I agree with Dan and Just Sold on all their points about Gilford. We keep our Island boat at Fay's and can attest to it being a sailing friendly place. Many of the J/80 boats get set-up there. Also the races require a crew of 4 and on occasion there is need for experienced crew to fill-in.
http://www.lwsa.org/racing/index.php
The Gilford town docks are the best this side of the lake; a resource that we often use.
We live in West Alton near the Gilford town line and do most of our shopping in the Gilford/Laconia area. We might have originally bought in Gilford except for the tax rate. Alton has a long history of frugality and it shows in the low tax rate. Gilford has a long history of spending as their tax rate shows. So don't overlook Alton with the low taxes and a lot of great folk.
While we know most of the shortcuts in Meredith, we still avoid the area on Summer weekends.