Less power boats on water due to gas?

[Ron]

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone has noticed that there are less powerboats on the water because of the high cost of gas? Here in Miami I have not really noticed it. This weekend I saw plently of power boats on the water. However, on Long Island my father claims he sees far fewer powerboats this summer than previous summers. At $3/gal on land and even more on the water I could see how a simple day outing could cost several hundred dollars in gas.

[Larry W]

Can't say I've noticed less power boats on the water, but talking to a few of the people at my Marina here in So. Cal. (Alamitos Bay), many of the owners are keeping their gas hogs in the slip and enjoying life there. Really a shame as many of them really enjoy Catalina for the weekend, but at $200 - $300 round trip they are staying put more often than not. Just another advantage of the Mac....the wind is free and they don't eat too much gas.

[Idle Time]

hummmmmm....these high gas prices might have a good side to them...

[Scott]

Jenny and I both noticed a significant drop in general lake use by powerboats this year.

As of the last couple weeks it could have been due to the extreme temps but overall, Yes

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

It sure is nice to have the ability to burn a little or a lot of gas in a Mac powersailor...depending on your mood. When I went out last weekend, I felt like doing low consumption...so I motored slowly out of the canal, then motor sailed for a while (great economy doing this with a 4stroke), then shut off the motor for a couple hours and sailed only. On the way home, I just planed it out for a few minutes long enough to empty the ballast. Grand total = 4 hours on the boat, about 1 gallon of gasoline burned....thats still less than a dollar per hour. Another great MacMoment.

[Rich Plumb]

Here in Puget Sound, I've noticed less power boats and those that are out here are going slower.

I just came back from a five day trip, (Des Moines, Gig Harbor, Poulsbo, Des Moines, Tacoma, Des Moines) using less than 10 gallons of gas. I usually putt along, on autopilot, at 2000 RPM or less.

~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~~
Rich Plumb "Plumb Crazy"
26X, Covington WA

[LOUIS B HOLUB]

Here in the Kemah, Tex. area, last weekend boats were in full bloom. Friends of ours took us out on their Mac X, and boat traffic was heavy...motor and sailing craft.
Gas prices havent put a "dent" in boating here....its as robust as ever...

[K9Kampers]

Lake Winnipesaukee (NH) weekends seem as busy as ever. The public docks fill up fast & stay full well into the evening. Many boats stay on the docks or anchor all day. Still a lot of big & small boats running around. Last Saturday was a Donzi rally / poker run? Two to three dozen of these screamers ripping up the lake going port to port!

[kmclemore]

Lake Winnipesaukee (NH) weekends seem as busy as ever. The public docks fill up fast & stay full well into the evening. Many boats stay on the docks or anchor all day. Still a lot of big & small boats running around. Last Saturday was a Donzi rally / poker run? Two to three dozen of these screamers ripping up the lake going port to port!

Ahh.. sad to hear.. we're gonna be on Lake Winni next week with our boat... was hoping it would be a bit quieter! I had heard about that Poker Run though... I wonder if they obeyed the 'no wake' rules!?

[K9Kampers]

kmclemore - I was sailing the lower Broads below Rattlesnake Isl. when they roared thru to/from Alton Bay. Wind 10-15 mph, waves 2-3',
Donzis were probably 50-70 mph. I had no issues with right-of-way or clearance, just the noise. It sure must have been worse in Alton Bay where everything gets congested fast!

There has always been room in the Broads for sail & power, tho don't expect the all weekenders to be no-wake courteous in smaller areas! Marine Patrol makes a good presence tho.

Where are you launching / staying at? Hope you get some nice wind. Water temp: 80 - 82F, great swimming!

[kmclemore]

Where are you launching / staying at? Hope you get some nice wind. Water temp: 80 - 82F, great swimming!

Thanks, K9K. We'll probably launch for free over at Nineteen-Mile Bay in Tuftonboro, then I'll pilot the boat up into upper Moultonboro Bay - I can't find any closer launch, unless you know of one?

While I'm doing that, the Admiral will drive the van and trailer over to Camp Tecumseh and she'll park it there, then I'll anchor the boat off the back of Joe Island, just off-shore of the camp. And of course we'll be staying on the boat! (I'm a CT alumnus and know the camp owners well, so they always give us permission to use their land for shore-mooring.)

[Catigale]

On power vs sail - I got yelled at by a huge Cat (60 feet +) who passed me under sail starboard side while I was motoring at 8kts..sounded horn , yelled etc as he felt I was too close

I VHF'd "overtaking boat gives way Captain" which was met by silence..he wasnt close hauled (and I wasnt that close)

I guess it was a case of mine is bigger than yours...a courteous request on the VHF would have been received much nicer...

[K9Kampers]

kmc - Public launch alternatives for Moultonboro Bay:

Lees Mill - access from Rts 109 or 25, near The Woodshed Restuarant.

Harillas Landing - 5 minutes from Camp Tecumseh by road - follow Moultonboro Neck Road past Trexlers Marina onto Long Island Road til the end.

Melvin Village has a ramp but I'm not familiar with it.

Melvin is closest by water to Joe's Isl. Lees is about same as 19 Mile, Harillas a little further than 19. But then, who's in a hurry?

[DLT]

I VHF'd "overtaking boat gives way Captain" which was met by silence

I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't even monitoring the VHF... Afterall, its there when HE needs it...

[K9Kampers]

Another power vs. sail:

We were under sail on Lake Champlain & had two close calls in less than an hour with two different Canadian power vessels. The first, a 40+ ft Grand Banks trawler didn't respond to horn blasts and passed about 50 feet in front of us. We altered course to his stern to avoid. No transom name.

The second, a 40+ ft cabin cruiser passed within 30 ft of our stern, giving us a 3 ft wake to deal with. Transom mounted dinghy obscured boat name. Neither vessel acknowledged our presence or responded to yells or sign language. Maybe I could have notified CG? I chose to let it go instead of escalating into an international incident. Probably won't be the last time - too many idiots with boats out there.