We Want to Hear From You

[MPM]

Hello Forumites--
The subtitle says it all: This new Forum topic, WoodenBoat Magazine, is a place for WoodenBoat readers to voice their comments, criticisms, and questions regarding the magazine. WoodenBoat’s staff will be watching this space, posing occasional questions here, and answering them from time to time, too.

Why are we doing this? Quite simply, it’s because we value—and need—your feedback in order to fine-tune the contents of the magazine. You are, after all, the very reason we publish WoodenBoat. Until the Forum came along, we sought comment through letters to the editor, e-mails, and conversations at boat shows. With the Forum came magazine-related posts scattered among our six current categories. In fact, one of the inspirations for this new topic heading was a recent discussion in The Bilge. We’d like to move such magazine discussion to a focused place on the Forum, so we we won’t miss your comments and questions; we’d also like to ask some questions of our own. This Forum has power that our other communication channels lack: Here, your comments grow into conversations; it’s a place of real dialogue.

Consider, for example, the shantyboat on the cover of the current issue. That was rather a surprise, wasn’t it? It’s generated a flow of letters to our offices, most of them positive, some of them questioning the boat’s cost. We want to know: Do you think a floating cottage like this one should appear in WoodenBoat? What elements of the magazine do you like? What don’t you like? What broad areas would you like to see covered more deeply? If there’s a magazine-related topic on your mind, start a thread. We’ll always be listening intently, and we’ll respond when it’s appropriate to do so—and as long as a deadline isn’t occupying our attention at that moment.

(If you have a specific article proposal, please don’t post it here. Our Editorial Guidelines are here, and they describe the process of submitting a proposal, and the level of detail we require in order to consider an article. We labor mightily to answer every article query, but they must be submitted through the proper channel in order for us to do this.)

As the threads and feedback here grow lively and interesting—and we know they will, given the threads we’ve watched over the years—we’ll publish edited excerpts in the magazine.

Thanks for listening, thanks for speaking up, and thanks for helping us to deliver the magazine you want.

Matt Murphy
Editor

[Willin']

Er, not to complain, Matt, but the Forum header says there are already 4 threads here, yet I only find yours. Can I have the secret password?

[Hwyl]

In a similar vein I would move, or ask Tom Montgomery to move his "Do you subscribe" poll here.

The latest issue was great BTW

[Scot]

That happened as a part of the set-up. You've not missed anything.
-Scot

[Leatherneck]

Scot, Matt,
This is a great idea. I say this having just read the last and current issue sitting in front of the fire, cursing the back muscle strain that put me on the binnacle list Friday.

Tom

[Dave B]

You mentioned the shanty boat article and what we thought of it....
I thought it was a great read! I typically don't read every article completely, but that one I did. I apparently wasn't the only one to question the cost to build, however. Was that accurate, and if so, why?

Keep up the good work on the magazine. I look forward to getting each one!

[Old Dryfoot]

Er, not to complain, Matt, but the Forum header says there are already 4 threads here, yet I only find yours. Can I have the secret password?

If you look under your personal setting for the forum you will find an option that allows you to display all threads, threads from the last 24 hours, the last year, and so on. This is also available at the bottom of each forum however setting if from that point is not a persistent setting and it will revert to the forum's default setting. Hope that helps.

BTW... I loved seeing a Shanty Boat on the cover and would welcome more such surprises in the future.

[Gerarddm]

Nothing wrong at all with shantyboat cover story. It's wood, isn't it?

An occasional Nautical Research Journal type story would be interesting. In that vein, though, I thought the Uffa Fox series overlong.

In the military forum field there is a concept of the walk-around, a comprehensive photo essay ( some also with text ) that goes into great detail about a particular weapon system, be it tank or aircraft, etc. It might be very instructional, not to mention inspirational, to see something similar comprehensive on great boats- A Fife, a Herreshoff, a J-Boat, etc.

[CEFeighn]

This will be a great part of the forum. The lastest issue was great as they all are, thank you.

[Canoeyawl]

I miss the "Matter of Detail" articles by Maynard Bray.
Arguably the very best of the magazine's section articles, I think that important details of construction are becoming lost to the vissisitudes of modern wooden boat construction. Many details often ignored as frivolous, some hidden and some prominent, are there to provide longivity to a wooden structure. As this lastest generation of small craft comes to maturity this lack or loss of knowledge will inevitably lead to more slander upon wooden boats. This argument already has some long legs with the plywood and solid-wood controversy here on the forum.

