Sad State of PassageMaker

[menzies]

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 guess with all of the on-line options including forums like this one their time has passed.

This could not be summed up better than by this morning's FaceBook post from PassageMaker.

"Great Loopers can drop anchor at new state-of-the-art marina in 2021 in the Windy City."

Drop anchor? Really?

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.

 

[psneeld]

Sure they weren't using the slang of old timers to mean "stop" there?

I would have put in quotes.....

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. m. IMO Passagemaker died when Bill Pantaloon sold out to Dominion. What was originally a great resource full of articles and items that the "average" boater (I suspect the majority of TF members) would be interested in quite quickly morphed to "bigger, new and improved (dubious) and most expensive" MUST haves or you're a loser publication.


Don't even get me started on the articles written by "experts".

 

[menzies]

Sure they weren't using the slang of old timers to mean "stop" there?

I would have put in quotes.....

Of course they were, but in the headline of a mag that has the tagline: "The World's Cruising Authority?"

Regardless, done with putting my money down that drain!

 

[menzies]

Greetings,
Mr. m. IMO Passagemaker died when Bill Pantaloon sold out to Dominion. What was originally a great resource full of articles and items that the "average" boater (I suspect the majority of TF members) would be interested in quite quickly morphed to "bigger, new and improved (dubious) and most expensive" MUST haves or you're a loser publication.


Don't even get me started on the articles written by "experts".

The turning point for me is when Steve D'Antonio stopped writing for them. That was the writing on the wall.

 

[sunchaser]

As with most publications, I read PMM with a grain of salt. Each issue has a few spot good articles or short notes. If at the end of a year I've learned a few more things about boating I'm happy.

An issue or two ago had a cover article on named storm insurance, weather smarts and the obvious reasons to avoid the "Islands" during hurricane season. Anybody else on TF read it?

PMM has a few very experienced nautical writers, I tend to ignore the others. Just like any publication, a few good nuggets of information I find worth the admission price.

 

[Pete Meisinger]

I have not given up yet but while it used to be an anticipated magazine arrival it now just does not excite me.

Too bad, it used to be great.

I think I will copy this thread when it has run its course and send it to PM, maybe it's not too late..

pete

 

[Woodland Hills]

I thought Passagemaker was now one of those magazines you got for free, like Showboats International. Do people still actually pay for it? Why, there’s nothing in it you can’t get from the boat builders brochures.

 

[Blissboat]

I thought Passagemaker was now one of those magazines you got for free, like Showboats International. Do people still actually pay for it? Why, there’s nothing in it you can’t get from the boat builders brochures.

Ditto. Even at its best, PM seemed to alternate between serious boating journalism, "lifestyle" pieces and just plain boat ol' porn. Like most slick mags, the advertisers essentially pay for it. Subscribers are how the sales reps justify the ad rates.

 

[Codger2]

The turning point for me is when Steve D'Antonio stopped writing for them. That was the writing on the wall.

For me it was the endless articles on "fuel polishing" by Parletore. When he ran out of ammo for dirty fuel processing he turned to "water polishing."

 

[Comodave]

I used to read every issue cover to cover several times. Now a quick read and that is it. I used to refer back to old issues to research how to do something. Now that never happens. When Bill Partalore sold it was the end of a really good magazine. I won’t be renewing it again either. I keep hoping that there will be a good article, but no there has not been anything of interest for a long time, maybe because I am not a multi millionaire...

 

[Ken E.]

For me it was the endless articles on "fuel polishing" by Parletore. When he ran out of ammo for dirty fuel processing he turned to "water polishing."

Paralatore also hammered on engines' main electrical switches being outside the engine room, over and over. PM is thin on content these days, mostly ads, and I haven't subscribed in maybe 5 years.

 

[bayview]

"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.

 

[Woodland Hills]

The original PM was an expression of one man’s vision and as such reflected his personal concerns and issues to a great extent. At least it was not an obvious scam to get free boat stuff like that Bitchy Bob guy and his rag! Now that was a real waste of paper.......

Also “drop the anchor” is an improvement on “drop the hook”, so it could have been worse.

 

[twistedtree]

To me, most commercial publications have lost all their credibility. And that goes for printed pubs like PM, and also electronic pubs like Panbo. And I think it all comes back to the distance, or lack of distance, between editorial and advertising.


The pubs have all drifted to become fluff pieces, happy thoughts, and "is this the next great XYZ?" Their mission is not to teach, but to promote an industry, plain and simple. I just can't take any of it seriously, or believe it's actually objective work.


