OT: Practical Sailor magazine?

[umop_apisdn]

Is this worth the subscription price?

Thanks,

Noel

[Charlie Jones]

I've found that it's like this for me-

IF you are outfitting and or maintaining a larger boat, definitely. If you are just keeping up a smaller boat, maybe, maybe not, depending on how much gear you are or intend to be purchasing.

If you are sailing a very small boat, like a weekender for example, I doubt it.

I've never really found it to be worth the price.

That's my own personal opinion- others may disagree.

[Brent]

My present sailing style is one of doing quite well with very simple equipment. The new gear I add this year will most likely be hand crafted.

I am going in the opposite direction of this magazine.

[Greg Luckett]

I subscribed to it for several years, collected a bunch of the issues, and then dropped the subscription last year and tossed the copies last month. It is interesting reading and educational and if you do not need the money elsewhere, go for it. I like Good Old Boat, Boat Builder, and Wooden Boat better and that is where my money goes lately.

[umop_apisdn]

What magazine would you guys recommend for good articles on the "how-to"s of sailing? I still consider myself a novice level sailor, so I am looking for something with educational articles.

I subscribed to "Sail" during my daughter's magazine drive, and it has a few good articles, but lots of stuff that is obviously intended to be more entertaining than useful.

I picked up a couple couple issues of "Sailing World", but it seems to mostly be about racing great big boats?

Any other magazines I should consider? Any that focus more on cruising than racing?

Thanks,

Noel

[Ken_Potts]

I haven't read Small Craft Advisor (but I keep intending to because it looks interesting) so I can't really recommend it but maybe someone else here can...

http://www.smallcraftadvisor.com/index.html

[Howard]

Rather than a magazine, I'd suggest you get a few books and read up on it. One I'd recommend is "The Complete Sailor" by David Seidman. Pretty much the full spectrum of information there.

Beyond that, try to find someone local who knows what he or she is doing and have them go out with you some afternoon. Better still...two or three different people. Look for the folks who when on their own boats are sailing rather than motoring.

For magazines, I'm down to Good Old Boat and Small Craft Advisor. My subscription to PS expired some time ago, and I didn't even know it.

[Barry Pyeatt]

Hi Noel,

I would recommend that you visit the library and have them order some of the books for you. Most all of the books that will be recommended will be available on inter-library loan if they are not in the system.

I'd second Howard's recoemdation and add a couple of my own.

Hand, Reef and Steer... by Tom Cunliffe

The Gaff Rig Handbook: History, Design... by John Leather

Sailmaker's Apprentice by Emiliano Marino

The Complete Rigger's Apprentice: Tools and Techniques for Modern and Traditional Rigging by Brion Toss

You will find good information that is well respected in the sailing world and directly applicable to many of the areas that will help you.

There is a little software program available online that may help a bit with basic understanding of wind direction, sail set, heading etc. Not a comprehensive teaching tool by any means but it can help a lot with understanding how to work various headings in, across and away from the wind.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/volvooceanrace/interactives/sailing/index.html

Another that helps with true and apparent wind

http://www.sailingusa.info/true_wind_calculator.htm'>http://www.sailingusa.info/true_wind_calculator.htm

Also a good online sailing tutorial and courses.

http://www.sailingusa.info/

If you would like, I'd be happy to go out with you anytime for the most part. Just let me know.

[Greg Luckett]

A couple of magazines I read reguarly for sailing stories are "Sailing" and "Cruising World".

[Frank Hagan]

Practical Sailor is kind of like a Consumer's Report for the sailing world. Their focus is very much on gear that is pretty costly, although they do cover some topics of interest to the home builder (paint tests, etc.) I subscribe periodically, which gives me access on-line to their past articles, then I let the subscription lapse for a year or so. Its interesting, but simply doesn't apply all that much to the small boat sailor.

I still like Sail Magazine ... I keep looking at those bare boat charters in the back and dreaming. Really have to get my sailing lessons in so Jan and I can do that sometime.

[Steve Day]

Frank,

Come down here to Alabama and take lessons from us. We'll get you bare boat certified and you can sail with Gina and me after school.

33' and 40' Beneteaus.

Steve

[Kidd]

I know this is an old thread but I had to put in my $.02 for "Small Craft Advisor". In the last issue there is even a great picture of a weekender flying a topsail at a woodenboat festival. The magazine contains a different boat review and plan review each week, along with adventure stories, and sometimes things like tips on racing and such. Good reading, great pictures, and it makes an outstanding wishbook.

[Tom Lathrop]

I received a complimentary copy of SCA a few days ago. It seems like a nice publication and the editor claims to be trying for the same kind of mag as the Small Boat Journal that was assasinated a few years ago. While I enjoyed reading it, it is not SBJ and does not cover a lot of the ground and not in the detail that SBJ did. For instance, not a single powerboat could be found in its pages and I like both bubba and blow types of small boats.

Still, it is a nice magazine. Problem is, magazines are getting so bloody expensive. I can often find a good used book on the web (I like ABE books) for no more than a single issue and almost always less than an annual subscription. If magazines would offer a really good index search feature, they would be more valuable since digging through the stack can get to be a chore. Many offer indexes but they are not usually completely reliable.

I agree with most comments on Practical Sailor. It's hard to justify either the cost or the filling space, unless you are in the process of fitting out a boat.

[Frank Hagan]

Frank' date='

Come down here to Alabama and take lessons from us. We'll get you bare boat certified and you can sail with Gina and me after school.

33' and 40' Beneteaus.

Steve[/quote']

We may take you up on that Steve! I didn't really see this message until this morning (have some down time before I head out to the airport on a business trip ... will be in Chicago for the next few days).

[Greg Luckett]

Gee Frank. Are you the reason it is starting to get colder here again and snow on the way tonight?