[DavidF]

The recent issue was one of my favorites. It had a wide range of articles, something for everyone. I like the respect for tradition and the interest in new approaches to old problems. Keep it pragmatic. But be sure to keep it up. (Yes, I am a subscriber and although I don't still have issue #1, I remember reading it when I was a kid. Still addicted.)
David

[Chip-skiff]

Thanks for adding this. There are often threads commenting on the content of the magazine, such as the Shanty Boat piece, which I liked.

One suggestion: authors tend to supply more detail, both photos and descriptions, than will fit in the magazine. If this Forum demonstrates anything, it is our hunger for details, specifics, close-up photos, etc.

Would this be a good context for some of the details edited out of the publication to be shared? And for a bit more dialogue between the authors of pieces in WB and the members of the Forum?

[David G]

I will also applaud your decision to add this section.

On the shantyboat cover... I love it.

[Lance F. Gunderson]

You mentioned the shanty boat article and what we thought of it....
I thought it was a great read! I typically don't read every article completely, but that one I did. I apparently wasn't the only one to question the cost to build, however. Was that accurate, and if so, why?

Keep up the good work on the magazine. I look forward to getting each one!

I love the Shanty boat, and sighed with delight when I first saw it. I was also appalled at the price, but would love to have one. Keep up the good work.

[Hwyl]

, I thought the Uffa Fox series overlong.

.

I could have enjoyed it if it 5 times as long.

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

One thing I enjoy about this forum is seeing an amateur, although sometimes an experienced one, restore, build or update their wooden boat. There is an element of comradeship that isn't present in an article about million dollar boats, or uber experienced yards and their projects. A mix of articles is always appreciated, but I really like the amateur stuff, that is written by them as well.

[Rich Jones]

Don't EVER let David Kasanof retire! Fo'c's'le is the first thing I read every issue.

[Bill Huson]

Shanty Boat - I had to hide that issue from the Admiral. She would leave dry land for a shanty boat in a heartbeat, but ... but ... but where would I put all my boat building tools? Where would I build? I'd have to add a large barge to the mooring string . . .

[Tom Lathrop]

Well, since you asked. Nothing wrong with placing a wooden boat of any description the cover and giving it an article. Trouble is, the title of "shanty boat" brings up many visions, none of them like that one. Have to be a pretty rich boat bum to afford that little doll house on the water, though very nicely thought out and beautifully built it may be. Various forums are full of little floating contrivancies where, for a few bucks and some back yard labor, a person can fashion a buoyant magic carpet to get away from it all just as well. Uffa Fox was one of my early boating gurus, so I enjoyed the article on him.

[CWSmith]

Nothing wrong at all with shantyboat cover story.

I have had several friends say the very same thing. We were all surprised by how much we enjoyed it.

Also, a little tar and hemp every so often is a joy.

[Yeadon]

Hello Forumites--
The subtitle says it all: This new Forum topic, WoodenBoat Magazine, is a place for WoodenBoat readers to voice their comments, criticisms, and questions regarding the magazine. WoodenBoat’s staff will be watching this space, posing occasional questions here, and answering them from time to time, too.

Why are we doing this? Quite simply, it’s because we value—and need—your feedback in order to fine-tune the contents of the magazine. You are, after all, the very reason we publish WoodenBoat. Until the Forum came along, we sought comment through letters to the editor, e-mails, and conversations at boat shows. With the Forum came magazine-related posts scattered among our six current categories. In fact, one of the inspirations for this new topic heading was a recent discussion in The Bilge. We’d like to move such magazine discussion to a focused place on the Forum, so we we won’t miss your comments and questions; we’d also like to ask some questions of our own. This Forum has power that our other communication channels lack: Here, your comments grow into conversations; it’s a place of real dialogue.

Consider, for example, the shantyboat on the cover of the current issue. That was rather a surprise, wasn’t it? It’s generated a flow of letters to our offices, most of them positive, some of them questioning the boat’s cost. We want to know: Do you think a floating cottage like this one should appear in WoodenBoat? What elements of the magazine do you like? What don’t you like? What broad areas would you like to see covered more deeply? If there’s a magazine-related topic on your mind, start a thread. We’ll always be listening intently, and we’ll respond when it’s appropriate to do so—and as long as a deadline isn’t occupying our attention at that moment.

(If you have a specific article proposal, please don’t post it here. Our Editorial Guidelines are here, and they describe the process of submitting a proposal, and the level of detail we require in order to consider an article. We labor mightily to answer every article query, but they must be submitted through the proper channel in order for us to do this.)

As the threads and feedback here grow lively and interesting—and we know they will, given the threads we’ve watched over the years—we’ll publish edited excerpts in the magazine.

