.......going down. Under $2/gallon on the street at some places here.

Election time must be coming up...........oops..........that happened last
November. ;-)

For Chuck:......gasoline - boats.........gasoline - tow vehicles. Just a
preemptive strike to keep the head sheriff from interrogating me. ;-)

$2.09.9 here, it's dropped back from $2.28.9 a month ago.


JimH wrote:
......going down. Under $2/gallon on the street at some places here.

Election time must be coming up...........oops..........that happened last
November. ;-)

For Chuck:......gasoline - boats.........gasoline - tow vehicles. Just a
preemptive strike to keep the head sheriff from interrogating me. ;-)

hmm,

Locally,
$211.9. for 89.5 octain 10% ethanal blend.

Went up a couple cents since last week.



Tim wrote:
$2.09.9 here, it's dropped back from $2.28.9 a month ago.

Tim wrote:
hmm,

Locally,
$211.9. for 89.5 octain 10% ethanal blend.

Went up a couple cents since last week.



Tim wrote:
$2.09.9 here, it's dropped back from $2.28.9 a month ago.

Regular unleaded here is less than $2.00 even at the more expensive
places.

No change in Seattle.
JR

JimH wrote:

......going down. Under $2/gallon on the street at some places here.

Election time must be coming up...........oops..........that happened last
November. ;-)

For Chuck:......gasoline - boats.........gasoline - tow vehicles. Just a
preemptive strike to keep the head sheriff from interrogating me. ;-)




--
--------------------------------------------------------------
Home Page: http://www.seanet.com/~jasonrnorth

JimH wrote:
......going down. Under $2/gallon on the street at some places here.

Election time must be coming up...........oops..........that happened last
November. ;-)

For Chuck:......gasoline - boats.........gasoline - tow vehicles. Just a
preemptive strike to keep the head sheriff from interrogating me. ;-)

Gas isn't under $2.00 here yet, but close. I heard some world economy
guru saying that he thinks it'll get down below $1.50. His reasoning is
that the Arabs are getting ****ed at the Iranians and are leveraging
them by lowering oil prices. Iran needs the high prices because they
are in economic dire straits.

JimH wrote:
......going down. Under $2/gallon on the street at some places here.

Election time must be coming up...........oops..........that happened last
November. ;-)

For Chuck:......gasoline - boats.........gasoline - tow vehicles. Just a
preemptive strike to keep the head sheriff from interrogating me. ;-)


Stock up. And maybe haul a few truckloads out to Washington. Just under
$3 a gallon for 92-octane around here, although that is indeed down $1
from the summer of '06 pricing.

This should be the "low point" of the year, or almost. The refineries
need to begin emptying
their wintertime, oxygenated formulations during the month of February.

We will soon be hearing that the oil companies need to clobber us so
they can "prepare for potential hurricanes" in the summer of '07. We
will soon begin to hear that "summer driving season" is creating excess
demand. We will soon begin to hear that emerging economies
are outbidding us for imported crude. All the reasons we heard before
explaining why a 10-cent per gallon increase in the price of crude at
the wellhead must translate into a $1 increase in the price of refined
products.

As far as the election goes, it seems to me there was some guy from
Ohio, last November,
advising everybody that since the D's were in control of Congress that
gas prices would go through the roof and that it was time to "sell all
of your stocks". Can't quite remember who that was anymore, but I
wonder if he still feels that way? You're from Ohio, Jim, so if you run
into this guy whose name I can't remember you might ask him if he sold
all of his stock...

There are some steps one can take to reduce fuel consumption when
boating.
An item that will be appearing in one of our regional publications
follows:

*************

Easing the Pain at the Fuel Dock


As we begin the 2007 boating year, there is probably no completely
accurate way to predict what fuel prices will be in those late spring
and summer months when most of us do the majority of our boating.
Political tensions seem not have eased in some of the major
oil-exporting areas of the world, emerging industrial nations are
demanding increasing quantities of crude oil, and our North American
refinery capacity continues to contract rather than expand. Crude oil
futures could be an indicator, but we have recently observed that there
does not appear to be a direct correlation between percentage increase
in a barrel of crude oil and the percentage increase in the price of a
gallon of fuel. If the past couple of years can be considered
indicative, the oil companies are likely to go for the jugular vein
during the "vacation driving season" (which is also the primary
boating season) and back down to a more modest level of profit during
the "winter heating season". Bless their hearts for the charity.

