There was a time not so long ago that I actually felt like less of an editor because our national publication wasn’t based out of a big city office. When I would attend boat shows and industry events around the country it seemed like the guys from publications located in larger cities with 40-story office buildings and breathtaking views were somehow better than me because of their location. In publishing, giant cities like New York and Los Angeles seem to be the Mecca for the business and if I were a little jealous, well, who could blame me? Some of these powerhouse publishing companies offer 30 plus magazine titles with in-house staffs larger than some of the neighboring cities in my hometown. It could be a little intimidating to say the least.
However, I’m more confident today in who I am as editor of Pontoon & Deck Boat magazine.
I often get asked why PDB is based in Idaho instead of in a larger city. Why? Because this is where our publishing company was established back in 1971. In the real estate business they say it’s all about location. But for me, you can’t possibly measure my passion for boating based on where I call home.
Although best known for potatoes, our year-around recreation paradise in Idaho includes several bodies of water that are filled with pontoon and deck boats each summer.
Last fall I was walking the docks and ended up meeting a pontoon owner who just couldn’t get past the fact that our boating magazine is based in Idaho.
“You cover boats, yet you live in Idaho where the nearest manufacturer is thousands of miles way,” he said with a smirk. “How can you really operate a boating magazine when you’re so far from the lakes in Michigan, Indiana and Missouri, which are dominated by pontoons and deck boats?”
This seemed a little harsh, especially since I had just met the guy who was obviously proud that he owned lakefront property and felt like he was in the center of the boating world.
I asked him if he’s ever spent a week on Lake Powell in Utah where all you see is red rock when you step off the bow of your pontoon? Or if he had ever fed the deer at Lake Shasta in Northern California while anchored in a secluded cove? He’s probably never boated on Lake Ouachita in Arkansas either, which just happens to be one of the cleanest lakes in the U.S. where I was able to spear a fish in the clear water.
What about alligator hunting on the St. Johns River in Florida, cruising Lake Texoma in Texas, or sleeping on a pontoon after a blues concert on the Mississippi River? Or how about boating just over the border on the beautiful lakes in British Columbia?
As representatives of PDB magazine we’ve tested and cruised on hundreds of pontoons and deck boats on more lakes and rivers than we can count. Yeah, we love boating as much as the next guy and you know what? We’re proud of it too.
My intention is not to add another verse to “I've Been Everywhere” by Johnny Cash, but rather to let people know we really are passionate about boating and that our location allows us to be in position to cover the U.S. and beyond and not just one region of this great country. Don’t get me wrong, I still feel the Midwest is the capital of the pontoon world, but there are a lot of other great places where people enjoy boating just as much with people who are just as passionate.
Take it from me, I’ve visited these places and I’ll continue to explore and find great destinations to cover in our national publication. Why? Not because it’s my job, but because boating in my passion.
