We Turned 13 A Couple Weeks Ago? What The?

Just don't sit there, Save Me!When I started this 13  years ago. Wait. WHAT THE HELL, we had a birthday here a couple weeks ago, and I missed it. Thanks Kentucky Wonder for the idea. I recall thinking, when I started this “What in the hell can I talk about everyday in this little universe?” Oh, was I wrong! I dove into the rabbit hole of classic boats and have been spelunking around it with great joy and adventure.

But this winter could be the test. Taking the submarine to the bottom of the ocean of information. I am starting to see patterns and trends. So today I shall expound my observations having done this every day. Not one day missed. Here are some fun stats.

5,202 stories.

76,497 comments

The largest comment farm ever. This lasted weeks..months.. years.

1,221,949 Spam Comments!

45,154 Images

13,000,000 visits. This is a tad confusing since the site changed at one point. The current site has 9,000,000 views and started counting around mid year 2014 which leaves 7 years. We averaged around 1 million visits a year before that. Lets just say its a crap load. And not server stats which are like 3 times more. These are true verified real visits.

We have readers in almost every country. But who knows what they view or want. But the USA Is the largest, Then Canada, Germany, Finland Swedon, England, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Wyoming. I am missing some.

The app has around 3,000 readers, and being rebuilt. It had major blowby.

Okay here is some stats on stories as requested.

Top Posts

The Most Painful Barn Find In History – 39,918
Glastron Had It Covered In The 1960’s – 36,496
Why Are Old Cruisers Not Worth More? – 31,230
Thinking Of Buying A Chris Craft Barrel Back? One Rule, Buy The Best. – 22,343
UGH ! 1960’s Boaton Whalers! – 18,960
Purchased From Sears In 1952, Brand was ELGIN – But Who Actually Made The Boats? – 17,090
Fiberglass Classics Are Cool – The Message Today… Don’t Discriminate… Appreciate! – 16,845
SPLASH BACK SATURDAY- Classic Fiberglass Shootout, Two Big Guns From The 70’s – Century Arabian vs Chris-Craft XK-19 – 15,356
1954 Kom-Pak Sportsman – Are Hotel Prices Getting You Down? – 14,283
One Click And A Whole New World Opens! Combo Cruiser On eBay! – 13,219

Not on the list but was a huge day was the day we were featured on CBS Sunday Morning. Over 20,000 views, but not much clicking and reading.

With all that said, if we get 10 views, 6 come back. You all stay on the site for about 3- 4 minutes. Most likely trying to figure out what I spelled.

SPONSORS

Our banners and sponsors average a 1%-24% click rate. Yes I know its a wide margin. The general average in the rest of the universe is .02% so even a 1% is HUGE. But we also count views as part of the exposure.

SALES PITCH ALERT, SALES PITCH ALERT.. We are the only daily source of curated information about classic boats. The Number one website and news source for antique boats. Two factors are critical for your sponsorship dollars to work. Awareness and Frequency. I see you a lot. And I see you in other places. Which is why its smart to sponsor the ACBS, CCABC, AND Woody Boater, all play a part. But the clubs speak to themselves. So, its important to be where new people come to sniff around. Classic Boating magazine is good, and once again, Woody Boater. Its free, open 24/7, somewhat relevant, and great portal to the classic boat universe.

What does our 14th year look like? Will there be a 14th year? OH HELL YES. We are currently working on a huge shift forward. Stay tuned for the news.

 

22 replies
  1. Greg Lewandowski
    Greg Lewandowski says:

    Matt, congrats on 13 years of glorious WoodyBoater splendor. How’s that for pouring it on!
    Looking forward to year 14+ of keeping this world of old varnish heads heading in a positive direction.
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY

  2. Rabbit
    Rabbit says:

    Thank you, Matt! I forgot how awesome that CBS Sunday Morning story was. You are the Bob Costas of vintage boating.

  3. Happy Halloween!
    Happy Halloween! says:

    Happy Anniversary I have to admit that this is the only site I visit every day, besides…work…. Im always fascinated by analytics….. and the tools that are available to analyze trends…. and as others have remarked previously, enjoy the comments, but not nearly as much as your creative and daily ADD-ish content….the subtle wit and humor isnt always apparent to some, but youve made me spit my coffee more than once!.. and how you can possibly come up with new diverse content everyday…… Keep up the great work and we all look forward to whatever you have up your sleaves for the future.. (unless you change anything !) HA!
    Frank

  4. Kelly Wittenauer
    Kelly Wittenauer says:

    Happy birthday, WoodyBoater! Does this mean you’ve graduated from 12 year old boy to teenager?

    • Dick Dow
      Dick Dow says:

      My worry as well – one can never predict what a teenager will do on any given day… If this goes anything like our 14 year old granddaughter, we’re in for a wild ride! 🤪 Seriously though, the effort and consistency has been incredible over the years – I am constantly amazed at the quality and variety of content. Thank you!

  5. m-fine
    m-fine says:

    Matt, you are the center of the wooden boat universe. I read that on the Internet so I KNOW it’s true! Keep up the good work, while this winter will be a long and dark one, COVID or not lake Dora will be there in March. There is light at the end of the tunnel…at least for the handful of us who survive.

    If you get through this year and next, it will be easy coasting to 15 and 20! I am looking forward to the special anniversary Woody Wear T shirt designs. Hopefully there will also be at least one quarter zip with a period correct zipper pull.

  6. Mark in Ohio (sometimes da U P )
    Mark in Ohio (sometimes da U P ) says:

    Happy 13th birthday WB. Woody boater has kept my interest in wooden boats alive. It has inspired me work on my boats more, dig up old pictures, and go boating more. Not only do I like the stories, but the comments are great also. What fun it was when you did my article and I saw my son and my boat on the header one day.
    WB has enhanced my travel, it has made me stop at Lake Dora, Lake George, Lake Coeur d’Alene, as well as lake Winnepesaukee. And I have more lakes that I want to visit because of Woody Boater. In some ways I feel like I know the other commenters. I look forward to your articles every morning and the comments that follow. Matt Keep up the good work. Happy Halloween. Figured I’d get this in before Troy did. (Unless he snuck one in while I was writing this.)

  7. Ron Y.
    Ron Y. says:

    I check in from 5 to ten times a week, pretty consistently. I appreciate the enthusiasm the site brings, and the links to interesting online sales and articles. Been coming back since the beginning. Photos and comments from fellow boaters is a key element for me.

    Thanks, Matt.

  8. Rick
    Rick says:

    Thanks for all you’ve done and continue to do every day. Years ago I could comment at 10:00 and still be the first one. Question . I have a package of your virtual weenies I won in the back of my virtual freezer from probably 10 years ago. Are they still good to bring to our next virtual Holiday party? Since Lilly never gets older I’m hoping the hot dogs don’t either.

  9. Berlin Büro
    Berlin Büro says:

    wow! even though i’m pretty sure you had a blogspot or something before that! We may never know!

  10. Geoff Haines
    Geoff Haines says:

    Matt,
    I read the site every single day, and I don’t even own a wooden boat. My son used to but it got sold last year. I love the site and your writing. As a newsletter editor myself I appreciate how much work goes into the job. Happy 13th and many more.

  11. Reddog
    Reddog says:

    HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY . Thanks for all you (and others) do to make this a fun website to visit everyday.

  12. Aet
    Aet says:

    Matt
    It was great to see the CBS story again, not only because Molly-O was in it, but knowing that you were in her taking some of the photos.

    Happy Happy Happy 13th and many more.

Comments are closed.