might still be Afloat.

 

[OldDan1943]

If you have a collection of PM or other suitable magazine, may I suggest you give serious thoughts about selling them or giving them away to boating enthusiasts. Your offspring may not see the same value as you and others.
There is another option, determine a reasonable value and donate your collection to a non-profit maritime museum and take the tax write off.
Somewhere there is a warehouse filled with a complete and growing collection of past and current issues National Geography too.

 

[Woodland Hills]

I am surprised that no one has mentioned Woodenboat as a counter example of how to successfully run a print magazine in the 21st century. It too was one mans vision albeit with a narrower focus, it too featured smaller less expensive boats and it too has had its share of boat porn. Yet it has gone from strength to strength as the years have passed: top notch technical articles, a huge variety of feature boats, truly international coverage of their chosen subject, thriving web forums, successful spinoff magazines and a popular webstore. They even survived the death of their founder without much change, so why did this magazine succeed and everyone else go down the toilet?
Was it simply because they never sold the business to a big-time publisher and remained closely held by real believers in the original Mission? If so, that does not say much for the business acumen of the “pros”.....

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. WH. PMM is but a small part of the Landmark Media Enterprises empire. MASSIVE holdings in many advertising ventures. So, ads are the money maker and content can readily be easily omitted as long as the ad revenue keeps coming in. In other words, the owners simply don't care. IF revenue drops off, just close the publication down. They would probably even get some sort of tax write-off.

 

[stevemitchell]

And I think it all comes back to the distance, or lack of distance, between editorial and advertising.

It takes some sifting through trash, sometimes a lot of sifting, but I find the most useful publications, whether written or video, are amateur user blogs, videos, and of course forums. I think that's the only place where you can learn what's really good and what's junk, what works and what doesn't, and what's useful vs not. It's the only place where there are people who genuinely want to help and teach others, rather than push some agenda.

Having seen and interacted with a number of publishers, I have to agree that the distance between advertising or making money and being editorial is the main problem.

I know its been said before, but many of us forget - the marine industry is very small compared to many. Yes, things are expensive, and there are more manufacturers now than ever before, but it is still tiny compared to the car, tech, house, and even RV markets. That leads to manufacturers competing with each other very closely, and trying to get every dollar out of their customers. That includes marketing and advertising.

If you look at just about any print publication today, they are 1/2 ads and 1/2 content (at least - maybe more ads!). What used to be a full time job for a writer 5-10 years ago is now not possible, which is a shame, because we've lost some good people as a result. Many have gone out on their own and write and publish elsewhere, but it was sure nice to have something printed.

As a result, it would be pretty easy to latch on to particular brands, advertisers, and the like in order to make ends meet, or to make more money. Especially given the size of the industry. I get offered things that I decline all the time that I consider to be pseudo unethical based on how I want to run my site and life.

I write knowing I will never have this as a full time job. I make money off of people clicking on links to Amazon products I recommend, which in many articles is 0. That money goes to pay for the website and associated junk to keep it running. It never covers the amount of time and effort to write and publish anything, not even close.

The other big change in the whole consumer industry (not marine specific) is access to information and the evaporation of loyalty and contributions. One bad article, one change to a site/publication, and you can lose a customer forever. They'll find your content for free somewhere else. And, if you asked someone 10 questions about designing a power system in the past, you had to pay for it. Nowadays, it is assumed that is given away for free, posted in a forum, etc. which I think is good/bad.

I like sharing information with more people, but there is still a line for when something should become a paid gig. I'm not saying I don't like this change - it is a necessary and inevitable change - but I don't think that manufacturers and publishers understand this or want to acknowledge this at all.

People still have to go out and learn this stuff and become an "expert" or someone you trust. I still make the majority of my money on consulting and working on power systems and the like. People still pay for that locally, but I definitely see far more questions in email for people who are impatient and want an entire design for nothing than ever before. That change in consumerism has had a huge impact on how publishers and experts can talk and share about what they know as well.

As a result, I think many publications have had to focus on very targeted advertising, click bait style articles, and only giving you 90% of the whole story so that they drive you to a local expert.

 

[clyde]

PM, when a new publication, was great, a few adds in the back, lots of how to, and we did it this way, then it was sold, immediatly went to over half advertising!
coupla years ago, i found a box of oldies at the NAPA store in PORT McNEIL at the north end of Vancouver island, in British Columbia, Canada, took a few, shoulda taken the whole box [did`nt want to be to greedy,] it was a HEAVY box, and a long walk to our boat...Clyde

 

[Nickair]

Passage Maker mag is something I used to look forward to seeing come out. Now days, rather than storing the paper mags I just do the online version and know that I can look up any past issue, through their database, back to ‘2000.

Trawler Forum here is much more useful to me than Passage Maker ever was.

Times are changing.

Who still gets the newspaper delivered? Newspapers are mostly online now too.

