A solid boat should serve
Carefully chosen, a C-22 should be very cost effective. I own a 1972 model, and have not had to do much beyond preventative work. The greatest expenses were optional, non-essential items. Here is last year's barebones: Trailer registration: $25 Mooring fee: $70 Waxes, gelcoat, teak care products $100 other maintenance items Towing expenses (new lights/tires last year) $95 (I already owned a '79 Chevy 3/4 ton) The running mental tally in my head, which includes all costs including purchase price and all the non-essentials is around $8,500 for 5 years of ownership, or $1700/yr. This is around what most of my friends spend for a weeks vacation once a year. All together, I get about 3 month's (90 days) use/year. That's about $19/day. A night out for drinks, dinner and a movie, ect. all cost more than this. The boat winters for barter costs in a relative's barn. If i wanted, I could have sailed on the amount in the first column last year. Of course, I spent much more, all worth it. Not included are all the drinks, snacks, and other favors generously donated by friends who enjoy a good sail. On the flip side is all the sail mending, outboard rebuilding, bottom painting, teak refinishing, radio repairing, leak finding and stopping, and so on (and on). But doing your own maintenance does more than save money. On the whole, sailors are natural do-it -yourselfers and willing to share experiences. Something about directly and intuitively working with pinciples of aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, mechanics, physics, meterology, protocol, and teamwork develop and hone problem solving and working to a solution in creative ways. Being at the mercy of these things teaches humility and respect. The result is automatic membership in a class of fantastic people. My advice...get the boat, sail it as much as possible, and the rest will take care of itself.