Fortunately, most boaters have some very effective choices available
that will not only reduce the amount of fuel we're required to
purchase but can contribute to greater enjoyment of our boats in
general. Some of these choices are becoming increasing practical, as
even the steps that will result in only modest savings in the quantity
of fuel consumed might pay off long before the end of the season when
gas or diesel is being taken aboard at figures exceeding 50-cents a
pint.


Start with a simple tune-up:

A properly tuned and serviced engine is essential for maximizing fuel
efficiency. Dirty injectors, valves out of adjustment, or worn out
sparkplugs and other gasoline engine ignition components overdue for
replacement are increasingly likely to cost a boater more to ignore
than to address and correct. Assuring the engine(s) is in optimum
condition will dramatically improve the likelihood of trouble-free
summer cruises. If fuel savings weren't incentive enough, a cleaner
environment and the potential savings of any costs associated with
being towed back to port should additionally inspire us all to be
certain we are mechanically prepared for the months of summer fun
ahead.

It would be unwise to overlook the transmission when prepping for the
season and attempting to be proactive about fuel costs. Transmissions
that are just beginning to slip might or might not "make it" to the
end of the season, but a slipping transmission will reduce the
efficiency of the entire propulsion system and exert a notable and
negative influence on a boater's annual fuel costs. What may be a
moderate repair and expense now could easily become a major expense
before fall or even prove to be the straw that breaks the back of a
summer vacation cruise.

The better repair shops get booked up pretty rapidly following the
winter boat shows, so there is no time like the present to schedule
mechanical maintenance services to save fuel and ensure more reliable
operation.


Bald is beautiful:

Hair may look great on a movie actor or a runway model, but the
"hair" that consists of marine organisms clinging to or trailing
from the bottom of a boat is expensive as well as unsightly.
Hitchhiking plants and animals increase frictional forces that impede a
hull's progress through water. According to an exhaustive study
performed by International Marine Coatings, a typically fouled bottom
can decrease fuel efficiency by as much as 8%. The higher the cost of
fuel climbs, the more frequently it becomes cost effective to haul out
and clean the bottom. (Be sure to have the bottom cleaned by a
permitted boatyard with facilities to filter and recycle the wash
water).



Reduce excess weight:

Health clubs and gymnasiums are at their busiest each year during the
month of January. Dietary indiscretions associated with the holidays
and renewed dedication to fitness consistent with New Years'
resolutions have greater numbers of us more conscious of our personal
body weights. January is also a great time to check for unnecessary
weight aboard our boats. On a small runabout, even an extra 200 pounds
consisting of unused fishing tackle, too many redundant tools, etc can
result in a notable decrease in fuel efficiency. Large cruisers would
be less effected by the same 200-pounds, but have the capacity to stow
perhaps a ton of stuff aboard that goes unused year after year.

While it is a recommended practice to keep fuel tanks filled and
thereby discourage internal condensation, during the busy summer season
some boaters might be better advised to run with a bit less fuel and
water. Vessels that might have, (for instance), 110-gallon fuel
capacity but are routinely used in a manner that burns no more than
10-15 gallons per abbreviated outing would be more fuel efficient if
filled only to about half capacity. The remaining 55 gallons of fuel
would weigh it at well over 300-pounds, adding a significant percentage
to the displacement of a smaller runabout. Condensation is less of an
issue with water tanks, so there is little incentive for most short
trip boaters to carry excess water. Every gallon of water not hauled
around needlessly will save 8-pounds.

A boater can use excess fuel capacity as a "hedge" against fuel
prices. The past couple of summers, fuel prices have risen rapidly in
the early portion of the season and then decreased very slowly in late
summer and fall. A boater confident that prices will increase
dramatically in the near future might be well advised to fill up, even
at the risk of having excess weight aboard. Fuel purchased in a
declining price environment can be brought aboard in smaller
quantities- there's no point paying $4.25 per gallon this weekend for
fuel that will be unburned next weekend when the price may have dropped
to $3.95

As always, we must think of safety first when reducing weight.
Tools and spares are important to have aboard, and each cruise should
begin with a supply of fuel sufficient to provide prudent reserve while
en route to the next refueling point.


