What will you spend on fuel in 2008?

How much will you spend on fuel for your boat in 2008?

  • Under $1,000

    Votes: 74 15.6%

  • $1,000 - $5,000

    Votes: 291 61.3%

  • $5,000 - $10,000

    Votes: 83 17.5%

  • $10,000 - $20,000

    Votes: 22 4.6%

  • Over $20,000

    Votes: 5 1.1%
  • Total voters
    475
Hehe... same here... The folks in my office were asking me if I regretted the fact that I had an 84 gallon tank in the boat. I just laughed and told them that the boat might only get about 2 MPG and it will cost in the ballpark of $300 to fill up, but I get 100 SPH (smiles er hour) and its worth every penny.

I don't think any of them understood.

Michael
 
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20 gal. tank
$3.75/gal. (at Costco)
(5-8 MPG when at cursing speeds)
I typically fill her up 8-10 times/yr.
160 gallons @ $3.75/gal. = $600
200 gallons @ $3.75/gal. = $750 (if bone empty each time at the pump)

You have to remember that the boating season here in Michigan starts in June (water is still in the low 60's) and ends in September (if we are really really lucky).

Oh yea, I forgot to mention that I filled my boat up last year and paid $3.38/gal. I also filled up my (10) - 6 gallon tanks at the same price so I need to revise my numbers:

80 gal. @ $3.38/gal. + 80 gal.@ $3.75/gal. = $570
80 ga. @ $3.38/gal. + 120 gal.@$3.75/gal. = $720
 
Listening to some of these fuel fill costs - it's just too much. I don't need to boat THAT bad.

It's bad enough filling to $150 - I couldn't dream of filling to $500 to over $1000 per fill.

I do agree though, that if the oil prices continue, there will be serious social issues arising. Fuel costs drive the cost of everything else up, and at some point the economic systems start breaking.

I plan to spend < $3K this year. I think that would be enough fun boating for my family.
 
I just had my tanks filled yesterday. For years now, we have been using a local fuel truck service with a 200' hose that will come to your house and fill up the boat at your dock.
His price yesterday was 4.339 gal. and he predicts 5.00 gal. by the summer.
I guess I will spend $500 a month on fuel, which is about 25% more than last year at this time. Worth every penny to me!
 
I went by Alpine last weekend and gas was $3.39. That's even lower than the street pumps. I think i'm going to top off everytime I go near it.
 
Petrol (gas) on the marina was £1.38 a litre last week. That's about $10 / US Gallon.
That's why there are not many big petrol engined boats over here!
 
The_Brit said:
Petrol (gas) on the marina was £1.38 a litre last week. That's about $10 / US Gallon.
That's why there are not many big petrol engined boats over here!
Click to expand...

I bet with these gas proces sailboats are very popular in your area.
 
I was at the Sea Ray dealer the other picking up my boat after it was summarized. I was seriously thinking about trading her in and upgrading until I started looking at the fuel capacities on the newer boats. I figured that between the higher payments and fuel costs, I would probably cut my boating time by at least 50%.

We will be sticking with our current boat. The 80 dollars that it takes to fill her up doesn't seem so bad, especially after reading this thread. We can go from one end to Flathead lake to the other end at cruising speed(20mph) on one tank of gas.

I hope the fed starts raising the rates soon. Every time they lower the rates, the dollar slides in value and we pay more for the essentials. I don't think that saving the subprime lenders and borrowers is worth making the average American pay 3 dollars for a loaf of bread,2 dollars for a carton of eggs and 4 dollars for one gallon of 87 octane is worth it. Let the housing market correct itself and lets get back to paying a good price for the stuff we need.

When I moved up from Dallas back in 2000, I could buy gas at the Racetrack gas stations down there for 99 cents a gallon. I sure do miss those days. Now, it costs more to drive to the movie theater than it does to actually see the movie.
 
You really think that food prices and stuff will go back to where they used to be? HA!! "Oh! energy prices are cheaper so let's lower our prices now!"...
 
Obama will save us.

It's not fair that house depreciation is getting all this political attention while us boat owners have been dealing with it for years... along with mobile home owners... maybe we should start the "Mobile Home/Boat Owner Alliance" and back our favorite candidate (Obama) and get some tax credits moving our way!
 
Well, I just bought five gallons of gasoline to mow my damn yard. 3.81 a gallon, and Deisel was $4.75!

I know that 4 bucks a gallon is going to be a reality at the fuel dock, but if things keep going like they are, we may be looking at 5.50 a gallon gasoline at the fuel dock by Mermorial Day weekend!

