Hopefully, it'll keep some of the stink boat yahoos home. Probably the ones
who are stretched thin financially to begin with. They're easy to spot.
They're the ones in a $50,000.00 floating Camaro, which come to the dock
with a 5 foot piece of plastic rope at each end of the boat. "That real
rope's purty expensive".



"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
From Oakland County, Michigan


Will gas prices dock boats?
Enthusiasts may keep craft out of water, but businesses doubt it

As the weather warms and boat owners begin putting their craft in the
water, the businesses that cater to them are speculating how record gas
prices will affect the sport.

Many said owners of large boats - like motor yachts and cabin cruisers
found on bigger bodies of water such as Lake St. Clair - may change their
ways.

"The larger boats may cut back the length of trips or the number of ports
they'll call on," said Van Snider, president of Livonia-based Michigan
Boating Industries Association.

Snider added, "It won't have a significant impact on smaller boats or on
fishing, for example, because you're not burning a lot of fuel."

Gas consumption is a big factor in Michigan, where boating generates $2.4
billion annually. In Oakland County, about 95,000 boats are registered.

Curly Arbuckle, sales manager at Colony Marine in Pontiac, waved off the
effects of gas pricing and appeared optimistic about the coming season.

"People are tired of the way things are," said Arbuckle. "A lot have money
to spend, and I think things are beginning to loosen up. We have lots of
interest in our boats."

Eric Wright of Waterford Township's Island Cover Marina on Cass Lake
hasn't opened his gas dock yet, but, when he does, he plans to set the
price per gallon at $3.20.

"I like to set a price and keep it there all season," he said. "We don't
sell enough to make a profit. Basically, it's a convenience for people."

Wright doesn't allow boaters to bring their own gas to the marina to fill
their tanks because of environmental regulations.

"But some people will bring gas and fill up in the lake," he said.
"There's nothing that can be done about it. But if (police officers) see
you spilling, they can write a ticket."

One Michigan dealer, selling only electric-powered boats near Jackson,
said he believes gas prices will help sales this year.

"The time is now for electric boats," said Larry Younkman, who exclusively
sells Clarklake-based Duffy Electric Boats in Jackson County.

"People are flipping out over them," said Younkman. "Gas is an issue now,
and I feel there is a definite demand for our boats."

Many marina owners dismiss the influence of higher gas prices.

Craig Stigleman, owner of Aggressive Marine in Commerce Township, said
most of his customers are people in "half-million-dollar homes on the
lakes.

"They're still going to use their boats," he said.

However, Stigleman pointed to a more serious factor affecting boat sales.

"Layoffs, like the 700 in Detroit or hundreds at Delphi, hurt us more than
gas prices," said Stigleman.

"For people who were thinking about buying a boat who may be (possibly
laid off), a new boat is the last thing on their list."


Click here for story:

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stori...50414021.shtml
--
Bush and the NeoConvicts who control him
are destroying the once-great United States.