Off topic: $$$$ Diesel $$$$

Airline tickets appear to vary by the day of the week and time of the day (not only for flying, but for buying)--occasionlly you will see a great buy and it pays to snap it up immediately.

We have a 2000 Excursion with the 7.3 L PSD with just over 140,000 miles on it. Towing the CD 25 we get about 10 - 12 mpg. (depends on the terrain). Light on the highway we get over 20 mpg on long trips.
 
We have a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 4 door with a 6 foot bed and Cummins diesel. Mixed driving is typically 17-18 and highway is 20-21 if I can keep it in the 65-70 range. Towing our 22 we get 10-13, but I suspect we are handicapped by having the tall arch, radar and rod holders mounted on it. I did some measuring and figured that the above gear adds about four square feet of windage. Towing our pop-up camper we get about 18-19 on the road.

Nick
"Valkyrie"
 
Paid $3.58/gallon for diesel this morning in salem area. My 2002 Dodge/cummins normally averages about 14 with a camper and pulling the c-dory. Just got a new 10' camper last week so took it out for the first time this weekend to check the mileage. I slowed down to 55 and the mileage is up to just about 18. I will never go back to gas. I would think with the season getting away from high heating requirements diesel ought to drop back down to slightly more than gas, or more likely sit still while gas catches up with diesel. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever pay more than $100 to fill a fuel tank.
 
In preperation for the ultimate purchase of an actual C-Dory we recently purchased a used 2005 F-250 Super Duty. My Explorer has a tow rating of only 5K, so a larger rig was needed and a friend's parents needed to sell their truck for a very fair price.

Filled it for the first time last week @ $3.79/gallon. It's now up to $3.97 and up to $4.05. I don't know the mpg's yet, but I'll be checking it the next fill. Whatcha gonna do? It'd be a lot cheaper except I live in tax hell WA. State and the taxes per gallon are over .50. :evil:
 
I think the price of diesel is tied to the demand for heating fuel. Thats why you find diesel cheaper than gas in the summer and more expensive than gas in the winter.
 
Diesel $4.05/gal yesterday at Safeway, up from $3.74 10 days ago! But, as the little sign on the pump proudly announces, the station is powered by wind energy.
 
Saw $4.09 yesterday too. :disgust Bio is even more here. A guy I work with bought a used Mercedes Benz deisel last year since it was cheaper than gas and more effecient. His plan was to use bio as it's more easily availabe in the greater Seattle area. He thought he outsmarted everyone and was so proud of himself for being "green". He's now in the same boat (sorry :wink: ) as we are...
 
Regarding gas prices - this morning, we paid $3.19 for gas on the water; not bad by most marina situations and only about 5¢ more than the stations in town. When we are around home, we do not fill our tank... no point in hauling extra fuel around when it is easily available. When the tank gets down to about 15 gallons, I put on another $100 worth - usually brings me up close to half.

A couple weeks ago, DogOnDan and I sparred about the PERCEPTION of rising fuel prices. Here is a perfect example of that perception: when fuel prices were $2.99 on the water, people grumbled but bought. At $3.19 I am hearing people say they aren't going to go out as much. The difference in that $100 now and then (a few weeks ago) is about 2 gallons.

My take on this is: I'm not going to let two fewer gallons keep me from going out and enjoying my boat. That perception (of much higher prices) is what drives consumer confidence, the stock market, investments, and the general economy.

On a recent land trip, I figured our costs with a gas van (that gets 13 mpg) vs our diesel truck (which gets 17 mpg, although at a more expensive price per gallon)... on a 1200+ mile trip, the difference would have been around $10. We chose the more comfortable of the two vehicles, because the cost difference was insignificant.

Perception. When every station in town goes up within an hour of each other, the perception is "price fixing, gouging, and just plain ol' taking advantage." For many folks, the first reaction is to NOT buy their high-priced fuel. But, it's a commodity, like electricity, telephone, heating oil, water. Sure, our boats may be deemed a luxury by some, but what is it worth to you to be able to enjoy your time on the water? What is the real difference in cost to you to use your boat? Instead of boating, you could go play a round of golf (how much does that cost in your area?), or go to a movie and have a meal out (that's certainly not cheap). I guess you could sit home and do nothing... not an option for many of us.

