On Dec 4, 8:32*am, Nigel Pocock wrote:
Dont forget the running costs. Insurance is usually related to hull value..
If you go glass remember not all gell coats last the same. In our club we
have several Discus's where the gell coat needed replacing after about
15yrs. However out Grob 102 mkIIIs are still fine after about 30yrs.
Other gliders in your bracket include DG100/200, ASw19, std cirrus,
Mosquito. Dont like the corrosion problems with aluminum glider. They are
usually hidden.

Nigel

Insurance doesn't rise with hull value as much as you'd think however.
Liability is the same for everyone. Most damage doesn't total the
glider. A canopy is $5k on any glider. Insurance companies know this
and charge accordingly. Thus, $20k gliders cost about $1200 to insure,
while $100k gliders still cost less than $2000 to insure.

Hence my point that expensive gliders aren't as expensive as you
think. The fixed costs of owning and operating any glider -- liability
insurance, tows, annual, maintenance, club membership, contest fees,
gas, hotels, beer and burritos -- add up to several thousand dollars
per year. Even using 5% interest, so a $20k glider is $1000 per year,
and a $60k glider is $3000 per year, this capital cost has a smaller
effect than you'd think on the overall cost of soaring.

Or so I try to persuade my wife...

John Cochrane