Financial advantages of a small boat

[BobK]

I am fortunate in South Carolina.  I belong to Western Carolina Sailing Club located on the 56,000 acre Lake Hartwell.  Our membership dues are $616/year, mast up boat on a trailer charge is $83/yr, a slip is $416/yr, or mooring at $248/yr.   http://www.wcsc-sailing.org is the link tto the club.  For about $1000/yr I get to party, drink, and tell lies with like minded sailors and keep my boat in a slip.
BobK 

[mayrel]

I have to agree with Citroen/Dave, having owned larger boats and enjoyed them, the cost became prohibitive.  We recently purchased a CP16 which we intend to camp/cruise.  I'll have to invest a bit to outfit her for this purpose, but the savings in marina fees and maintenance is substantial.  We're both 67 but still enjoy car camping and canoeing, it's more about being on the water that matters.  We see folks with big fancy pusher RV's and larger boats, which I'm sure they enjoy; it's like taking your house with you.  But for many of us who are on limited fixed incomes, going smaller is not so bad.  We can be quite comfortable camp/cruising and staying on the hook for a few nights.  Then we can seek a marina, get real showers, re-stock our supplies, eat a nice meal, even do some laundry, and off we go for another few days. We considered moving aboard a larger boat, like many have done, and just cruise.  A Dana 24 would be my choice, or something similar.  Living aboard is a unique life style, full of adventure and challenge.  People make Atlantic and Pacific crossings all the time in small sailboats, some of the youtube videos show their craft to be in questionable condition for these adventures, but they manage.  But this is a bit extreme IMO.  Sailing a well behaved small sailboat is just as rewarding as a larger boat, camp/cruising on a small sailboat has it's own challenges and rewards.  It all boils down to what you can afford.  The old saying, "bigger isn't necessarily better" has merit.  But we are just the two of us, no kids or grand kids.  Obviously if you carry a large crew, you need a bigger boat.  Fair Winds and Blessings...John and Joy