quote from website
What will it cost?
In North America add around 30% to the prices below.
Around US$500 a year.
It works like this (very like the secondhand automobile market):
US$ 500 - 800 buys a good first boat (pre-owned) - and you can expect to drop $200 when you sell
Trade up every year or so. Reckon on adding around $300 a year to your investment
When you sell your last Optimist you have the price of a good secondhand Laser or 420 - and the path to a lifetime of sailing
If you want to buy new, beginners' boats start around $1,600 + any sales taxes. But see the warning on the technical page
Add a good buoyancy aid/PFD (personal flotation device) and some clothes according to your local weather
Check out fees at your local sailing club
_____________________________________________________
Now, realising that there's MUCH more boat with respect to the Sirene...nevertheless, in the US it will be a hard sell to get parents to get kids on a 5-digit boat as compared to the 3-digit one...
ouch,
sea ya
tami