About the cheap thang...

Here's a point that seems to have escaped a few readers comprehension...

 the VolksCruiser thing is not really about cheap.

The idea is not about getting a "cheap" boat and go sailing off into the sunset/sunrise but to point out that it is possible to sail a good boat anywhere you care to go in a sustainable and affordable manner on a constrained budget.

Sadly, these days, almost everyone connects the concept of quality or something being good with its price tag. I suspect if you're reading this that you already have at least, in principal, come to the conclusion that value seldom has anything to do with a price tag. Even so, the whole "You get what you pay for" mythos is so ingrained in our culture that even when we know it's false just like Pavlov's dogs drooled whenever they heard the bell we still tend to have a knee-jerk reaction whenever the word cheap comes up...

Since I happen to be writing this from a CAL 34 I'll use it as an example...

The CAL 34 designed by Bill Lapworth back in the sixties is a good design (many would say a great design). 

Jensen Marine, the builder of said CAL 34, built a good boat and if you have any doubt in the matter just go to any marina in the US of A and there will be CAL's still in use, still kicking ass, and still floating right side up.

Obviously, boats built in the 60's are now somewhat long in the tooth but nowhere near retirement age yet and pretty much still able to take you wherever you care to go.

So, all in all, it's a good boat.

As for price, you can usually find them in the $10K-30K zone. Truth be told $30K and environs is just silly expensive and if you were in the market for a CAL 34 somewhere around $15K would be about right for a good boat at a good price.

Personally I call that affordable, inexpensive, and good value for money. Cheap does not even factor into the equation at all.

There are lots of well designed and built sailboats that are in good condition floating about for very little money that will take you anywhere you want to go. They're inexpensive not because they are cheap, badly designed, or built but simply because the machine of consumerism makes them so and not because there is anything lacking in the boats themselves. 

Just something you should keep in mind.