Oldn, I too got hooked, but very quickly realised that a trailer sailer was a bit of an effort to get sailing. So, I'll go through my reasoning for you, as a devil's advocate.
I first went to have a look at a few locally, on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. The one I like the most was an Investigator 563, followed by a Careel 18.
The trailersailerplace.com.au web forum is the bees knees for all things Trailer. As is this library.
johncrawfordmarine.com.au/trailer-sailerOnce I'd had a look at a few, I weighed up the time, distance and effort involved in going sailing. Thinking a trailer sailer was a cheaper alternative to a moored boat. I was a little wrong, depending on what size you're happy with.
For me, storage of the boat on a trailer was also a consideration, it would be street parking or a really awkward reverse into my front yard. The bride wasn't happy about that bit. The next consideration was how long it took to rig and get sailing. Reports and opinions were anything from 15 minutes to an hour to launch, rig and hoist sails, plus the reverse on the retrieval.
Initially I thought this wouldn't be an issue, but I then recalled my old water skiing days, where there would be two hours dedicated to launching, retrieving and washing the boat before putting it away. This, coupled with the wish to have a much more versatile boat in the weather stakes sent me off to check out how expensive a moored boat would be.
In the end, I bought an average condition Top Hat for $10k. It takes me 5 minutes to load the dinghy on the car, then unload at the beach, 5 minutes to motor out to the mooring and 10 minutes to uncover and unlock the boat before dropping the mooring. In all, from walking out the door to opening the first beer is usually less than an hour and I'm a 40 minute drive from the boat.
Ongoing costs are different to a TS, slipping once a year on average is about $1300, mooring fees in Sydney are $380 per year where I am and mooring service is about the same if they need parts. There is always a job or two to do, but we've owned our Top Hat for almost three years and we still haven't spent any more than about $16k including mooring, antifoul, some running rig, timber and electrical work. Of which most was voluntary, not necessity. Our standing rig is due to be done, but amortised over a 10 year period is less than $500 per year. In reality, if you get a good one, no more expensive than running a motorcycle or 4WD.
The only draw back of a moored boat is that, for a day sail, you're limited to how far you can sail from your mooring. With a TS, you can go further afield.
I hope this helps with finding the right boat for you, regardless of trailered or moored.
Michael
that is cheap here, a pen in a marina: Hillary's about $ 7000-00 a year no services included and none available, waiting list full! A bit cheaper in Two Rocks marina about $ 3000-00 a year, if you own a swing mooring tax is about $ 400 a year and to buy one will cost you from $ 5000-00 up. My hard stand is the most economic way! And no bird crap to deal with.
