 |
|
Welcome to Australian Boating (AB) . .
After Australia's firey start to the new decade,
we've already made many changes to our publishing program,
including the decision (in early 2020), to stop
publishing AB's Fisherman & Boatowner (F&B) as a
stand-alone magazine.
It has since continued as a major, permanent
section of Australian Boating (AB).
AB itself is fast becoming more diverse and
more interesting as we introduce new,
regular sections - notably Tow Sports,
Cruising, e-Propulsion and Charter World,
whilst some others (mainly domestic or Club
yacht racing) have been pulled right back,
reflecting the pandemic restictions.
AB will continue to cover the ever-changing
world of marine technology - with a special focus
on foiling sailing craft and multihulls, and the
electric and/ or hybrid power systems emerging.
Through 2021, AB will be published as a bi-monthly,
before returning to its normal monthly production
when the industry (and the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions)
are behind us, and the return to Australia's
normal sporting, economic and boating lifestyle
has begun in earnest.
In the meantime, Australian Boating (AB) will
continue its path forward as an exciting,
all-embracing, power and sail, national boating
magazine for another decade or three!
 
|
We are a bit late (!) with this September – October issue, so we’re sorry about that. Apart from all the usual pandemic related issues that have put so much pressure on editorial schedules, manufacturing programs, major sporting events and just about all the boat shows around the world, the AB team has been flat out working on a brand-new website, and making a heap of other changes to our workflow – all with the view of creating a more efficient, more timely (and predictable) workflow.
This magazine reflects many of the changes we are introducing, with the most obvious being the inclusion, indexing and involvement of a much higher level of video productions as part of the editorial mainstream.
The role of video as a powerful journalism tool is becoming increasingly obvious, and we are now starting to see a real diversity in the productions we can publish. Its impact on the way we publish boating info is quite dramatic – as our coverage of the SAILGP series reveals. We could write a 2000 word report with six superb photographs – and it would not convey anything like the impression a viewer will get from watching the same race on AB-TV for a couple of minutes!
The implication of this is quite profound – and it's reflected this month very clearly in the coverage of the hugely impressive Riviera 78 motor yacht.
Here is a magnificent cruising vessel, the equal of any in the world, and because of the quality of the video Riviera produced for their international audience, we are able to provide a genuinely comprehensive coverage of this huge craft in just four pages – including said video!
Frankly, it changes much more than is initially obvious in the journalist’s world, because if the video has been produced properly – and it's painfully obvious if it's an el-cheapo sell job - it allows the informed reader (that would be you, right?) to draw his or her own conclusions about the product, its application, its potential and is value for money – even while the boat is probably on the other side of the world in northern Europe!
So this month check out the range of videos we've selected for you, and if you get a minute or two spare, let us know which ones you particularly liked, or felt were truly informative – or were just a bit of a bore!
This is a magazine full of boats – but the Boston Whaler 420 Outrage is guaranteed to be the discussion point around the country, as fans – or detractors – all take onboard the concept of having not two, or three, but four huge Mercury outboards on the transom. Truly, I'm not exactly sure what I think about it yet – but one thing I do know: I'd kill for the opportunity of taking that beast for a run up the ‘Coast . . or out to the outer ‘Reef, or maybe up to Port Stephens from Sydney . . . wouldn’t that be something else!
Actually there is so much in this issue, it's hard to know where to begin, but for a lot of people our coverage of the recently concluded Olympic Games will be on top of their list. Close behind, I suspect, will be all the boats we are featuring, not least of which is the remarkable Candela 7 and its big sister, the Candela 8, a couple of electric boats which are really showing the way future small craft power trends are going.
Jeff Webster’s popular trailerboat test series continues, with a full report on the gutsy Yellowfin 7600 Centre Console, but people on a somewhat smaller budget, who still want to ‘get out on the water and do some real fishing’ will could find the answer to their budgetary prayers in Part Two of our Series on buying a tinny between 4.3 - 4.9 m long.
This is a very big issue - 146 pages, and at least 10 videos, so is one you won't want to miss, that's for sure, and one we know you will enjoy!
|
|
» 