 

[TheTuftedPuffin]

"Drop anchor" to me indicates a writer trying to sound like they know what they are talking about.
Dropping anchor in a marina would probably be frowned upon, even in Chicago.

Interestingly, one time I did drop an anchor at a marina. It was at Roche Harbor on San Juan Island off the coast of Washington State. It was a busy summer weekend and the marina had a dock of all Mediterranean ties. They had every few boats drop the hook before backing in. It worked

 

[DonScatt]

Well, I’m not as old as you guys (evidently) and have only had a power cruising boat for the last 5 years, after 50 years of sailboats, fishing boats, flats boats, etc. I subscribed to Passage Maker when I was looking for my first cruiser, and we went with a Beneteau Swift trawler. I know that whole idea is anathema to a lot of folks on this forum, but I can cruise for days at 7 knots and crank it up to 17 knots when we mistime a bridge opening, so it’s perfect for us. As is Passage Maker. The world of boating is changing, just like everything else does, and my two cents is (are?) that PM is working hard to keep up and to address the needs of the power cruising community. I just renewed my subscription and look forward to it every month, along with Soundings.

 

[Salish Nomad]

Been thinking this for years. Picked up this magazine when my wife and first started cruising years ago. Enjoyed, participated in the photo contests ( our picture was 3 little kids and a Bassett going to shore) and when Bill sold it went downhill. I found a new one called Pacific Yachting which fits our area we cruise nicely. Sad

I have been considering a subscription to Pacific Yachting, and are interested in your opinion. Do you feel you are getting good value for your $$?

 

[JohnP]

Somehow I am on Passagemakers email list. I get to read a few articles now and then on my phone. No cost, no paper, some articles interesting. I like it.

 

[eddietezdj]

I have been a subscriber for 19 years, but will not be renewing when this one runs out. I don't think I have opened the last four or five, though the missus flicks through them. They have become so thin as to basically be one big ad.

I have about 110 back copies on my office shelf that I will recycle. If anyone is passing through JAX and wants them let me know.

Several of you sound like we did about 20 years ago. We bought our sailboat 45 years ago and still own it. Cruising World magazine started about 1 year after we bought the boat and we subscribed...for years and years. Then it seemed the quality went down and no new ideas came along. We unsubscribed and the world still goes on. We tried to offload them, too, as you are doing. No takers.


I agree they're showing us "new and improved" boats that, for us at least, are WAY out of our league. But a new way to change the oil without getting your hands dirty are no longer interesting.


I tend to think that part of the problem is in ourselves: we've now been there, done it, and are wearing the ratty old t-shirt.


First mate, cook, bosun, canvas, teak, varnish, fiberglass guru, and someone who likes to go up the mast, Tez

 

[twistedtree]

As is Passage Maker. The world of boating is changing, just like everything else does, and my two cents is (are?) that PM is working hard to keep up and to address the needs of the power cruising community.

I don't envy anyone trying to make a living in the "publishing" industry, which is what the web has become.


But the above statement describes the problem in so many ways.


Passage Maker isn't trying to keep up with the needs of the power cruising community. They are trying to figure out how to make ends meet as a business.


And none of the traditional media outlets seem to be satisfying the needs of the power cruising community.


Maybe TF is making money? I have no idea. But I run ad blocker, so it's unlikely they are making it off me, other than perhaps indirectly over whatever content I contribute.


I know lots will say ad blocker is immoral or something similar, but for me the choice is nothing or nothing. Take your pick. I will use the site with ad blocker, or no use the site. Those are the choices.


It's a tough market, and I don't envy anyone in it since the only revenue stream is eyeballs and ads..

 

[BandB]

One challenge is how many of the articles or columns will appeal to a reader. A magazine like "People" has a reader who devours celebrity articles and interviews and, therefore, can create a magazine where the average reader is interested in a large part of it. That makes it worth buying.

If Trawler Forum was a pay site, you'd immediately get readers talking about how few threads interested them. Then you'd hear things like "I'm not going to pay when there are only two or three threads at any time I care about." Or you'd hear, "Most of what is posted there is of no interest to me."

As a magazine publisher, we hope that the reader will find 3 articles interesting but many will just like one or two. We have one magazine that a significant part of the readership comes for the ads. Our subscribers say they love the magazines but, if they had to pay for them, very few would do so.

It's a challenge to target a diverse audience and even TF is very diverse. Look at today's threads here and see how many of the last 25, really interest you? Now in a magazine, you don't have 25 articles. So pick a random five or six. Then would you pay for those six? TF is a "we love and can't do without" but I can't say that about individual threads. It takes it all. You can't get it all in a magazine.

I loved reading some of the reviews on Consumer Reports, but I no longer subscribe to it. The reason is I wasn't interested in most of the reviews. I only found one every few months I really cared about. Do car reviews interest you when you're not thinking of buying? What about microwave reviews when you have no interest in buying a microwave? I might read about timeshares out of curiosity but not interested enough to pay to do so. Now, because they can't advertise they're dependent on paid subscriptions.