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.

 

[BandB]

I find the role of a publisher is to ask those things people would like to know that may not be readily available.

It's reporting.

If you write about a boat, then you must get in depth beyond that on the builder's web site. That can be hard. It's likely impossible if you haven't actually been on the boat.

If you write about a place, then disclose something everyone in the world doesn't already know.

I read an article in a local Fort Lauderdale magazine about a young equestrian a few days ago. I'm not even interested in equestrian competition. However, her story was so interesting and I got an appreciation for equestrians I'd never had before. Reading about her relationship with her horse and how she built it was something I never had appreciated before.

That's what I want from any publication. I'd love to read an article periodically that was an interview and history of one of the greats in the industry. Not a publicity release but a real in-depth story.

I'd love to read the history of a boat builder disclosing things the general public doesn't know. Instead of just saying Joe Smith stepped into the company in 1957 talk to someone who knew him then about that move.

There's a local magazine that is about 70% advertising. Now, there are many readers who love it just for the ads. However, it has articles sprinkled throughout. For some readers, it might have reviews of all the local spas. I'm sure the reporter enjoyed checking them all out. That is the type article that would take at least 40 hours to put together and have to be done over a few weeks. Now I was interested in an article about Dorian and the Bahamas and what had been done and some of what was needed. I hadn't read a good update recently. It was well done and showed the research.

The problem is that publications are not generally willing to pay writers or reporters and not paying free lancers enough to encourage it.

I would think to put together a good boating magazine you would need to have well researched, knowledgeable articles on several topics each month. For instance, boat of the month, cruising location of the month, marina, boat and engine maintenance. Really at least 4 or 5 different people writing in depth about different topics every month. Now, that won't come cheap so better sell a lot of advertising, because people are not going to pay for publications today.

 

[OldDan1943]

I had a subscription to Passage Maker I think for the first 2 years.
I let it expire because discovered, I just didn't have the time to read them carefully because I was doing a major refit on my N46.
I am sad because, according to all the comments, the quality has really gone down hill.
This is not the first time I watched of a good publication go down hill and one got so bad it disappeared.
I agree, if I want information/knowledge about a specific product, I go to YouTube or do a general search on the subject. There are a lot of good videos not posted on YouTube, found in a general search.
Now I am sad, I will stop my search for PM on the news stands or maybe I will find and buy one more copy just to confirm the comments made here.

 

[PacificBlue]

Boat builders do not want critical articles written about their product, they will pull the advertising card and the publisher loses revenue. It is not like the car industry where you need a transportation vehicle, no one really needs a pleasure boat but thankfully many want one. You can have more meaningful critiques in car magazines because they are selling millions of cars a year, while a few bad reviews, warranted or not, will put a an end to that business venture.

The mind set of marine magazine publishers needs to change and they need to dig deep and find the compelling stories that we can now read on blogs and keep the readers interest.

 

[Mako]

Passagemaker magazine and every edition of Beebe’s book after the first edition

 

[mvweebles]

Recent Interview/Conversation with Bill Parletore below. He talks tangentially about the evolution and target market that got him into the magazine business.

Personally, I lost interest in PMM when boats throwing wakes started gracing their cover. For anyone with a hobby and a magazine (eg motorcycle) , the cycle is clear: money comes from adverters. Don't bite the hand that feeds you.

https://youtu.be/ChoaEvP1ju4

 

[SoWhat]

Everything I read is on my ipad. I have a link to PassageMaker. The free articles are OK. Interesting but nothing I would pay for.

 

[ssobol]

What's happening to PassageMaker is happening to most "niche" printed publications. Unless you can get a lot of people to pay decent money for a subscription, the cost of dedicated staff and production and distribution of a printed product are going to be too expensive to maintain.

The publishers have to rely on ad revenue and product placement articles. And they can't afford to develop a reputation of telling the truth about real world experiences with the products that appear in the magazine for fear of driving the advertisers away. You end up with review articles that are so vague and generic that they don't help you make a decision about the products described (e.g. "Best boat under $50K" article won't actually say which is the best boat.)

Magazines like Consumer Reports maintain a distance from advertisers and vendors. However, they are a non profit and do a lot of money raising by means other than just subscriptions.

 

[Blissboat]

ssobol wrote, "Magazines like Consumer Reports maintain a distance from advertisers and vendors. However, they are a non profit and do a lot of money raising by means other than just subscriptions."