Check for a prop-er fit:

A vessel's propeller(s) are critical factors when maximizing fuel
efficiency. Propellers too large in diameter or too aggressively
pitched will overload an engine and reduce the effective horsepower
achieved. Props that are undersized can allow an engine to turn beyond
its maximum rated RPM, (with almost certain catastrophic results), and
will not efficiently propel the boat. A propeller is placing the proper
load on the engine if the RPM can be brought to the maximum rating of
the engine, but no more, at wide open throttle.

If a vessel is fit with a propeller of proper diameter and pitch, it is
then very advisable to check the prop at each haulout. Hitting a chunk
of drift, going aground, tickling an "uncharted" rock, and other
common boating experiences can take a toll on a prop. Deviations too
small for most boaters to notice with a casual glance can make a
propeller several percent less efficient than if it were corrected.

Propellers are surprisingly serviceable, but must be serviced properly.
One of the more accurate means of measuring how well a prop conforms to
its manufactured standards is with the use of a computer designed to
convert the shape of a prop to digital information. (In the Seattle
area, this service is available at Seattle Propeller on Westlake
Avenue). Propellers are serviced to conform to a variety of classes of
accuracy, and with a computerized scan system a prop can be brought up
to the elusive "S" class, or effectively perfect.


Operate efficiently:

Even boaters unwilling to spend a dime on tuning up, hauling out,
hauling off, or proper propping can begin saving on fuel costs almost
immediately. Certain operating decisions, many of them specific to
various types of hulls, can improve fuel efficiency and range.

Vessels with planing hulls will normally realize best fuel economy at
either dead slow (where few people selecting a planing hull will want
to spend much time) or at the speed where the boat rises above the bow
wake to get up onto a plane. The least fuel efficient speeds are
typically those near WOT, as well as that awkward point in the curve
where the boat is attempting to get up onto plane and is "pushing a
wall of water" ahead of it.
Some owners of planing hulls have reported that switching from a
3-bladed prop to a 4-bladed prop will get the boat up onto a plane at a
lower engine RPM, but the switch can result in slightly less boat speed
near WOT.

Vessels with displacement or semi-displacement hulls will operate most
efficiently if not pressed beyond theoretical hull speed. The formula
for calculating theoretical hull speed for boats in general multiplies
the square root of the waterline expressed in feet by a factor of 1.34.
For example, a boat with a 36-foot waterline would have a square root
of 6, and when multiplied by 1.34 the theoretical hull speed would be
8.04 knots. It is certainly possible to exceed theoretical hull speed,
particularly with a semi-displacement hull, but extracting that extra
knot or two involves pushing that same wall of water along the surface
that makes runabouts inefficient at slower speeds. Dropping back to
hull speed might make very little difference in elapsed time, but show
up as a nice savings at the fuel dock.


High tech assistance:

Fuel meters can be very cost effective. With real-time reports of the
number of gallons per hour being consumed, a boater can experiment with
minor changes in speed or trim and instantly evaluate the results. Some
active boaters with high horsepower engines would probably recover the
cost of fuel flow meters in a surprisingly short period of time.

Another component worthy of consideration is an autopilot, particularly
for boaters making long course runs in open water. The best helmspeople
will fall off a compass course by several degrees in either direction,
and the rest of us will deviate by even greater amounts. All of that
wandering around adds additional distance to a course, and with a
powerboat that additional distance means fuel consumed unnecessarily. A
decent autopilot will help save on fuel costs, (a line of reasoning I
intend to pursue in upcoming discussions with my wife).