Most of us are fortunate enought to be able to pay these prices, however, none of us can truly afford to pay these prices. I don't like the argument being presented by the media either. (That until our habits change, prices will continue to climb.)

I'm sorry, but I live in a rural area, and big surprise, it takes FUEL to get me to work. I NEED to buy fuel to get to work. I can't take public transportation. Granted, I can choose not to boat, and therefore use less gasoline, and I suppose I could buy a couple hundred goats to keep my grass from turning into a hay field, but otherwise, my fuel expenses are mandatory. My wife and I are fortunate, and feel we can weather this storm, but we have made choices, like not going out to dinner any more (at all), not going to the movies any more (ever), buying all of our groceries at warehouse stores, and only buying clothing when it is on clearance. These were necessary measures to keep our standard of living the same, but when I look at a gallon of milk costing in excess of four bucks a gallon, I can't help but feel for the average Joe making 10-12.00 bucks an hour.

My father manages a large Inventory company, and for the first time in the history of the company, people are calling in to work because they don't have fuel to get there!

And Gary, you're right, Obama will fix it (Fix it so gasoline is ten bucks a gallon!!!)
 
Woody,
Amen to that. I have heard no less than three news stories this week about SUV owners unable to trade down to save fuel because the bottom has dropped out of the market.

I drive a full size pickup with a 5.7 liter V8, and my wife drives a Durango with a 5.7 Hemi. I'm not complaining about the value of my vehicles, I made a cognative decision to purchase larger vehicles because I personally percieve them to be a safer travel option for my family. As mentioned earlier in my post above, choices permit me to do so. I drive 91 miles to work each way every single day, and spend just over $600.00 a month in fuel for myself, and about $200.00 a month for my wife's vehicle. Basically, we don't eat out, or go with much entertainment as a way to keep that possible. I really feel for American's in the lower earning tiers. I truly don't know how they do it.

With that said, I have a FULL tank of fuel in RumbleFish, and eagerly await fair weather to burn it up. I'm not going to let the high price of gasoline keep me off the lake, I just hope that I'm not out there by myself! I know that last year at least thirty of the cruisers in my marina never left the slip....that's a shame.
 
cagnoli said:
I just hope that I'm not out there by myself! I know that last year at least thirty of the cruisers in my marina never left the slip....that's a shame.
Click to expand...

Problem is, where we boat, the high price of fuel will keep some of the larger cruisers (generally with experienced owners) OFF the water, but yet the pesky jet skis, dinghys, can boats, windblowers, and bass boats with half-cocked operators will still be ON the water. If higher gas prices led to less boats on the water and more peaceful weekends for me, maybe I'd be OK with a 'peace-and-quiet' tax of a few hundred dollars. I fear there is no upside at all to the higher fuel prices however.
 
I would LOVE for there to be almost no one else on the lake! Keep going up gas! Keep going up.:smt038
 
Fill 50 gal tank in SR once a month April through Oct = 7X50 = 350 gal

Extra fillups on the Fourth of July, Labor Day, and once in the Winter (our use drops after October) = 150 gals

Waverunner burns about 5-10 gals a week May-Oct - 6X4X7 = 170 gals

Lakehouse is 40 miles from daily house in town. Get to go nearly every weekend of the year, burns about six gals per week getting there = 6*50 = 300 gals (are we counting getting to to boat in this calculation?)

TOTAL use is 350+150+170+300 = roughly 1000 gals.

1000 gals times four bucks = $4000 to support the habit this year.

Still cheaper than coke. :thumbsup:
 
billandamy said:
I would LOVE for there to be almost no one else on the lake! Keep going up gas! Keep going up.:smt038
Click to expand...

You must be one of those who doesn't wave Hello back :grin:
 
Alex F said:
You must be one of those who doesn't wave Hello back :grin:
Click to expand...

:smt043 Actually, I am incredibly social and will wave to everyone and say hello to anyone, as there is someone on this board here who can verify this who has now been to my house a few times to have a beer.

As it is, yesterday, I saw a guy waxing his boat in the driveway. I had seen this boat a bunch of times (nice tige with tower) and figured he ran on the local lake. I pulled over and chatted for a little while with him.

I would just like to have plenty of room on the lake for tubing and boarding.
 
If last year is a good barometer we will go through 3,400 gallons between May 1 and November 1 on the Great Lakes. We live on Lake St. Clair and do not have a place "up north", as they say here. Our place up north is our boat. Factor in over $15K in gas and the monthly note, that has to get paid even during the months we can't use it, and we could have a very nice house on a lake without a boat. Since we like to go to far off places the boat makes more sense. One day we'll move south and boat all year. Right now we are both working and there is still a lot of the Great Lakes to see. :thumbsup:
 
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