Gas Prices. How will they affect your season?

[CameroNut]

A friend of mine called today and asked me how much I am paying for gas where I live. We are at $3.89 a gallon. In Illinois West of Chicago gas went to $3.99 for the weekend.

With gas prices on the rise again how will it affect your 2012 boating plans? I know Tige's use gas sparingly but at $25 dollars or more an hour gas prices will dent many wallets!

[Timmy!]

Back in 2008 or 2009 when Diesel was $5 a gallon, we definitely scaled back our boating but not too much. You have to pay to play with this hobby and we will just cut back on dining out and some other stuff since we have too much invested in it at this point.

[Ewok]

I don't plan on gas prices affecting me. I used to pay marina prices for a bigger gas guzzler in my old boat, in 2007-8 I was paying 5.50 a gallon. If gas ever got so expensive that I had to sit the boat I would probably just sell it. Now I keep it in the garage and fill up on the way to the lake at a regular gas station, much cheaper than marina gas.

[laserfish]

Might leave the boat at the lake instead of pulling one hour each way. Save us a little, even though we still need to take the truck to launch the boat. Every little bit helps. We pulled it off the last time it went up. Now if our fearless leader will stop telling the world that he has not intention of drilling!!! we might get out of this mess.

[IDBoating]

With gas prices on the rise again how will it affect your 2012 boating plans? I know Tige's use gas sparingly but at $25 dollars or more an hour gas prices will dent many wallets!

Our 24Ve with EX343 engine runs about 3.5 gallons per hour. If gas gets to $4.50 per gallon (the highest I've ever seen it locally is $4.24 for 92 octane premium), that's $15.75 per hour of actual engine operation for fuel.

A day at Disneyland is around $70 these days, so for our family of three that's over $200 per day. Even a day pass at the local waterslide park is something like $30, or $90 for our small family.

$90 is over five hours of actual engine operation, which nets out to a pretty full day of action. Include a few friends and family, a couple of whom generally toss a $20 bill into the "gas money" jar but don't really add much incremental load to the engine, and it's hard to come up with a better bang for your entertainment buck.

In short: Gas prices would have to seriously skyrocket before they'd have a significant impact on our boating plans.

[Timmy!]

Since we have a gas thread going, everyone needs to read this article from Forbes:
Gas Prices are Not rising, The dollar is falling

[Redsuzuki]

I am hoping that my friends will give more money for gas being that the gas prices have skyrocketed. Depending on how the bank account looks will depend on if I invite those friends who don't pay to play. 38 gal. tank x $4/gal = $152. Although we normally use about 3/4 of a tank, it still very expensive to pay for friends.

I know that many people say that they would never accept money from friends, but I look at it like this: Would you ever go out to eat with your buddy and then walk away from the table without paying for your food? Although I wouldn't ask for money to ride in the boar, I will not invite back.

[IDBoating]

I know that many people say that they would never accept money from friends, but I look at it like this: Would you ever go out to eat with your buddy and then walk away from the table without paying for your food?

My policy has always been "I never turn down gas money". I have not historically asked for it, but I accept it if offered.

My one change this year is going to be having an actual gas money jar in plain view with a "Gas money gratefully accepted" sign on it. I won't point it out, I won't ask, but it will be there and I will trust my guests to make their own judgements. Hopefully nobody will steal the jar!

[Wakeman22]

When I had my plane it used 10gals./hr. at a cost of $4.50 per gallon. I do not know what aviation fuel is today but I look at boating as a bargin compairing it to my plane.

It is funny how friends have no clue as to what it takes to run all day. Last year on the fourth of July I had a group of friends asking to come out for the weekend. There was 6 in their group. One said I will pay for the gas and offered up $20.00. I laughed and said I'll split the weekend with you how about $60.00. I think he did not believe me till I layed the facts out.

I also used marina fuel in my pontoon boat but now I use good pump fuel from town. Got to pay to play.

[IDBoating]

It is funny how friends have no clue as to what it takes to run all day. I think he did not believe me till I layed the facts out.

And that's just gas. They also don't think about the original cost, maintenance, storage, insurance....

Definitely not an "inexpensive" sport, but when you factor in everything it's better than a lot of alternatives. Plus my son's friends all want to come over to HIS house, which means I know who he's with, where he is, and what he's doing. That will become all the more important when he's a teenager!

[tnvolgrad]

Just means that I will pay more for gas - less people out means more opportunistic conditions. I hate paying it, but high gas does drive the traffic way down and for a more enjoyable day.

[robert theisen]

I will probably cut back to only 100 hours on the boat this year.LOL.

[giers]

BOAT=bring on another thousand. No affect for us as we fill at the farm for quite a bit less than pump prices, approx 3.00 a gallon. Then I let the accountant figure out how to claim it as a farm expensive

[IDBoating]

BOAT=bring on another thousand. No affect for us as we fill at the farm for quite a bit less than pump prices, approx 3.00 a gallon. Then I let the accountant figure out how to claim it as a farm expensive

Well, you certainly shouldn't be subject to road taxes when burning it in a boat engine! Sounds perfectly legit to me.

[Dave S]

I will most likely do a little of all above-
-cut out some dining out
-those who pitch in less will not get invited back
-maybe sometimes just us two and two others and that is it-no boat loads

I must say that most who go with me are very generous with gas money.

I don't that I have a "breaking point" on when I will stop boating because gas is to high, I have been boating all my life, and it is the only hobby I really enjoy and know. I could get a 4-wheeler-but that runs on gas also. I could take up golf, but for my wife and I to play golf at a decent golf course in Houston-it is $150 just for greens fees and that is nly about 4 hours of entertainment and it is only 2 of us, no more friends and family that we enjoy spending time with them.

One of my favorite quotes is "THE BOAT RUNS ON GAS NOT THANKS". I do not have this on my boat anywhere but often think of getting a vinyl graphic made and putting it right above the grab handle at the swim paltform so they see it right after their run. But I think if it comes to that then they don't get invited back, simple.