Thanks for listening, thanks for speaking up, and thanks for helping us to deliver the magazine you want.

Matt Murphy
Editor

That happened as a part of the set-up. You've not missed anything.
-Scot

This is a good idea, for sure. I applaud your effort. I know that you want to hear from us, but will we be hearing more in return from you?

[P.L.Lenihan]

Hi,

I've enjoyed WOODENBOAT magazine since issue number 1 and have subscribed,off and on, over the years but finally gave up when I realized my local mag store always recieved WB 2+ weeks before my mailman would crumple, crush,shove and fold mine into my mailbox.

The current issue is a fine one(as have been all the rest) and I enjoy reading WOODENBOAT from front to back regardless the topic. I always find at least one item of real interest. However, I should add that I am a bit of a nut like that and if it is made of wood and floats, then I am interested. It is the only magazine I know of dealing only with wooden boats available from my local mag store. Biographies on designers and builders are also of great value to me,as they allow me,a complete stranger, a glimpse into the nitty gritty realities of anothers' life in boats. It is always comforting to read how folks passionate about boats and boating get or got to live their passion out.


It is very impressive to see mega projects and mega bucks getting blown on a wooden boat. I have no way to ever meet or match those sort of projects but they do blow my socks off! The shanty boat cover/article was a very nice treat as it comes nearer my abilities and wallet, at least if I was to build it. I certainly do not grudge the professional builder his asking price.I just know that I, as a hobbiest, could build one for less. Either way, it is difficult to see how ones enjoyment of the shanty boat on the water would be different,no matter the provenance of the boat.


While it is not clear to me who your target audience is, nor who you wish to attract, I can say that boats more closely approaching a human scale,that is; reasonably achievable by a regular working stiff, have a very strong allure for me and fuel wonderful dreams due to the simple fact they are honestly within my reach. Everything else is just gravy and a tastier gravy would be hard to imagine!!


Thank you for the great effort everyone at WOODENBOAT brings to each issue and thank you too for providing this fine forum. It is a grand adjunct to your magazine and fills in handsomely while I await the next issue!



Sincerely,


Peter Lenihan

Montreal,Quebec

[Rob Stokes, N. Vancouver]

Shanty article was great - in fact it epitomises the diversity of vessels that can be formed of wood, and as such, should be covered by the publication... and now - I'm off to bed to finish reading it....

[ramillett]

Matt I use to read many boat magazines to find out whats new out there for my boat , now I only subscribe to WB for 2 reasons #1 my wife can't come up with anything for a birthday present for me , #2 WB is the only magazine that still has some ties to my 25 years of owning a wood boat . Now days my thoughts are not on new gadgets , their more on how can I justify keeping a boat that has used 2/3 of my families income for the last 25 years . I look at some of the restoration projects in WB , but think I'm too old to get into that again , I've done the project , now what do I do with it ? Is there a cheep way to keep them ? You can sell them , but I've seen more larger wood boats sold to people who love them , but have no way to maintain them , and end up in some yard , rotting away . I'm wondering if it takes a club or museum to keep them going . Over the last 25 years I've tried to take anyone interested in the boat out sailing , but most people don't have the time , too busy with family , or just trying to survive in this economy . One of my big concerns is if I sell the boat , what well I do then . One idea was build a house , but after seeing the cover of the last WB , that shanty boat did get the design juices going . If you go down and look at my slip and see that over priced piece of water thinking shanty boat , that could be a not so bad retirement pad on the water Bob

[Paul Fitzgerald]

I live in Australia, and subscribed from issue no 3. I still have all the issues from No 1 to around 2004.
I stopped subscribing when I had to use your Aussie agent and found the magazine was regularly in the newsagent several months before I received mine in the mail.
I was also disappointed in the gradual shift from how to build articles to boating history and art once Jon Wilson gave up the editors chair.
I actually bought one in the Newsagent a week ago, it is really a lightweight compared to the old days. I also had to pay $A10 for a two month old magazine.

[Eddiebou]

Woodenboat is the only magazine to which I currently subscribe. I look forward to getting it in the mail. I really liked the shantyboat article.
I like all of your regular departments. I especially liked the "scrappy" sharpie story. I like regional/historical bits like the boats of Core Sound.
I wish there were more woodenboat stories from around Chesapeake Bay. I got bored with Uffa Fox and I'm not really into the 12' Peapod build. I might come back to either of them one day, though.

