..........we already know what will happen with the 25 ft+/twin engine boat
market.

So what do you predict will happen with the single engine 19-23 foot boat
market?

JimH wrote:
.........we already know what will happen with the 25 ft+/twin engine boat
market.

So what do you predict will happen with the single engine 19-23 foot boat
market?

People who go boating because the enjoy being out on the water won't be
impacted all that much. They will slow down to "just on plane" or even
displacement speeds and have a great time. People who can't imagine
boating with anything less than the biggest available engine
cranked up to the highest possible rpm are going to be paying, and
paying, and paying for the privilege and it may be tough to find others
willing to pay much to take over the privilege and responsibilty of a
$100 an hour (or maybe substantially more) habit.

If you want to see what high fuel prices do to recreational boating,
check out Europe.
On previous visits to Britain and Spain, I have developed an informal
impression that
1) There are a lot fewer pleasure boats per capita
2) There are a lot more sailboats than powerboats
3) Nearly all powerboats are diesels

Game plan for gas boaters is likely to be; Tune up, lighten ship, look
for the most efficient operating speeds, clean the bottom, and make
sure every excursion is so much fun that
the price of fuel will be an afterthought.

Boats in the 19-23 foot range won't suffer as badly as boats somewhat
larger. The smaller boats can be more easily trailered, and usage
patterns will shift to where boaters haul the trailer to a ramp closer
to the fishing hole, state park, etc and run the boat for shorter
distances on its own bottom.

I predict that for many boaters, priorities will shift and attributes
that were important just a few years ago (i.e. maximum available speed)
will become less important as fuel prices move inexorably upward.

JimH writes:

So what do you predict will happen with the single engine 19-23 foot
boat market?

I may be unusual, but even with fuel getting more expensive, it is still a
small fraction of the true cost of ownership.

Richard J Kinch wrote:
JimH writes:

So what do you predict will happen with the single engine 19-23 foot
boat market?

I may be unusual, but even with fuel getting more expensive, it is still a
small fraction of the true cost of ownership.

You're absoutely right.

I think the challenge for a lot of boaters is that it is a cost that is
encountered so frequently, and it's easy to compare to similar costs in
the past. If the fuel cost for a 100-gallon weekend fishing trip was
$250 last year and all of a sudden it becomes $450-$500 this year there
is an impression that the total cost of boating is going out of sight.
It isn't, of course, but the damage is done by the impression. People
who don't already have the needle in their arm (or the nozzle in the
fill neck, as the case may be) will probably be more reluctant to take
up boating as a hobby and that will have long term implications for the
entire industry and infrastructure.

It would be hard to convice me that a guy in a position to pay $2000 a
*month* for boat payment, moorage and/or tow vehicle payment,
insurance, maintenace, repairs etc is really going to be run off the
water by a couple of thousand dollar a *year* difference in the cost of
fuel. Buying a boat is a poor financial decision that we all willingly
make in order to enjoy the associated benefits. If fuel goes up, the
poor financial decision doesn't suddenly become dramatically worse than
it was to begin with.

" JimH" jimh_osudad@yahooDOT comREMOVETHIS wrote in message
...
.........we already know what will happen with the 25 ft+/twin engine
boat
market.

What do you mean "will"? It already "DID" happen.........at least up
here.


So what do you predict will happen with the single engine 19-23 foot
boat
market?

" JimH" jimh_osudad@yahooDOT comREMOVETHIS wrote in message
...
.........we already know what will happen with the 25 ft+/twin engine boat
market.

So what do you predict will happen with the single engine 19-23 foot boat
market?


Nothing will happen to the 19-23 foot boat market. If you spend $2000 a year
on gas, would spending $2800 make a difference?