CR has for years been my go-to resource for many purchase decisions. Lately though, even that stubbornly independent organization has been forced to go on a "content diet." They wait longer between updated product reviews, they have dropped entire categories of products, and the review content itself has become noticeably thinner. I can only speculate that we, the consumers, feel less need for CR's independent research and reportage, because of digital media channels. We are subscribing / donating at reduced levels, and that has an effect that you can see.

 

[Bigsalmonfish]

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

 

[markpierce]

ssobol wrote, "Magazines like Consumer Reports maintain a distance from advertisers and vendors. However, they are a non profit and do a lot of money raising by means other than just subscriptions."

CR has for years been my go-to resource for many purchase decisions. Lately though, even that stubbornly independent organization has been forced to go on a "content diet." They wait longer between updated product reviews, they have dropped entire categories of products, and the review content itself has become noticeably thinner. I can only speculate that we, the consumers, feel less need for CR's independent research and reportage, because of digital media channels. We are subscribing / donating at reduced levels, and that has an effect that you can see.

By the time the articles are released, the items reviewed are no longer available.

I thought the decline in my interest of boating magazine articles was due to my rise of boating knowledge, now, perhaps not. Presently, don't bother to read free boating magazines except for those about local water happenings.

 

[fractalphreak]

I'm not sure how to feel about the state of magazine journalism. I grew up on yearly subscriptions to National Geographic, and in younger years made sure to subscribe to one of the several local daily papers for information. Now we have this dangblasted awesome internet where I have information I never could have dreamed of at my fingertips, but those professional writers can't raise a family at the local paper or a magazine.

There's also the always present possibility of a change in business focus that makes the negative change that drives some customers away for good.

I did hear about a local boating magazine here on TF, Pacific Yachting, that seems focused on the South Coast (did I say that right, mu Canuck friends to the North?) nearby. The content looked good enough I asked for a subscription for Christmas and my eldest daughter bought me the online and print combo. Turns out the online sub. includes access to all online back issues to 2000, so I'm digging it for now. I'll see how it shapes up over the year and decide if its of value to me.

With that and with other local business I am trying to spend my money on good ones to keep them around. My 2 c.

 

[BandB]

What's happening to PassageMaker is happening to most "niche" printed publications. Unless you can get a lot of people to pay decent money for a subscription, the cost of dedicated staff and production and distribution of a printed product are going to be too expensive to maintain.

The paid subscription model is mostly dead now. There is more revenue to be made by free subscriptions, widespread distribution and ads as the ad fees are based on subscribers, but free are the same as paid. Paid subscriptions largely died on the internet but they've now made a comeback there. The Athletic may be the best example of a paid magazine site. Then there is ESPN+. Nearly all newspapers are now paid. A few years ago they failed to get subscribers when they tried but now it seems to be working for them. What is ironic is that newspapers charge and tv stations in the same market do not and often have the same content.

These things all continue to evolve. Not long ago, Google advertising was the place to be. Now it's social media but the real means of promotion is to build following on social media and now we have a lot of "influencers" who are right now the most effective form of promotion for many products.

 

[ssobol]

By the time the articles are released, the items reviewed are no longer available....

Yes, the life cycle of modern products particularly anything electronic is such that by the time CR does their extensive testing and publishes the results, the product is obsolete.

 

[Peter B]

It is a bit sad. I remember picking up a copy by chance here is Oz in about 2003 or 4, and was so excited by the content I wrote a letter to Bill P the then editor as well as founder of the mag, stating that for once I had found a mag that featured "my kind of boat". You know, the sort of boats the majority love and can afford, and not always new ones either. Often older boats were re-visited. He replied personally and also printed my letter.

Clearly he himself had a love affair with trawler-style vessels, confirmed by his recent interview quote that he lost interest when too many boats leaving wakes dominated the mag. He clearly had a ball overseeing the build of his own Zimmerman 36.

Of course, once her sold out of PMM, and was not even the owner, let alone the editor, it was totally predictable the shiny suit brigade selling 'high end' boats and gear, and their advertisers would prevail. Just like happened to nearly all of the boating publications in other countries as well, Australia being a prime example. After all, how many can afford a $3m Riviera or Maritimo..?

Along with the decline of the Mag itself, the online forum it supported also declined and became virtually unusable. Thankfully, the story is not all doom and gloom, because thanks to one of our moderators, John Baker, and a friend called Doug, (I think), Trawler Forum was birthed, and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

[Moby Nick]

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

I've never had occasion to read PMM.