Jim wrote:
There's been too much discussion of trolling and net nannying lately. Here's
an opportunity go get back on topic and discuss boating. Here's a few
questions to get the ball rolling.

Boating magazines:
Why do we buy them?

It would be unusual for anybody to buy one. The vast majority are
available on a free circulation basis. Sometimes there's a charge for
magazines normally picked up at a stand to be mailed to your house, but
most of the "subscription only" titles are now free.
Despite a cover price of several dollars, I don't pay for Sea or Power
& Motoryacht, for example. Just being able to add another name to the
"paid circulation" (guffaw, guffaw) numbers is worth more than the
price of a subscription.

Do we rely on them to make buying decisions?

You shouldn't rely exclusively on any one source. You should gather
information from multiple sources and consider your subjective
preferences as well.

Do we expect honest reviews of boats and gear on their pages?

I've never really seen a boat "review" in a boating magazine. What you
see in most are product information pieces. IOW: Here are the prominent
features of this particular product.

Do we get honest reviews of boats and gear on their pages?

Nearly always. Remember that if you're considering boats with a proper
design and hull configuration for your intended purpose and if the boat
is adequately stout for the conditions under which it is intended to be
used, most of the reasons that you, personally, would dislike a boat
are going to be subjective.

Do advertisers influence magazine content (other than their ads)?

Yes and no. Most magazines are not going to devote a lot of ink to
publicizing products that are not advertised in the magazine (and
especially won't do a lavish spread on a non-advertiser's product that
competes with a major supporter). 1/2 of the articles in the magazine I
write and edit for have nothing to do with a specific product.

Do some manufacturers bribe publication personnel to get favorable press?

Unfortunately, not in my experience. :-)