Hi, I'm new to this forum, but stumbled across it while browsing trailer-sailers and it seems like there's a lot of knowledge here!

... I asked this question in "Light weight trailer sailer", but it may be a bit off topic, so-

I'm an experienced sailor, mostly racing, and never lacking boats to crew. Also my family has a cruiser that I race around the cans mid week... But I love lighter faster boats, and have raced (among others) an Elliott 780, Mumm 30, Young 88, and RL24... all great boats, but all a compromised (aren't all boats?) I'm not in a big rush to buy, but have been eyeing the market for some time looking for something fast (planing down wind), can be raced short handed or with 6+ aboard.

My thoughts.

Young 88s: a great balance between cruiser and racer, and solid enough for coastal cruising - they'd be my pick if I could justify owning one. However realistically I can sail other people's boats when I want to race offshore without paying the bills - also my lovely wife isn't keen on spending an extended time afloat, so maybe bigger than I really need - not to mention the exponential upward trend of bigger boats and the associated maintenance required when keeping a boat in the water.

Trailer-sailers make a lot of sense as far as maintenance and marina costs go. I've had great times sailing both the RL24 and Elliott 780, but neither are much fun upwind in anything more than a moderate sea breeze (down wind is another matter!). We raced against an Elliott 7.4 in a multi- day regatta in fresh to strong breezes aboard an Elliott 780, and were amazed how well the 'little' 7.4 went in the stronger breezes, up-wind and down - and short handed! Fair to say it left a lasting impression (and ticks most of my boxes)!

The only problem I can see has been noted above, and that is the bulb keel and drying out. Would drying out cause structural problems with the boat resting on the keel? Its not a scenario that'd frequently occur, but having a shallow draft it may be tempting to get a little close to the beach on an out going tide when cruising...

Do people with more experience than me have thoughts here, are there solutions apart from avoiding areas with big tides, or opting for a swing keel?

Many thanks in advance.

Tom.

P.S.
Does anyone have any knowledge on the 7.4 for sale in Port Fairy?