HOW IS THE ECONOMY EFFECTING BOATING

F

ffheap

New member
Hi Folks,

Today (March29, 2008), the Boston Globe wrote an article about the boating industry.

Some of the information.

"Across the country, the $40 billion boating industry is struggling to weather a season of gloomy news."

MarineMax Inc, a Clearwater based nations largest recreational dealer recently laid off 10% of their work force.

A Bourne,Massachusetts manufacture who makes $300,000.00 boats has laid off half of their work force, and switching to cabinetry work.

And then the biggest, Brunswick Corp, who manufactures more than a dozen boat brands including Bayliner, SeaRay and Hatteras, has or plans to mothball seven factories, has laid off 1,300 workers. The also reported that the boating segment lost $81.4 million in 2007.

I have noticed that many marinas in the Boston area are advertising available slips this season. Three years ago, very few slips were available for rent.

Higher fuel prices, down turn in the economy.

What are your thoughts about this subject? Is your boating going to change at all because of this?

Like to hear from you all.

Fred
 
Fred-

Yes, my boating will be affected by the higher gas prices, and already is. We're making shorter trips both on the water and on the trailer. Not stopping, just shorter. And fewer.

I'm hoping to weather it though the recession with all three of my boats. If not, I can always sell one, though at a reduced recession price. At my age, (65), I probably wouldn't replace any one that was once sold.

It's my hobby, my lifelong passion, and I ain't giving up easily!

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Fred, The situation has brought me to a new appreciation for the boat that I have. A Ranger 21' tug may be slow but at about 1/3 gal.per hour it is getting about 18 m/g. It is nice to enjoy the time on the water and not feel bad about the fuel consumption. It is so much better and enjoyable than the old days of 10 to 12 gal/hr. Hang in there and look for other ways to cut expenses and pursue the pleasures the water brings. There is no better place to relax and unload the stress. This economy just adds stress.
Ron
 
Hello,
At 59 I'm not going to retire any time soon. The state of the economy will keep me practical and out of nice restaurants. I'll probably buy a 22' C-Dory Cruiser anyway in spite of all the crazy gas prices. If things were better I might have sprung for a 23' Venture or a 25' cruiser. I'll try to wait for the new Honda 50's with fuel injection as they are supposed to be 20% better on fuel. I've been married for almost 40 years and I don't have much to complain about other than the hair brain politicians who have been running our country for last 40 years. It's my time now and I'm going to by a little boat and die trying to make the run down the intercoastal waterway to Key West. It's only way Id ever be able to afford a place on the water. I'll run a little slower, fish a little harder and drink cheaper bourbon to be able to afford the high priced gas. Things have been running wild for the last ten years especially with real estate. I think we are in for a long and tough for some correction; to put it mildly.If it wasn't for the brats I probably wouldn't even buy the boat. What a great support group. Thanks for being such great bunch of people. DD
 
OK, I think we had this discussion before, but it is even more relevant now that the economy is in the tank along with the high fuel costs. So I would say:

  • Major cruises (a week or longer) on the 25 will not change. We have two planned, a week in the Gulf Islands after the Bellingham CBGT, and the Lake Powell CBGT, where we will trailer 1200 miles each way and be on the water about 11 days. These are our major vacations, and we would spend the same amount if we bought airline tickets and hotels - we'd just rather be on the boat!

    We'll play the 3 - 4 day long weekends by ear, probably will be on the 25.

    Weekends on the 25 will be closer to home - Andrews Bay, Blakey Harbor and such rather than the San Juans, since it is a 130 mile tow each way to launch at Blaine or Bellingham when we are at Birch Bay.

    The 25 will see a lot more time at 6.5 knots rather than 16 knots (the true "Trailerable Trawler"). The increase in economy is awesome, and we are cruising to see the sights instead of cover the water anyway. 16 knots only to get there or home quickly when we need to for some reason.

    Probably no crabbing, shrimping or fishing off the 25, except Hood Canal shrimping, where we like to stay overnight.

    The 16 will go back and forth to Birch Bay, and probably live at Birch Bay during the summers.

    All our day trips for crabbing, shrimping or fishing (if/when I really take it up, which I want to do) will be on the 16.

    Our San Juan overnighters at Matia Cove, Sucia, Eagle Harbor, Prevost Harbor and so forth will be in the 16 (I haven't quite got Patty along on this one, stay tuned!).

More as I think of it!
 
We heard from one of our Nantucket customers today who said, even out on that island, it's still waaay cheaper than in Europe. I suppose it's what you've become use to. :smileo
 
We've been spending more time at 1800-2000 rpm than 4500. As Pat said, 6 1/2 knots is very comfortable on these boats and we're getting between 5.5 and 6 mpg... I just adjust the throttle for the best fuel flow.

