40 YEARS OF SKI-BOAT MAGAZINE

(Originally published in the July 2025 issue of Ski-Boat magazine)

By Sheena Carnie

WHAT were you doing in May 1985? Some of you weren’t even born yet, others were in primary or high school, still others were jolling to the sounds of Johnny Clegg and Mango Groove. Serious deep sea anglers may have been buying the very first copy of SKI-BOAT magazine, while Dave Rorke and Erwin Bursik no doubt enjoyed a stiff drink to settle their nerves after stepping out onto the water in faith as they began this new venture.
Just two months prior, Dave and Doug Steele were still working for Ski-Scene magazine, while Erwin and Anne Bursik (at that stage Annie Fulton) were working for Huletts. Erwin put his money where Dave’s mouth was, and while he continued working at Huletts, Annie and Doug joined Dave to see if they could make a go of a new magazine focusing on deep sea fishing. Their belief in what a magazine like this could offer and accomplish was well placed. In 1987 Erwin jumped aboard properly, joining SKI-BOAT fulltime.
In Dave’s very first editorial, he wrote: “SKI-BOAT is a labour of love, my dream come true.” From that very first issue, the magazine has received incredible support from the boating and angling fraternity, and some of the firms that advertised in our very first issue still advertise with us. We are eternally grateful.
Now, 40 years later, SKI-BOAT is still standing strong ,while many other magazines have disappeared off our supermarket shelves, especially in the last ten years.
We are thrilled to have reached this milestone! Our sincere thanks to every single advertiser, whether they’ve advertised once or in every issue. Without you, we would not exist. A sincere thank you, also, to all of our contributors over the years. Without your fresh on-the-water knowledge, our articles would be very one sided and boring. We appreciate your time and effort and willingness to so generously share your knowledge with others.
Thank you also to the thousands of readers who buy SKI-BOAT and who have sent through photos of themselves and their fish for inclusion in the magazine – we appreciate all the interaction and love seeing how keen everyone is to be part of our SKI-BOAT magazine “family”.
We’ve received numerous messages congratulating us on this milestone, and it’s incredibly touching to see how much the magazine means to our advertisers, readers and other stakeholders. Of course we know that our articles help drive interest in the industry as a whole, and specific events in particular, but it’s still very validating to get messages like these, which confirm the positive impact we’ve had on the deep sea fishing industry in southern Africa:
“Over the decades your publication has become more than a magazine, it has grown into a trusted companion for the boating and fishing community, a source of inspiration for seasoned pros and eager newcomers. Your commitment to storytelling, education and the celebration of our shared marine passions has left an incredible mark on the industry. We at Yamaha Marine Southern Africa are proud to have shared the journey with you. Your support and partnership over the years have played a vital role in helping us connect with enthusiasts across Southern Africa and beyond.” – Yamaha Marine Southern Africa.
“Reaching four decades in publishing is no small feat. It is a testament to your unwavering passion, relentless pursuit of excellence, and the deep connection you’ve built with the boating and angling community – not just in South Africa, but also across borders. Over the years Ski-Boat has not only chronicled the evolution of the sport and lifestyle we all love, but has shaped it, inspired it and given it a voice. Working with you, Erwin, and your phenomenal team has been an absolute privilege. Your professionalism, creativity and collaborative spirit have made every partnership seamless and rewarding. More than just a magazine, Ski-Boat has been a trusted platform, a beacon of quality, and a gathering place for like-minded enthusiasts who live for the open water.” – Lowrance South Africa
“Erwin and his team continue to make a significant impact on the angling community with their excellent articles and reviews over the years. We thank you for your endless passion and dedication towards building the sport of angling in South Africa.” – Natal Deep Sea Angling Association.

As Erwin wrote in his editorial, a great deal has changed in our sport over the last 40 years, and a quick look through the pages of the old magazines will confirm this. The digital age has been a blessing and a curse – biting into our advertising income, but also enabling us to spread our presence even further and share our content with more readers. Back in 1985 none of us would have imagined the possibility of flicking through a digital version of the magazine on our phones while jetting around the world!
Women’s representation in ski-boating and deep sea fishing has also changed dramatically over those 40 years. Some of you will remember covers graced by beautiful women in bathing suits posing alongside boats and motors. Now our covers often feature women anglers who have caught spectacular trophy fish, making the men drool for entirely different reasons! Today we also see many more women fishing competitively than we did back in the ’80s.
While we still celebrate trophy catches, nowadays SKI-BOAT also actively supports the tag and release of fish, and no longer publishes photos of dead billfish hanging from the gantry. These practices would have dumfounded anglers back in 1985.
Despite these and other changes, much has stayed the same, including the basic premise on which Erwin and Dave founded the magazine: a desire to educate, inform and entertain the ski-boaters of southern Africa. All of our readers will testify that we’ve stayed true to that.
Having covered so many decades of development in deep sea fishing, our magazines are also a repository of some very rich history.
In the 240 issues of SKI-BOAT we’ve published, we’ve carried around 400 boat reviews – most of them tested by Erwin Bursik. We’ve also covered hundreds of deep sea fishing competitions, shared thousands of articles on how to catch different species of fish, and reviewed dozens of beautiful venues around Southern Africa to enable anglers to find new favourite fishing spots. Our latest long-running series, “Where to Fish” has proven incredibly popular, providing anglers with specific tactics and coordinates to enable them to fish successfully in areas they may never have visited before.
With 40 years under our belts, we’ve only just reached middle age, so there’s still a lot more life in this magazine and we hope you’ll all stay aboard for the next leg of our journey!