I could create a boating magazine with heavy appeal to Fort Lauderdale boaters. I can't do that nationally.

 

[stevemitchell]

I know lots will say ad blocker is immoral or something similar, but for me the choice is nothing or nothing. Take your pick. I will use the site with ad blocker, or no use the site. Those are the choices.

It's a tough market, and I don't envy anyone in it since the only revenue stream is eyeballs and ads..

I use an ad blocker too, and I don't think it's immoral. I'm just tired of getting the same ads for something I'm not interested in over and over. And I am also tired of my browsing history and privacy being used by companies to make money. Many of them don't do what they're supposed to in protecting that, which causes other issues, so I'd rather not give it to them.

It's a challenge to target a diverse audience and even TF is very diverse. Look at today's threads here and see how many of the last 25, really interest you? Now in a magazine, you don't have 25 articles. So pick a random five or six. Then would you pay for those six? TF is a "we love and can't do without" but I can't say that about individual threads. It takes it all. You can't get it all in a magazine.

I could create a boating magazine with heavy appeal to Fort Lauderdale boaters. I can't do that nationally.

The diversity of audiences is very real. That definitely does make it hard to have a magazine or any other publication that appeals to everyone. In its place have sprouted forums (like TF!) and many other places where you can get information, some of which could potentially be bad sources, IMHO. Nevertheless, the whole industry has changed, and some things are still catching up.

The model for publishing in general (not necessarily marine-specific) has moved away from ads and towards a subscription model. Many of the local newspapers and other news outlets have shifted to this, and have found that they have far more loyal readers than they ever did with their old models. However, it takes the right steps, and definitely the right content and writers to make this work. Paid newsletters are also another area these same types of publications have leveraged successfully.

I pay for a number of subscriptions of that style, and appreciate their transparent nature, pricing (usually no more than $5/month, and in most cases much cheaper) and above all, the quality of their content. I also really like not having any ads.

I read a free newsletter called Publishers Weekly which gives insight into how publishers are making money, and moving to these models. I do this both to learn for my own purposes/site, but also just out of curiosity for what is working/not working.

 

[BandB]

Erik Nordstrom gave interviews around the opening of their NY megastore. The gist of his message was that you remain relevant by being open to change. He stated, "What we know about customer service may no longer be valid." One of the humorous things was drinking wine in the shoe department. He said he couldn't believe it took him all this time to realize wine and shoes go together.

What that targets is a shopping experience. Nordstrom has restaurants in their stores. Successful malls are remodeling to have experiences, doing things like having local junior theater and school activities.

It applies to publishing. How do you remain relevant? Sometimes it's trial and error. I ask this, do you equate couponing and luxury high income magazines? Well, we encouraged advertisers to add coupons and put a coupon section in the back. There was a debate apparently over doing this with some saying it cheapened the magazine. The advertisers said it shocked them how much value it added to their ads. The magazine got more letters praising the addition of coupons that I would have imagined. What inspired this move was recognizing that one of the main reasons newspapers still sell is Wednesday and Sunday inserts. All available online, but readers want them.

 

[syjos]

I subscribed to multiple magazine in the past; Passagemaker, Motorboating, Woodboat, Road & Track, Car and Driver, Stereo Review, Sound & Vision, Fine Woodworking, Professional Boatbuilder etc.

Some of those magazines are gone, other are now free and the rest became too expensive.

The content in most magazines are not as interesting or techanical as in the past.

I download most of those magazines for free from the library via RBdigital.

The only subscription I have now is Professional Boatbuilder which is free. But I donate money yearly to insure the magazine continue.

 

[FF]

For those interested in boat construction, maint, and systems , Pro Boat Builder has been the best source for about a decade.


No articles on how pretty a palm tree is but lots on design serious repair and modern concepts like emergency starting systems.

 

[skipperguy]

one time i was early

geez, who knew ? i quit a number of years ago but can't remember exactly why. your post rings true. bill p had a great mag -

first time ever that i was ahead of the curve

 

[OldDan1943]

Let's face it. We can all sit around wringing our hands, longing for the return of the original quality of PM or not to renew the subscription.
I doubt if anything we say to or about PM will have no effect on PM.

 

[Woodland Hills]

I think that WoodenBoat proves that you CANNOT get too technical. They have general interest stories about specific boats with color pictures and historical/biographical articles, but they also have detailed and in-depth articles about esoteric aspects of traditional as well as contemporary boat building. They even have a monthly column about wood science that seems designed to appeal to botanists and biologists.
Their plan seems to be to “cover the waterfront” of their chosen field and that had made them the recognized worldwide authority on all thing floating and wooden. They are filled with paid advertising but there are NO puff pieces: if they review an advertised product you can count on reading about the bad and negative as well as the good.
In short: they have integrity, something that is clearly lacking in nearly every other special interest magazine.