With employment looming as summer gets closer, we are excited about spending some time in the cool north. Running someone else's boat will give me the water time I crave and the paychecks will support the increased fuel bills for cruising when summer is over. There are still a lot of places we want to take Wild Blue - I don't anticipate that changing, but we will probably run slower and spend more time in a particular area. OK by me - I like to stop and smell the sea breeze and get a real feel for an area.

For those who are not in a "credit crunch," this downturn in the economy and increase in fuel prices (effectively raising prices across the board over the next year :cry: ) will still put a dent in discretionary income. We eat out regularly, but if things get tight, a sandwich on the boat will be better than not using the boat. We don't stay in motels if we can avoid it, but we're happy with more time at anchor than in marinas. It will be interesting to see if marinas raise prices to try to cover a decrease in traffic or hold the line on prices to try to bring in more business.

I had occasion to stop in a boat shop yesterday to pick up a new spare tire for the catboat that is going away. I asked the parts guy how their year is going so far. He response surprised me - boaters that I've talked with in the last couple weeks are saying they are cutting back on their boat time. The parts guy told me that they are busier than ever - people getting tune ups or even repowering to get better fuel mileage. Seems that there are a lot of us who aren't going to give up boating.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Like Joe, my trips are shorter and are making more use of my smaller boats. The oars on Old Yeller gets at least a mile per beer, and the tinnie gets good performance out of the Honda 15.
 
Hi Folks,

Great answers.

Being a Coxswain in the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and my C-Dory being an an operational Facility, I think I am going to try and do a lot more patrols this year. The Government pays for fuel, some maintenance, and food.

I have a few cruises planned. I will spend less time underway,and more time exploring the areas I visit. I will eat more on board ( except if I make it to a good fish eating place.)

As I have always said, "A bad day on a boat beats a good day ashore."

Fred
 
I already have the fuel tanks full on my trawler and with our 360 gallons I can go about 1,000 miles this summer and still have 60 gals left.

We may not get to Alaska this summer, but we will go as far north as the Broughtons.

We already operate at 7 knots, so we don't have to slow down any further.
 
Hi all,
These are just some of my speculations but I don't think gas prices will affect many folks too much. If you look at of all the costs associated with boating like boats, motors, trailers, slip fees, tow vehicles, insurance, and maintenance, an increase in the cost of fuel is a pretty marginal outlay for lots of fun.

I think most boats are run about 150 hours a season (that may be low for our bunch). For an average 22 if you figure three gallons per hour times 150 hours that's 450 gallons per season. If the marginal increase in gas prices is say a dollar, then you're only talking an extra 450 bucks. Now that's 450 bucks to be sure, but when you think you've already got probably many tens of thousands of dollars in the game I don't think it's a big factor.

I do think the dealers will get hurt on new entry-level boats that are bought mostly on credit. Boating is a marginal recreational activity, and folks are going to pay the mortgage before they buy a boat. I also expect to see a bunch of "project " boats hit the market, the ones that delusional souls buy thinking they can get into boating on the cheap. I'm not thinking we're all of a sudden going to see tons of screaming deals on classic Bertram or Hatteras sportfishermen. Prices for good used boats may come down a bit, even some of the fancy stuff. Recently prices on nice muscle cars have dipped, and everybody thought they were just like houses, they could only go up.

Just my thoughts, your mileage may vary.

Mike
 
This economy will DEFINITELY be affecting our boating activity !!!

We will be using our boat much MORE now because we can:
1. Launch and retrieve easily, because there are so fewer boats at the ramp.
2. Have our favorite coves and anchorages all to ourselves.
3. Navigate our lakes with much less traffic, etc., etc., etc.

Simply put, we are loving the ability to boat anytime burning less than 1/2gph at 7-8mph in air conditioned comfort. Yes....a/c is important down here friends. It was almost 90 here today. :smiled
 
I'm thinking we will be cruising more at trawler speed this year. Most of our cruising is done in Canada where gas will be $ 5.00-$6.00/ gallon this summer. Using the 150 hour yearly estimate, we could be burning up about $ 7500-$10,000 worth of fuel this year if we stay at our usual 21kt. cruise speed! We'll also be using one engine only for some low speed exploring.

But, what's the alternative, Spend $ 7500 and go to Europe for a couple of weeks? Or spend the better part of the year cruising the most desirable waters in the US and Canada? I'll opt for the time on the TC in our favorite spots.
 
