www.iFourWinns.com

$4.85 a gallon up our way on the street already. Let's hope the speculators are done with their speculating crap by the time the summer rolls around!

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2009 H180 w/3.0 Merc
Homebuilt Minimax Hydro
2011 Zodiac Cadet 310

In CT. it's 3.69 at gas stations.....the marina will be about 1.00 more........2 years ago it hit 4.99.9 /gallon at the marina......fortuneatley I trailer so I can fill up on land........there's plenty of supply to go around , it's just those darn oil speculaters/hedge fund traders running up the price so they can buy an even bigger McMansion this year!!!!!

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"For My 50th"
1996 238 Vista
5.7VolvoGL DP
Previous boats; 91 Cobia 19' Cuddy, 87 Starcraft 16' BR,
67 Winner BR, 65 Arrow 14'

We just got back from San Diego where gas ranged from $3.89 to $4.19. Back home in Chicago is around $3.69. It will not change our boating habits at all.

Over the winter knowing it was coming again, I designed and built a hydrogen unit.
I will be putting it on the Crew Cab Dually within 2 weeks. I am expecting around a
40 percent savings on fuel and getting a little more power out of it, 15 percent or so.

If it all goes well, I will be putting it on the boat as well since I have double units anyways.

The only problem with the boat right now, is that it's carborated not injected. But hey, even
10 % at these prices can help.

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1992 Baja 38 Special Twin 502 Mags

03 Stingray 3.0
88 261 Liberator 460 King Cobras
95 Bayliner 1850 3.0
77 Fiber Form 20ft 350/385hp
70 Wescraft 1800 SS 455 Jet

Lead, Follow, or get the Hell out of the Way!

Plus one on this. We will start the day with a light cruise and then anchor in a cove right next to our yacht club and let the kids swim, play on the beach or playground. Not only does this routine save on gas but it keeps me out of trouble with the law (if you know what I mean).

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Current Boat: 2000 Four Winns 298 Vista
Previous Boat: 2000 Carver 406MY

It's going to be interesting to see how much of an affect the high fuel prices will have on how many people stay home this summer. In CA we have the pay "express lanes" where you pay to drive in lanes with less traffic. I'm wondering if it will be a similar luxury ie: the more you pay for gas, the less boats you will see.

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2011 Four Winns H260 Frenzy $ea Note
VP 8.1GXi/DP EVC 420HP
2007 Silverado 1500 CrewCab 4x4
Previous:
2002 Four Winns H200
5.0GXI 270HP

+1 on the lot more anchoring/swimming than cruising around. I was going to try my first trip down the Chattanooga (about 120 miles on the river and 5 locks) so hopefully it stays under 5.00 at the Marina. We are 3.29 a gallon right now, went down a few cents the last couple days, hope it continues that way. Like everyone else gas is .80-1.00 more on the water around here, makes me miss being able to take my bowrider out of the water myself (subdivision boat ramp is 300' from my front door) and the gas station is 1/4 mile from the ramp. Too much of a PITA to pull this thing out of the water to get fuel

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2006 Vista 248 5.7DP - SOLD
2011 Crownline E6 - SOLD
2007 Sea Ray 260 Sundancer

I boat on a smaller lake so less movement. Basically we "dock" hop to our friends and anchor in coves to float/swim. I think i burned 3 tanks last sumemr...

In most of the industrialized world, including Europe and Japan, pump prices are much higher than in the U.S. – even though the wholesale price is roughly the same. The difference is a heavy tax load those countries impose to discourage consumption.

Time to go out and vote in new government representatatives...

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2003 Horizon 240 With 5.7 Volvo Penta

What has amazed me as that people are selling their boats like they are going out of style around here. Cap'n Morgan has said it many times. Clean used boats are selling. I have been watching the local Marina here. They sold nearly all of their used boats this winter. All of the Boats they took to the Cleveland boat show are gone. Some were over $100,000,00 and most were over 50 grand.

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2003 268 Four Winns Vista
F-350 King Ranch Diesel (Tow)
1990 Four Winns Fredom 180

This is one of the reasons I did not get a bigger boat...after the price increases a few years ago, I did appreciate the very economical 4.3 V-6 in my old 88. With the Rochester Q-jet, if you keep it out of the secondaries, it will cruise on the small primaries and uses surprisingly little fuel. It's not a rocket but it gets me out there and the cost of fuel is not a reason for me not to use the boat.

Same thing with the vehicles, I kept my old 4.0 Six Grand Cherokee and use it for local driving because it's considerably more economical than the 07 Hemi. The Hemi comes out for long trips and the little towing I do. After not having a V-8 for many years, I will not give it up no matter how expensive gas gets, just use it a little less. Diesel, well at 40 cents a gallon more, and the large cost of the diesel option, plus more complex maintenance, I don't see it for me.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Gas prices are a serious concern. Hopefully they will not reach the historic high prices that have been predicted. We use an average of about 500 gallons of gas per year. While an increase of $2.00 per gallon will be a challenge, it will not stop me from boating. I work hard for my money, I guess this summer I’ll have to work a bit harder. Boating is my life in the summer. Make that year around! Dan

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Current Boat: 1994 278 Four Winns Vista

My wife and I view the increase in gas in a similar way. Boating is what we enjoy doing in the summer with our 8 year old son. We typically spent around $2200.00 a year on fuel. So even if fuel is up 40% over last summer that would be an increase of only $880.00.

Our boating season is approximately 6 months long in Ontario, Canada so the $880.00 increase for our whole years worth of boating will not slow us down much. We enjoy boating too much to let this degree of gas increase damper our fun.

We may spend longer periods of time over in the US waters when we do run across the lake (take an extra vacation day or two) as opposed to running across the lake more frequently as that helps cut down fuel used, but would still plan to spend as much time on the boat and out on the water as normal.

Mike.

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Current Boat
- 2001 Four Winns 328 Vista "Hour Decision"
- 2010 310 Mercury Inflatable

Previous Boats
- 30' Doral Prestancia
- 25' Doral Citation

hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do!!! Buy food for the family to eat or gas for the boat--what do you think wins out!??
See ya on the water! Actually, maybe a bit more anchoring than cruising this year--but like someone said in this thread-- "a day on the boat is a day on the boat whether we're cruising or anchoring"!!! Thats it.

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"For My 50th"
1996 238 Vista
5.7VolvoGL DP
Previous boats; 91 Cobia 19' Cuddy, 87 Starcraft 16' BR,
67 Winner BR, 65 Arrow 14'