[Ted Hoppe]

Once again a wise choice for the best magazine and forum. I often wanted to follow up on an article or move to dissusssion. Look forward to another valuable asset in the wood boat family.

Thanks again for recognizing the possibility. Look forward to this section.

[htom]

I love the Shanty boat, and sighed with delight when I first saw it. I was also appalled at the price, but would love to have one. Keep up the good work.

Yup.

[Jay Greer]

Wow! I opened the WBF this morning and found your new thread. Great Idea! How did so many get here ahead of me?
Spring tides,
Jay

[SchoonerRat]

Why hasn't this been a part of the WBF from the beginning?

Great new forum!

I have just one comment on the magazine content...MORE SCHOONER STUFF!

Thanks for a great mag and a great forum.

[Bert Langley]

As with many, Woodenboat is the only boating magazine I subscribe to. I enjoyed the shantyboat article, and suprised myself with how much I enjoyed the series on Uffa Fox. I usually do no much enjoy that type of article.

While I like an occasional article on the restorations/build of the large boats, I am much more a small boat person and like articles on them more.

I usually like the "how-to-build" articles, but one complaint is after the boats are finished there is seldom any info on how they actually perform and few in-the-water shots. I would really like more "after I built it this is how I use it, and this is how I like it" info.

[Full Tilt]

Wooden Boat is the only publication that I have NEVER missed a copy of. I don't subscribe because it is available weeks earlier at the newstand or my chandlery. I read every word, ads included, often many times over. I used to get 'Cruising World' and when younger, a couple of windsurfing mags, but I just can't stand the rampant consumerism of plastic boating,with its disregard for history and the evolution of traditional design. I do find the separation between what is considered wooden construction and fibreglass construction nebulous at best. A lot of wood went into the building of my Douglas 32', from its balsa core, to the teak dorades, coamings, toe rails, eyebrows, pin rails, hatches, binnacle table, stern seat/fenderboards, boom gallows, cockpit sole and pulpit seat. Not to mention a full teak interior. Bronze hardware is the same as on a wooden boat, so are fasteners and paints and glues, yet, I feel like I'm tresspassing on sacred ground even though there is so much in common between us. I guess I'm living in the overlap.
I love all beautiful boats, regardless of material and I greatly admire those who practice the art of traditional boatbuilding, its just that if I was to own a totally wooden sailboat, it would need be much smaller and simpler than the vessels I currently own if I was going to be able to both maintain it and have time to sail it.

[Breakaway]

I liked the shantyboat article. I liked it for what it was--call it a design tour. And I liked it because it shows a different way to go boating, besides sail or power and besides what's commonly available via mass manufacturing channels. I enjoy Richard Jaegels column, the Apprentice's Workshop, and Mke O"Brien, and build stories--particularly of small to medium sized boats. Once it gets into a yard doing a build, I'd rather see a focus on one technique or challenge they faced and overcame, rather than a "global" view of the whole deal.

I'd enjoy seeing more design commentary perhaps where just one or three hull features were addressed, say hard chine versus round bilge, or double-ended versus transom and discuss the pros and cons in depth from the standpoints of both build and performance on the water. Opinions from experts on the why as well as the what.

I dont subscribe but do buy it off the newstand every month. I have most of about 15 years worth, but have missed a few issues.

Kevin

[Kyle Horton]

All I want to know is when my next issue will arrive! I resubbed ~Xmas and am curious when my Jan/Feb issue will arrive.

[MPM]

Wow! What a lively and thoughtful set of responses. You've generated a lot of topics that we'd like to explore more deeply with you. I think that's best done in separate threads, so keep an eye on things here in the following weeks and months. Thank you!
Matt Murphy

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

Matt, I'm sure we all have our individual set of desires when it comes to articles in WB, but one thing I was wondering about since the creation of this section, is how a modern print media adapts to the innovation offered in this forum, Facebook, twitter, myspace etc.

Journalism sometimes lags behind in this hispeed information age... Perhaps some integrated stories that have WB magazine presence, as well as forum and facebook presence is a way to boost overall interest in the what WB does. Rather than redundant posts, perhaps technical portions remain in the magazine, and reader builds of WB offered plans on facebook, and the forum in a more formal process. ... but keeping the fun in it.

[Bill R]

Loved the Shantyboat article.

[earling2]

I think if the average, non-wooden boat person got hold of a current issue, they'd get the impression that wooden boats are elitist and/or for perfectionists, based on the This Old House sized budgets that people seem to be working with. Love the magazine, I probably have 95% of the issues, but as the years pass, it seems to reflect wealth and leisure more than it used to. I would love to see regularly posted adventure/gunkholing articles in wooden craft.

