What do you mean, clever? Boats cost so much, and then you have to pay a slip
fee, too, I'm sure. Yes/No? How did you get your boat?

I paid 16K for my boat. I pay no slip fees because I do some work for the yacht
club. I don't pay for work on the boat either. I do pay for my supplies and
that's about it. 16K is an amount most folks can handle. You could easily find
a cruisable and fun to sail Catalina 27 for 7K and put it on a cheap mooring.
Learn how to do your own repairs or make a deal with someone and you're all
set.
Even Scotty, a person without generous amounts of cash, managed to get himself
into a low-end 30 footer. You could easily do better as most do.
Sailing need not be expensive. My new boat is a 36 foot C&C from 1991. because
I sought out a special deal I'll sail her with very little financial impact.
When I leave NY, we'll probably get a liveaboard, which is a whole other way to
sail.

RB