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@whalecoiner @goatsarah The boat builders hadn't expected their mass produced fiberglass boats to be as durable as they were, and in the 90s and even moreso in the 2000s they found it impossible to sell new boats to sailors on a budget when old boats that sail just fine once you scrub the mildew out could be had for a few thousand or free. So they went upmarket again, building ever fancier and more expensive boats and driving the overall industry to market mainly to the rich again. But all those shoestring sailors are still out there.

There's probably more of them in Europe than the US, too. Most American marinas ban living aboard at the dock, and anywhere warm enough that you'd want to has a state level ban. There's less of that in Europe, so people who work in coastal cities where they can't afford housing live on these sorts of boats. It's like a mobile home with less space but (if the engine still works or you know how to dock under sail) more fun.