Be ready to redefine:

When fuel prices shot skyward in the summer of 2006, there were some
who thought that pleasure boating would fall off substantially. For the
most part, that hasn't been the case.
Chatting with boating friends and acquaintances revealed that more of
us took shorter cruises, stayed an extra day on the hook here or there
without necessarily pressing on to a new destination each afternoon,
and made other minor adjustments. One Seattle-area boater observed,
"We have decided that instead of feeling that we just must race to
Desolation Sound and back every summer, we're going to take it a
little slower and spend some years in the San Juan and Gulf Islands
instead. It's easy to forget how much there is to see and do closer
to home. We'll be darned if the price of fuel will take us off the
water, and if going a little slower and staying a little bit closer to
home some years is the adjustment we need to make then we are happy to
do so."

Chuck Gould wrote:
JimH wrote:
......going down. Under $2/gallon on the street at some places here.

Election time must be coming up...........oops..........that happened last
November. ;-)

For Chuck:......gasoline - boats.........gasoline - tow vehicles. Just a
preemptive strike to keep the head sheriff from interrogating me. ;-)


Stock up. And maybe haul a few truckloads out to Washington. Just under
$3 a gallon for 92-octane around here, although that is indeed down $1
from the summer of '06 pricing.

This should be the "low point" of the year, or almost. The refineries
need to begin emptying
their wintertime, oxygenated formulations during the month of February.

We will soon be hearing that the oil companies need to clobber us so
they can "prepare for potential hurricanes" in the summer of '07. We
will soon begin to hear that "summer driving season" is creating excess
demand. We will soon begin to hear that emerging economies
are outbidding us for imported crude. All the reasons we heard before
explaining why a 10-cent per gallon increase in the price of crude at
the wellhead must translate into a $1 increase in the price of refined
products.

As far as the election goes, it seems to me there was some guy from
Ohio, last November,
advising everybody that since the D's were in control of Congress that
gas prices would go through the roof and that it was time to "sell all
of your stocks". Can't quite remember who that was anymore, but I
wonder if he still feels that way? You're from Ohio, Jim, so if you run
into this guy whose name I can't remember you might ask him if he sold
all of his stock...

There are some steps one can take to reduce fuel consumption when
boating.
An item that will be appearing in one of our regional publications
follows:

*************

Easing the Pain at the Fuel Dock


As we begin the 2007 boating year, there is probably no completely
accurate way to predict what fuel prices will be in those late spring
and summer months when most of us do the majority of our boating.
Political tensions seem not have eased in some of the major
oil-exporting areas of the world, emerging industrial nations are
demanding increasing quantities of crude oil, and our North American
refinery capacity continues to contract rather than expand. Crude oil
futures could be an indicator, but we have recently observed that there
does not appear to be a direct correlation between percentage increase
in a barrel of crude oil and the percentage increase in the price of a
gallon of fuel. If the past couple of years can be considered
indicative, the oil companies are likely to go for the jugular vein
during the "vacation driving season" (which is also the primary
boating season) and back down to a more modest level of profit during
the "winter heating season". Bless their hearts for the charity.

Fortunately, most boaters have some very effective choices available
that will not only reduce the amount of fuel we're required to
purchase but can contribute to greater enjoyment of our boats in
general. Some of these choices are becoming increasing practical, as
even the steps that will result in only modest savings in the quantity
of fuel consumed might pay off long before the end of the season when
gas or diesel is being taken aboard at figures exceeding 50-cents a
pint.


Start with a simple tune-up:

A properly tuned and serviced engine is essential for maximizing fuel
efficiency. Dirty injectors, valves out of adjustment, or worn out
sparkplugs and other gasoline engine ignition components overdue for
replacement are increasingly likely to cost a boater more to ignore
than to address and correct. Assuring the engine(s) is in optimum
condition will dramatically improve the likelihood of trouble-free
summer cruises. If fuel savings weren't incentive enough, a cleaner
environment and the potential savings of any costs associated with
being towed back to port should additionally inspire us all to be
certain we are mechanically prepared for the months of summer fun
ahead.

It would be unwise to overlook the transmission when prepping for the
season and attempting to be proactive about fuel costs. Transmissions
that are just beginning to slip might or might not "make it" to the
end of the season, but a slipping transmission will reduce the
efficiency of the entire propulsion system and exert a notable and
negative influence on a boater's annual fuel costs. What may be a
moderate repair and expense now could easily become a major expense
before fall or even prove to be the straw that breaks the back of a
summer vacation cruise.

