I've been thinking about this, and in reality, my parents probably spent ~$4,000 per year for my brother to play select soccer, then four years of varsity soccer, and training camps. All this in hopes that he could get a college scholarship.

The only difference being that this money was spread out over time. The initial purchase of a boat is high, but maintenance is relatively cheap.

Even my cousin, who rides amature motorcross, spends $4-5K on a new bike every few years. Plus a bundle in parts or repairs. Boats last far longer.

I think that five things are hindering sailing, sailing in general. I beleive that these five things are also the five things that are hindering Rowing. I've recently started becoming involved with the administration of our Crew, and we've had similar discussions at our meetings.

1)Marketing
A)Don't see too many sailboat commercials on TV...more bass boat commercials.
B)There aren't too many sailing celebrities to bring kids in

2)Venues
A) Sailing is not a spectator sport. It's like rowing, you stand around all day just to see your kid shoot down the course in 7 minutes. Often times you only see a portion of that race because the shoreline blocks your view.
B)It often require a bit of a drive to the nearest venue.
C)Difficult media coverage.

3)Revenue
A)Communities and Schools aren't willing to support a sport that does not bring in revenue.

4)Cost
A)It's usually more of a middle to upper class sport.
Something like wrestling or football is cheaper for lower income families. Sending my brother to England for 3 weeks to play soccer was on the extreame side of noramal high school sports

5)Operational costs and event costs
A)Operational costs of a club are sky high.
B)Equipment maintenance for a club program is high.
C)Club programs require insurance, which happens to be expensive.
D) The big regattas cost a good bit to put on, granted we double our investment. Just to turn around and use it on equipment and facilities upkeep.

If anyone is interested, I can outline some of our solutions to these issues.