Hi Ian
You have made an excellent choice in the Bayraider 20.
There are a several Bayraiders that use Rutland. Myself and Peter Cockerton both sail there quite regularly - all year round, it's excellent for a good day out in the depths of winter!
Peter's BR20 (GRP) is kept at the Whitwell Centre.
Mine is the WE (Wood Epoxy) version, we would both be delighted to let you sail in either or both so you can see for yourself. There is also a BR17 at the Sailing Club.
The WE version is lighter (and faster!) than the GRP and therefore a lot easier to push around on your driveway etc, which may be a concern to you - although, having said that there is little difference between sailing the two.
I trail mine, not only to Rutland but so far have visited quite a few places around the country, in addition to my own bit of the coast where I would happily, and very easily trail it less than 10 miles, rig, launch, sail, recovered, derig and trail home all in one tide, without any undue effort. I towed her to the Morbihan week at Brittany earlier this year, without any problems whatsoever.
The design of the mast raising system means she can be ready for the water in certainly a lot less than 30 mins, depending on how much chatting is going on!
She really is probably the best and easiest trailer sailor out there.
She will tow behind any average car without any difficulty whatsoever, when you have got used to the length. The long trailer base makes reversing her very civilised and you will easily become quite accomplished at it.
The spray hood is quite large, certainly you could get 3-4 people under it, maybe a little squashed up a bit but certainly possible. The spray hood is designed to be quite large to give that extra shelter - making it family friendly, and it marries up very well with the new tent that Swallow Boats are now selling that seem to fit the BR20 very well. (Has any one got the tent and used it in anger yet?).
Another beauty of the BR is that it is very easy to experiment with all aspects of the boat and rig, and you will see from these pages the many different ideas that people do, and share with others. So it is very easy to 'personalise' your own boat - I now have my BR rigged as a 'cutter rig' with a flying jib, not only looks stunning but sails beautifully. My next plan is to convert the main sail to a traditional gaff rig .. not that there is anything wrong with the current sloop, but really just because I can ... and it's fun!
As regards any faults/issues there may be with used BR's, of course individual boats may have some things wrong with them, but I very much doubt there is any major faults that couldn't be put right easily and quickly, and if you are not sure, then there is a whole host of owners on this site who would help. Don't forget that Swallow Boats give a 6 year hull warranty and most (nearly all?) BR's are not that old yet.
If you should like a sail - and look over the boats let me know and we can sort something out at Rutland (Whitwell side).
Regards
Andy - BR20 No.12 (WE) 'Psalter'