The better repair shops get booked up pretty rapidly following the
winter boat shows, so there is no time like the present to schedule
mechanical maintenance services to save fuel and ensure more reliable
operation.


Bald is beautiful:

Hair may look great on a movie actor or a runway model, but the
"hair" that consists of marine organisms clinging to or trailing
from the bottom of a boat is expensive as well as unsightly.
Hitchhiking plants and animals increase frictional forces that impede a
hull's progress through water. According to an exhaustive study
performed by International Marine Coatings, a typically fouled bottom
can decrease fuel efficiency by as much as 8%. The higher the cost of
fuel climbs, the more frequently it becomes cost effective to haul out
and clean the bottom. (Be sure to have the bottom cleaned by a
permitted boatyard with facilities to filter and recycle the wash
water).



Reduce excess weight:

Health clubs and gymnasiums are at their busiest each year during the
month of January. Dietary indiscretions associated with the holidays
and renewed dedication to fitness consistent with New Years'
resolutions have greater numbers of us more conscious of our personal
body weights. January is also a great time to check for unnecessary
weight aboard our boats. On a small runabout, even an extra 200 pounds
consisting of unused fishing tackle, too many redundant tools, etc can
result in a notable decrease in fuel efficiency. Large cruisers would
be less effected by the same 200-pounds, but have the capacity to stow
perhaps a ton of stuff aboard that goes unused year after year.

While it is a recommended practice to keep fuel tanks filled and
thereby discourage internal condensation, during the busy summer season
some boaters might be better advised to run with a bit less fuel and
water. Vessels that might have, (for instance), 110-gallon fuel
capacity but are routinely used in a manner that burns no more than
10-15 gallons per abbreviated outing would be more fuel efficient if
filled only to about half capacity. The remaining 55 gallons of fuel
would weigh it at well over 300-pounds, adding a significant percentage
to the displacement of a smaller runabout. Condensation is less of an
issue with water tanks, so there is little incentive for most short
trip boaters to carry excess water. Every gallon of water not hauled
around needlessly will save 8-pounds.

A boater can use excess fuel capacity as a "hedge" against fuel
prices. The past couple of summers, fuel prices have risen rapidly in
the early portion of the season and then decreased very slowly in late
summer and fall. A boater confident that prices will increase
dramatically in the near future might be well advised to fill up, even
at the risk of having excess weight aboard. Fuel purchased in a
declining price environment can be brought aboard in smaller
quantities- there's no point paying $4.25 per gallon this weekend for
fuel that will be unburned next weekend when the price may have dropped
to $3.95

As always, we must think of safety first when reducing weight.
Tools and spares are important to have aboard, and each cruise should
begin with a supply of fuel sufficient to provide prudent reserve while
en route to the next refueling point.


Check for a prop-er fit:

A vessel's propeller(s) are critical factors when maximizing fuel
efficiency. Propellers too large in diameter or too aggressively
pitched will overload an engine and reduce the effective horsepower
achieved. Props that are undersized can allow an engine to turn beyond
its maximum rated RPM, (with almost certain catastrophic results), and
will not efficiently propel the boat. A propeller is placing the proper
load on the engine if the RPM can be brought to the maximum rating of
the engine, but no more, at wide open throttle.

If a vessel is fit with a propeller of proper diameter and pitch, it is
then very advisable to check the prop at each haulout. Hitting a chunk
of drift, going aground, tickling an "uncharted" rock, and other
common boating experiences can take a toll on a prop. Deviations too
small for most boaters to notice with a casual glance can make a
propeller several percent less efficient than if it were corrected.

Propellers are surprisingly serviceable, but must be serviced properly.
One of the more accurate means of measuring how well a prop conforms to
its manufactured standards is with the use of a computer designed to
convert the shape of a prop to digital information. (In the Seattle
area, this service is available at Seattle Propeller on Westlake
Avenue). Propellers are serviced to conform to a variety of classes of
accuracy, and with a computerized scan system a prop can be brought up
to the elusive "S" class, or effectively perfect.


