My daughter is an oversize load escort and works mostly for Joule transporting boats all over the USA.
Posted on 02/24/2012 5:23:36 AM PST by ImProudToBeAnAmerican
Weekly FR Boating Thread ~ Vol. 5 ~ Feb. 24, 2012 ~ Effects of the Economy on Boating
If the boating market is a barometer of the economy - perhaps we are currently in the eye of the storm..
When the economy heads south, boating is one of the first things people stop doing, and one of the last things people start doing again when the economy warms up.
If you listed things from need to not need; food, water, clothing, shelter would be at the beginning the list, and boating would be second to last, right before owning property on the Moon, perhaps.
This duly noted, not much beats a day on the water, regardless of the current state of the turmoil on land.
As pResident Fail is apparently hell bent on running the economy aground while gleefully giggling as the cost of fuel skyrockets - I ask you, which does he despise more – our country or boaters?
While working at a boating dot com back in the day, we could not figure out why we would get tons of orders one day, and almost none the next. Up, down, up, down – not regional, weather or news related – we finally figured out our orders (mostly online) marched lockstep to the stock market – almost to the hour. When the market ticked up, people checked their investment account balance – the ‘up’ was their boat money to spend. When their account balanced dipped – no boat money.
Apparently a rising tide lifts...the boating market.
While whole fleets of boats bought on the bubble have been repo'd and marinas have more empty slips than they prefer, people are still buying and enjoying their boats.
How is the economy influencing your boating adventures?
"Twenty years from now you will be more disppointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ~ Mark Twain
Launching ~ Weekly FR Boating Thread ~ Vol. 1 ~ Jan. 27, 2012
Weekly FR Boating Thread ~ Vol. 2 ~ Feb 3, 2012 ~ “Off Season”
Weekly FR Boating Thread ~ Vol. 3 ~ Feb. 10, 2012 ~ Boat Transportation
Weekly FR Boating Thread ~ Vol. 4 ~ Feb. 17, 2012 ~ Spring Projects
Please let me know how I can help you with your boating adventures, and if you would like to be added to the Weekly FR Boating Thread.
Please add me to the ping list! Florida boater here with a 33 SeaRay mostly used for cruising the Gulf Coast. Mostly day trips with a few overnighters. Want to do some fishing, but have zero knowledge. Now we need a fishing ping list!
Sailed stuart, Florida yesterday in my 22 Cape Dory with my son and a friend of his “Justin”.
First time sailing for Justin and he had a great time.
Wind out of the west at approx 11mph. And about 83 degrees/
Caught two blue fish trolling two jigs off the stern
Eoesn’t get too much better,
Welcome aboard - you’ve been added to the list.
I’m off to detail a boat, but I’ll be back tonight.
Fair seas!
In my neck of the woods, (Mass.) Marina rates are $150-$200 /foot.
So if you had a 30 foot boat at $175/ft it comes to $5,250 just to stay in the slip.
These slips are usually paid for by now. I bet a lot of people who paid up front for slips, are wishing they just left the boats in the yard covered for this season, to see how this plays out. - Tom
My daughter is an oversize load escort and works mostly for Joule transporting boats all over the USA.
Checked with the chater company our boat is in - state of Washington - diesel is $5.25 at the dock and rising daily. Number of bookings dropping off or being cancelled.
One of their competitors had closed their doors....no money from charter income this year.....
Dude, there is NO WAY I would go out on the Lake (Lake Of The Woods) with 70 gallons of liquid Propane on board!
The way a gas leak would end up, is just a smoking hole on the water. No thanks, that would not only be dangerous, it would be stupid.
It is powered by a 350 Chevy and a brand new Alpha 1 Merc. outdrive. I run it all day long, downrigging for trophy Walleyes for about 30 dollars a day, figuring fuel at $4.00.
I have the trailer rigged to pull it out of the water every time I use it and I store it in a special building I built to house it. I installed fuel injection and I can run oxygenated fuel at the cheapest price.
In other words, there are ways of adjusting to things like this, and there are fewer large boats on the water these days, but the smaller ones, who people are flocking to, have become way too expensive to buy, and they don't use less fuel like they think they do. Most of all, when the wind picks up, I can keep fishing and there are a surprising number of small boats that follow me in to the dock after I break the waves for them. I would not trade that extra security for all the gas in China!
Ours is a 60’ LOA Ocean Flushdeck witth twin turbo 750hp Detroits. Cruising at 8 knots it will burn 8gph. 20 knots, 20gph.
Charterers love the boat as it has four staterooms and four heads, large salon, large enclosed fly bridge - all the comforts of home.
Even the smaller boats in our fleet are seeing more downtime this year....
The Mighty Vessel Amiigaf ping
All the Northern sailors are jealous!
FWIW, a sailing friend attended Strictly Sail and reported boats selling well.
Don’t be.
Yesterday was the sum total of our spring here.
Tomorrow summer will arrive and it will be 95 with 90 percent humidity for about 8 months.
Typical. That happens here, too, and no wind for a couple of months in the summer and duck weed in the channel.
My husband’s sailor friends in FL pretty much sit out much of the summer. But they have been sending videos the past week and it looks lovely. They are over on the West Coast/Panhandle, mostly.
Glutton for punishment here, even in the middle of the summer if there is wind I’ll go sailing.
Wife and son abandon me saying I’m nuts.
Last year I caught a tarpon off the back of my sailboat while sailing alone.
Funny as can be to go by another boat sailing single handed and catch a big fish in front of some guys sitting, fishing.
Although I have caught fish off my sailboat (which I no longer have) it was not quite like your single hand operation:)
On a friends 30’ sail boat we did tow a powerless power boat right to the dock while under sail. Dropped him sail bye right in front of the fancy bar/restaurant at his yacht club:)
Cold Heart,
There are times when you want time to slow down and stand still.
Go out to a weed line about 7 miles offshore in 60 to 75 feet adn get a double knockdown with two 18 pound dolphin right in front of a 50 foot Hatteras trolling the opposite way. Snicker.
Ummmm, good.
Please put me on your ping list. Thanks.
Ah, just sold our 1998 330 Sundancer “Patriot” ..Miss it like crazy but it was the right time and the right price..Will be back on the water again one day, hopefully.
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