A fake courtesy machine, our tax dollars at work, and in the “blood on their hands” department…
I used to like Practical Sailor. Seriously, how could you not like an entity protecting boat folk from shoddy products. They tested gear and dispensed advice without the strictures of not offending advertisers. Their no advertising allowed policy made that easy.
Who’d have thought that would be a factor? Granted, at the end of the day, Practical Sailor’s content was still mostly about buying stuff. Its saving grace was that it looked out for the consumer. As such, a guardrail of sorts.
In the past, I looked forward to the results of long term testing of such things as electronics, various boat systems and anti-fouling. Over the last few decades, Practical Sailor has been there for me and they saved a lot of money and grief in the process.
Sadly, Practical Sailor is not the kick ass newsletter it used to be. Most of the science has been replaced by opinion. Even though there’s still no advertising, there’s still some stealth pimpage and their videos are cringeworthy. So, not quite the magazine it used to be.
The most recent video tells me I can afford to spend up to $200K for a catamaran.
I can’t.
I did check the cushions in the salon and it’s fairly meager pocket change. To begin with, I know a lot of folks who make more money than I do, and even more who make less. Yet, none of us can afford to buy a $200,000 catamaran.
Maybe I should find some more upmarket friends? Buy some lottery tickets, rob a bank, or maybe cash in on the $1.776 billion slush fund somehow?
Which leads me to believe that the current talking head for Practical Sailor doesn’t have a clue about the current economy and what people can or can’t afford. Maybe someone at PS should read the room.
In my experience, I find it quite frustrating when talking heads habitually use terms like ‘affordable’. Without defining what is or is not affordable to their audience, the term is useless. Throwing around affordable is just like President Bone Spurs saying the high price of gas is peanuts. Not worth consideration.
As it happens, I still hope that someday Practical Sailor will return to being a great resource for sailors, which is why I long to be able to renew my subscription.
Just sayin’
Not just Practical Sailor. I found Yachting Monthly videos going on about “good value” yachts in excess of £750K. Like you, I am at a loss to know who exactly that message is aimed at, certainly not the majority public. Long gone are the days when YM sponsored home building designs from the likes of Maurice Griffiths.