Operate efficiently:

Even boaters unwilling to spend a dime on tuning up, hauling out,
hauling off, or proper propping can begin saving on fuel costs almost
immediately. Certain operating decisions, many of them specific to
various types of hulls, can improve fuel efficiency and range.

Vessels with planing hulls will normally realize best fuel economy at
either dead slow (where few people selecting a planing hull will want
to spend much time) or at the speed where the boat rises above the bow
wake to get up onto a plane. The least fuel efficient speeds are
typically those near WOT, as well as that awkward point in the curve
where the boat is attempting to get up onto plane and is "pushing a
wall of water" ahead of it.
Some owners of planing hulls have reported that switching from a
3-bladed prop to a 4-bladed prop will get the boat up onto a plane at a
lower engine RPM, but the switch can result in slightly less boat speed
near WOT.

Vessels with displacement or semi-displacement hulls will operate most
efficiently if not pressed beyond theoretical hull speed. The formula
for calculating theoretical hull speed for boats in general multiplies
the square root of the waterline expressed in feet by a factor of 1.34.
For example, a boat with a 36-foot waterline would have a square root
of 6, and when multiplied by 1.34 the theoretical hull speed would be
8.04 knots. It is certainly possible to exceed theoretical hull speed,
particularly with a semi-displacement hull, but extracting that extra
knot or two involves pushing that same wall of water along the surface
that makes runabouts inefficient at slower speeds. Dropping back to
hull speed might make very little difference in elapsed time, but show
up as a nice savings at the fuel dock.


High tech assistance:

Fuel meters can be very cost effective. With real-time reports of the
number of gallons per hour being consumed, a boater can experiment with
minor changes in speed or trim and instantly evaluate the results. Some
active boaters with high horsepower engines would probably recover the
cost of fuel flow meters in a surprisingly short period of time.

Another component worthy of consideration is an autopilot, particularly
for boaters making long course runs in open water. The best helmspeople
will fall off a compass course by several degrees in either direction,
and the rest of us will deviate by even greater amounts. All of that
wandering around adds additional distance to a course, and with a
powerboat that additional distance means fuel consumed unnecessarily. A
decent autopilot will help save on fuel costs, (a line of reasoning I
intend to pursue in upcoming discussions with my wife).

Be ready to redefine:

When fuel prices shot skyward in the summer of 2006, there were some
who thought that pleasure boating would fall off substantially. For the
most part, that hasn't been the case.
Chatting with boating friends and acquaintances revealed that more of
us took shorter cruises, stayed an extra day on the hook here or there
without necessarily pressing on to a new destination each afternoon,
and made other minor adjustments. One Seattle-area boater observed,
"We have decided that instead of feeling that we just must race to
Desolation Sound and back every summer, we're going to take it a
little slower and spend some years in the San Juan and Gulf Islands
instead. It's easy to forget how much there is to see and do closer
to home. We'll be darned if the price of fuel will take us off the
water, and if going a little slower and staying a little bit closer to
home some years is the adjustment we need to make then we are happy to
do so."

Thanks for an excellent, informative post.

--
Stan

--
ÐÏࡱá

JimH wrote:
......going down. Under $2/gallon on the street at some places here.

Election time must be coming up...........oops..........that happened last
November. ;-)

For Chuck:......gasoline - boats.........gasoline - tow vehicles. Just a
preemptive strike to keep the head sheriff from interrogating me. ;-)




$2.79 here, it's a bargain though, just wait a decade or two.

Lowering the price is easy, just use less of it, nobody is forcing
anyone to buy gas.

"James Sweet" wrote in message
news:rPTph.34$My1.33@trndny03...
JimH wrote:
......going down. Under $2/gallon on the street at some places here.

Election time must be coming up...........oops..........that happened
last November. ;-)

For Chuck:......gasoline - boats.........gasoline - tow vehicles. Just a
preemptive strike to keep the head sheriff from interrogating me. ;-)


$2.79 here, it's a bargain though, just wait a decade or two.

Lowering the price is easy, just use less of it, nobody is forcing anyone
to buy gas.

Work and life forces people to buy gas. If we had built lots of nuclear
plants over the last 20 years, our demand on foreign oil would be almost
zero. Thank a lot of the enviros for the oil problems.