What is the issue?
Boat acquisition is expensive but the ongoing costs of keeping a boat operational can be prohibitive. Especially if you live near a metropolitan region where there are a lot of boats competing for the limited number of berths available to the area.Why address this?
Berthing and mooring costs are typically the largest single portion of the annual sailing expenditure. Reducing the cost of this single item could dramatically alter the ongoing expense profile of sailing.How to address this?
Buy a boat with a shallow draft, and rent or buy less sought after shallow water moorings.Bilge keel vessels can moor in extremely shallow waters that few other sailing vessels can use. They equally sit happily on mud flats that dry out. Hence the mooring charge can be negligible for this type of vessel.
If the thought of a bilge keel strikes horror into a sailing purist there is also the option of a lifting keel vessel. Lifting keels have been around for many years now and are well understood. Lifting keels offer excellent performance and the ability to take to shallower waters.
If you are considering the overall cost of boat ownership in an area of expensive berthing, it may be worth checking the cost of berthing and mooring before acquiring the vessel.
With thanks to:
Michael Harpur with thanks to Andrew Hogbin
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