Good condition used boats are looking great compared to similar models that are new and would burn the same gas. You know, the $30,000 difference between the two would buy a Hell of a lot of gas. A scuffed up boat on the water planing along is much prettier than a shiny new one sitting in the slip or in the driveway.

I still plan to fish as much as possible this spring and summer... but I'll make fewer trips down to the mouth of the Cowlitz where it is 9 miles each way and instead will be fishing within 2-3 miles each way of the marina. Fortunately, it is still great fishing. I'm always glad to take a new guest fishing on my dime, but am increasingly less patient of those folks who fish often with me and think a 10 or 20 dollar bill every three trips makes everything all even (while I'm paying for bait, wine/beer, occasional lost fishing lures and primarily GAS at 2 mpg.) ...

But yeah, I'm boatin hard. C.W.
 
Roger,

When you put it in those terms

Using the 150 hour yearly estimate, we could be burning up about $ 7500-$10,000 worth of fuel this year
Click to expand...

that's quite depressing :cry

Oh well, I'm still going to use it and already have many trips planned.
 
Our challenge is finding time to use the boat. We typically average only 50-60 hours/year. The big concern is whether we're running the engines enough. With the new Honda 40's I really didn't give fuel prices a second thought last year. They seem to sip the gas. Maybe I'll say yes to the occasional offer of $20 from a passenger where I've declined in the past. I can say for sure that some of my friends with Osprey's, SeaSports, C-Hawks, etc. will absolutely reign in their boating this year. Something about a $100.00 bill for the day's fuel starts to take the fun out of boating. People are practically giving away larger boats with twin gas engines (eg. uniflite, Carver, SeaRay) in the used market right now. Those Ranger 21's are looking like a good choice right about now. Best to all, Mike.
 
ffheap":1wv920wx said:
Hi Folks,

Great answers.

Being a Coxswain in the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and my C-Dory being an an operational Facility, I think I am going to try and do a lot more patrols this year. The Government pays for fuel, some maintenance, and food.

I have a few cruises planned. I will spend less time underway,and more time exploring the areas I visit. I will eat more on board ( except if I make it to a good fish eating place.)

As I have always said, "A bad day on a boat beats a good day ashore."

Fred
Click to expand...

Yep....that's my approach too. My facility form went into today's mail. I should be "crewed" by the end of April with my wife following by the time I become a Coxwain. Once achieved, we plan on numerous patrols and training sessions. There are plenty of Coxwains in our flotilla who are boatless who need time on the pond.

-Greg
 
Wife and I found the joys of displacement cruising a couple of years ago. The economy up here is sketchy and there are many many boats with twin engine inboards for sale for a song.

I have noticed that there is much more interest in the smaller boats like C-Dory and aluminum boats. I plan on being pretty active on the water this year but may not be as anxious for the longer trips. Gas is about $3.69 right now ...where to from here?
 
Although we have decided to sell Naknek, the decision was the result of our buy-in to a retirement community (with virtually no convenient storage...) rather than the downside realities of modern day boating.

Our C-Dory's, unlike the typical higher speed "day boats" present Brat's with the opportunity to go out for a few days (or weeks) and really savor their time afloat. In my mind that adds to the enjoyment; and helps us get more bang-for-the-buck. Sandy and I have found that being able to anchor-out in relative comfort is Wonderful - and (for us) beats the hell out of most resorts (many of which we would politely decline to utilize anyway).

Even with the economic situation we're looking at, if you have the funds to go on a vacation anywhere, you have the funds to utilize your C-Dory! Sure there will be trade-off's, but that's Life. Boating at slower (displacement) speed can actually be MORE enjoyable, very relaxing, and certainly helps with costs. Rather than choosing an anchorage 50-60 miles away and "making miles;" try finding a delightful anchorage 12-15 miles away, go Slow, and carry a good book to enjoy in your nearby anchorage!

Suggestions: Buy a satellite radio (great music choices), put autopilot on your boat (it really helps hours at displacement speeds) , and take an extra day or two - or extra WEEK or two; happily, you have a C-Dory, and anchoring-out is the Best part!

Best,
Casey
C-Dory Naknek
The Villages, FL
Lake Montezuma, AZ
 
Around here fishing regulations and restrictions are going to have a greater impact.

It looks like our area won't have a salmon season, and our main bottom fishing area may become off limits due to some marine protection zone.

So that means my fishing boat will only get used as a sight seeing vessel and I will probably go surfing instead.

Regulations are keeping me from using my boat and others won't come here to fish because of the fishing rules.

I will gladly buy fuel at what ever cost just so I could go fishing occasionally.

Jeff
 
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