So, before you decide to use your boat less ( or not at all :( ), figure out the real difference in what you used to spend and what that would cost today. The perception is bad, especially if you have a boat that is a fuel hog... for us C-Dory folks, it might not be such a bad situation. Now, don't get me wrong - I still think big oil is taking advantage of the consumer (because they can), but maybe the solution is to use a bit less and still go out and have your time on the water? Maybe it's to cut out a fancy meal once in a while?

Priorities vs perception.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Jim,

Some very astute comments that put many things in perspective.

Even though I started this thread after being shocked at seeing diesel breaking the $4.00 mark, Marcia and I have often echoed your thoughts. Most of us don't think much of dropping $3-4 on a latte, but then complain when we out an extra similar amount in our tanks.

That being said, I just grabbed a calculator and found that if I fill my 35 gallon tank with diesel at 4.09, I'll have to shell out $143.15. Ouch! That's 53.15 more than my first apartment! But then again, even my retirement is many times more than my first salary as a teacher.

We're not going to cut our boating at all and we usually cruise in the 14-16 mph range, which is economical. I have many fond cruising memories that I wouldn't trade for thousands of dollars. My most memorable is a long, singlehanded crossing of the Gulf of Mexico from the Marathon to Fort Myers Beach. I sailed through one night on a beam reach doing 6.5 under a full moon so bright that I could see the shadow of Spirit on the sand below, with dolphins playing in my bow wave as I sat with my back to the mast as I controlled the Autohelm 1000 by remote (wired back then).

Years from now, Marcia and I want to have similar memories of time on Valkyrie. I don't want to be sitting in a recliner with a walker nearby, saying, "Do you remember the time we saved $1200 in diesel by not going cruising in the Keys?"

Regards,

Nick
"Valkyrie"
 
Valkyrie":2obts0np said:
Most of us don't think much of dropping $3-4 on a latte
Nick
"Valkyrie"
Click to expand...

Nick, talking about "perspective", I can shamefully remember in my muuuucccch yoooounger days of dropping that much $ for individual drinks at night (not latte either... :wink ), and although I know I had some good times....the headaches :disgust in the morning weren't a lot of fun. That being said, 4 bucks per gallon of diesel to get my boat in the water ain't all that bad.
 
Well said.

Speaking of a latte; compare fuel to bottled water. How much is a gallon of Evian or similar?

That said, I've definately changed my driving habits (I combine trips, a little lighter on the pedal, if the light ahead changes to red, I don't feel the need to be the first one there, stopped etc) but I still drive. I agree with the philosophy of continuing to do the things I enjoy (Life's too short after all) and perhaps cutting back on some things I don't like quite as much.
 
FuelGuage.jpg
 
Just filled the truck. $4.09/gallon and the mileage worked out to 13.25 mpg. :? Seems like that's incorrect. I'll double check the mpg on every fill up. Not exactly a Prius, but my commute is only about 7 miles round trip.








And a Prius can't pull a boat. :wink:
 
Not much pricks my interest around here any more so I frequent the site only occasionally. But, I wanted to tell you how proud I am that you have gotten to the point where only one Big Oil slam exist in 3 whole pages of posts!
I won't bother going back through all the great reasons for supporting "Big Oil". Nor will I point out all the previously mentioned items you would not own with out "Big Oil" and I certianly don't want to give anyone the wrong impression, this is not intended to cause a stir!
On the contrary, I don't care if your burning it to get your self to a rally in New Jersey where they are deciding how we should manage our Wolves, and it wouldn't really bother me if you are burning it to get to a gay pride parade either, but what ever you do DON"T QUIT BURNING IT!

Mike on Huda Thunkit, Proud American Oil Field Worker for over 30 years.
P.S,--- naw never mind, the last time I mentioned how I vote every one got pist.
 
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