Required reading

[coyote]

There seem to be plenty of magazines related to sailing and boats on the rack, even here in the dry colonies. Any suggestions as to which ones would be most beneficial to a prospective sailor?

[GordMay]

A few good rags:
“Good Old Boat” - http://www.goodoldboat.com/
“Practical Sailor” - http://www.practical-sailor.com/
“Ocean Navigator” - http://www.oceannavigator.com/
“Professional Boatbuilder” - http://www.proboat-digital.com/proboat/200508/
“The Coastal Passage” - http://www.thecoastalpassage.com/

[Lightfin]

My wife & I enjoy "Latitudes & Attitudes," and recommend it for some learning, but probably more for entertainment and inspiration. Their website is "latsandatts.net"

We also take "Practical Sailor," which is much like a Consumer Reports for boating.

[coot]

The best way to choose is just get a copy of various magazines from a news stand and see. There is a lot of variation in what people like.

For example, many people like Latitudes and Attitudes, but I won't even pick one up out of the book exchange any more. (Many marinas have a shelf where sailors drop off books that they have read and pick up books that others have left.)

I like Cruising World (www.cruisingworld.com). They run articles about boat handling and maintenance. They review boats. There are a fair number of "I went there and saw that" articles, which can be interesting for how people do it, even if there is no way you plan to go to that part of the world.

If you're not very familiar with sailing, something like Cruising World or Ocean Navigator will give you some good insight. They aren't really aimed at somebody with no sailing experience, but they have a broad enough coverage that a beginner can get a lot out of it.

But then I'm interested in cruising. If you are in to racing, you might have a different view.

[BC Mike]

Ocean Navigator.
Latest issue has articles on life rafts, gensets, electrical systems and repelling pirates. All of those things have been recently discussed on this site.
Michael

Another vote for Good Old Boat. If you have too much money, and just can not figure out what to spend it on, Latts and Atts is not a bad rag, but for the rest of us, Good Old Boat covers things you could actually afford, and explains very well how to compensate for the things you can't.
Oh, and I should add, a copy of "Wooden Boat" classes up any saloon

[CaptainK]

I second Kai's vote.

I have bought copies of "Good Old Boat." And "Wooden Boat." They are good magazines. Highly recommended!!

[Bill Houlihan]

Whatever magazine you read, you must add Latitude 38 to your list. It is the only sailing mag I read cover to cover.

Good Luck

Very true. Lat 38, Lat 48 and Santana are all good west coast cruising rags. And they are free.

[CaptainK]

Latitude 38 & Latitude 48

I never seen any of them here in Arizona. But I have heard of the publication.

I never heard of Santana, magazine.

Except for guitarist and founder of rock band Santana. Carlos Santana, of "Black Magic Woman" fame!!

[jim lee]

Now that I think about it..

I find the boat parts catalogs more interesting than the boating magazines.

-jim lee

[CaptainK]

I find myself reading more catalogs more these days, than these magazines. So I can relate to Jim.

[jemsea]

I'd say keep reading this board and SSCA's. Plus you will be able to sway the content to your questions with a little participation.

Lots of very good info here.

Any really good magazine articles get mentioned on at least one of the main sailing BBs so you could just run out and get one instead of a years worth.

As we get to the year away mark (14 months & counting) no renewels from here on out.

[coyote]

I checked out the magazine links, and of course I ended up wandering all over. I'll pick them up when I find them. I really like the journals that sailors post.

One theme that seems to run through everything is money, and how to spend as little of it as possible while stretching one's time aboard as far as possible.