Boaters feeling pinch

[NHcrossfan]

http://www.usatoday.com/printedition...oats09.art.htm


With our short season in New Hampshire we'll find another way to save money. Eat out less, cancel some cable Television packages, anything but less skiing is not negotiable.

As much as I like beer how much is that per gallon?

Filling the nautique willing not be sacrificed.

[efox]

RE: Boaters feeling pinch

Boating will suffer because of high fuel costs..not only on the water but also towing. Worse, the marinas and tourist centers that thrive in the summer months will probably feel hard hit as well. I live on the lake I boat on, so I don't really trailer and there is no gas at the marina so I pay regular pump prices for sure. I imagine I will see more people than normal anchored in my cove and less on the lake...which is good, it was starting to get a little crowded anyway.

[BigBald]

RE: Boaters feeling pinch

for that matter....how about bottled water per gallon?

[NHcrossfan]

Re: RE: Boaters feeling pinch

for that matter....how about bottled water per gallon?

We could buy many extra gallons by making coffee at home instead of going to Dunkin Donuts

[jhiestand]

Re: RE: Boaters feeling pinch

for that matter....how about bottled water per gallon?

True, but most people I know don't/can't drink 15 gallons of water per outing! :grin:

[borosan]

If you do the math at $7 per six pack....beer is $3.94 per gallon.

[Nautiqueman]

If you do the math at $7 per six pack....beer is $3.94 per gallon.

Two gallons of beer goes a long way....

Another angle on the gas situation:

I think we all need to consider what is saved by having your family out on the water and NOT at the mall shopping. Shopping for my women is always more that the $150 fillup for my Nautique.

[DanielC]

I have a 1997 ski nautique, I average around 3 to 3.5 gallons per hour, on the hour meter on the boat. About $14 .00 per hour, at $4.00 per gallon. Put four people in the boat, each person chips in $5.00 for each hour, and you have money left over for oil, and other expenses.
What does a two hour movie cost these days?
What does a basketball game, or a baseball game cost these days?
I have a friend who travels from Portland Or, to Cove Palasades by Madras for a boating and camping vacation. One of his major expenses on the trip is the females with him insist on daily morning trips into town for Starbucks Coffee.
Use a boat for towing, and not just cruising, this is cheap entertainment.
I am hoping that the high cost of fuel has this effect. My boat uses much more fuel towing tubes. I hope others notice this also. PWC's (or as I call them water rats) also use a lot of fuel. If the price of gas drives a few of these things off the water, bonus.
If you teach your kids to ski, instead of dragging them around on tubes, you will use less gas, and your child will gain a skill.

[Daytomann]

We have started going out to a lake closer to the house, thus burning less fuel for towing. My friends all chip in more money for gas (plus they still bring beer). So far I'm not feeling the pinch at all. Boat on!

[BigBald]

My familiy's personal boat outings aren't too horrible to manage....we'll pinch $ where we have to. But, I am part of a team that has taken 35 or 40 high school students (50 to 60 total folks) from our church to Lake Cumberland for the last 8 years. This year.....I am getting slammed by the cost of fuel. I think we will be 30% or 40% over the budgeted $$ for fuel....and that budget was set by increasing what we spent last year by 15%. We are forced to cutting a little bit across the board to try and make up for fuel overage.

I don't know how truckers, schools (busses) and those type folks deal with it. I know that my local Pizza Hut is now charging a $2.00 delivery fee for the first time.

[NCH2oSki]

Last year we would put $25.00-30.00 in the boat and that would cover our costs on the water for the day, including crusing and 4 ski sets. This year the same amount of fuel 10-12 gallons is about 10-12.00 more. So its not a huge deal, yes its more, but its worth it to spend the time on the water with my family and friends. It just means in the end we buy cheaper beer, and a smaller bucket of chicken on the way!

[BigBald]

Here in Indy, another big impact to the cost of boating is when we launch at Morse or Geist lakes....this year it's $27 on the weekend to launch. Give me a break....

[SquamInboards]

Just a note - at the marina here we have sold only 1% less gas than last year to date. Granted we're not a big fuel station but the point is when it's hot as **** out like it was here last weekend and into this week, people decide it's worth it to go out on the lake. I do think we'll see an effect by the end of the summer but it hasn't been apparent yet. Even so, the biggest gas users here might only spend an extra $200 in comparison to last year, which just isn't much over the course of the whole season.

[NHcrossfan]

How much are you getting per gallon at Squam? Newfound Lake was 4.89 last Friday but they said they were getting new gas and going up on Saturday.

[SquamInboards]

At Riveredge by the covered bridge we're $4.65 but Squam Boats is $4.85 - they have a better location and have to pay 3 kids to be out there pumping gas all weekend. Next delivery is almost guaranteed to kick us up again though... probably next week.