[john welsford]

I understand why you are surveying forum members, and their input will be valuable. But in order to maintain circulation, or increase it, it would be very helpful to know what those who have an interest in wooden boats but who do not subscribe to the magazine or the forum would like, find out what it would take to bring them into the fold.
Hard to do, but perhaps a questionnair at the wb stand at boat shows, with prizes as an incentive for those who take the trouble to fill the forms out and put them in "the box"?
John Welsford

[C. Ross]

Matt
Thank you for doing this.
First, I'm sure you keep track of article categories carefully, and there seems to be a good balance between new builds, restoration and maintenance, home builds, designs, historical features, etc. My view is that I am only going to buy or build a new boat every couple of years, but I use my boat weekly (most days in summer). I'd like to see more articles about how to maintain, restore, renovate, and use my boat. There are some articles that have been go-tos for me: the chemistry of wood bleaching, caulking, painting, varnishing. If you look at the active Forum threads, some of the longest running and most widely read are vigorous discussions about various techniques for repair, maintenance and restoration. I also read articles about seamanship carefully and always learn something. I would love to see more articles about various wooden boat shows.
Second, I acknowledge this is a parochial interest, but I own a 36' power cruiser. While there is a very active market in runabouts, the cruiser market is languishing badly. I worry that the declining value of cruisers means that they will not be maintained and will disappear. And while replica runabouts are built, I am not aware of significant construction of new wooden cruisers. Won't it be a shame if the last Monks, Elcos, Matthews, Lymans, Wheelers, Trumpys, Richardsons, Grandys, Taylors, Owens, and Blanchards disappear because of disinterest? I'd like to see WoodenBoat put some focus on these boats, and at least help document them before the last ones are broken up.
To Mr. Welsford's excellent comment just above, I agree and think the "getting started in boating" series have been excellent.
Thank you
Cris Ross

[Roger Cumming]

The magazine continues to be an excellent source of information about wooden boats. As one with an interest in wooden boat building and design but little firsthand experience in it, I would like to see articles about builders' current practices and techniques. Are computers having any effect in modern wooden boat design and construction as they are in every other industry?

[JonWilson]

Seeing all the interaction here is already exciting. And in the category of Be Careful What You Wish For, we're all hoping we can manage to keep up with you! Thanks for being there.

[landlocked sailor]

Jon, the irony of you as a junior member is rich! I cannot get this image out of my mind. http://www.google.com/search?um=1&hl...44l0.10.2l12l0

Rick

[rufustr]

I subscribe to the Magazine because I think subscriptions somehow help the magazine to survive.

I now have both hard copy and digital subscriptions because I find it hard to wait several weeks after new issues are discussed here and the arrival of my hard copy.

I see this as a significant problem but it is caused by postal issues not of Wooden Boats making.

I am looking at my shelf of Wooden Boat Magazines now. and I read and reread every one.

My favourite parts of the forum are the Building and Design sections and I would like to see more emphasis on these subjects in the Magazine.

I read elsewhere the suggestion that the Annual Small Boat Designs issue be offered to long term subscribers as part of their subscription, and think that may act as a good inducement to perhaps commit to a 3 year subscription.

Thanks for an iconic publication.

(Edited to add that I already have a 3 year subscription.)

[JonWilson]

Yes -- ever a junior. That picture sure brings it back, when WB was literally a kitchen table operation, back in the woods.

[switters]

In Colorado we cant rely on finding the magazine on a regular basis. So I was very happy when the latest issue showed up in the mail and I took the plastic off. My first thought was Harry Bryan? I thought no, just because i read the lady bug article 60 times doesn't mean that I can recognize one his boats. But I did.

Wooden boat has also inspired me to build some kid friendly boats, and a guy I know has started to do after school workshops with kids to teach them about simple things that some fathers dont seem to teach anymore, like using power tools and rewiring light switches. And, building one sheet skiffs; so I was very happy to pass along the article on using boat building to teach math. Excellent! And the getting started in boats feature is usually one of the first things I turn to.

[Old Dryfoot]

Yes -- ever a junior. That picture sure brings it back, when WB was literally a kitchen table operation, back in the woods.

[mcdenny]

RIck, You beat me to it. Jon Wilson as a junior member!

Jon, Do you feel reincarnated as a newbie in digital media? You can change that tag line, you know.

[Sailor]

I agree with the "unlimited budget" idea. We need some everyday joe type of information because most of us are just everyday joes when it comes to our bank accounts.

[Nicholas Scheuer]

Great idea for an index category!