When Does it Become Cost Prohibited?

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

In SW Washington road diesel is now $5.47 a gallon. In Astoria harbor it is $6.23.

We put about 3500 miles on ASD las summer. Our fuel bill was around 6K. That was at an average of less than $3 a gallon

Its still going up. When is it just to expensive to go cruise?

 

[Ken E.]

That be the magic question, Tom. When is there too much pain?

 

[syjos]

Yikes! It would be painful to me if I spent $6K in one year for fuel.

 

[slowgoesit]

Plan is to go to Glacier Bay, Alaska late Spring, then back to Puget Sound, then to Sea of Cortez in Fall . . . Roughly 7000 miles. 7.5 kts, 2.4 gph. you do the math

Loosing another boating season for whatever reason . . . Covid . . . .price of fuel . . . THAT expense is too much, so we'll be doing it pretty much whatever fuel costs. Does that answer the question?

 

[kthoennes]

Our marina is usually double the price of street gas stations. So that means our marina will likely charge around $8 with the current price of gas, give or take. Our section of the river is about 26 miles long (well, somewhat less with rapid siltation but let's say). So if we do the full run, 26 miles out, 26 miles back, .75 gallons per mile if I stay on the sweet spot of 1200 rpms, <9 knots, on a quiet day, no significant current, $8 per gallon -- (26+ 26)(.75)($8) = $312 for one spin out on the river. Yikes.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

So this is the big question for ASD. Balancing the knife edge. I tend to agree that it is what it is and a year lost to COVID.
We are on a fixed income, yet we keep a "fuel" account of about 12k every year. So if prices keep climbing, we'll it leaves a big pit in my stomach. Triple the cost of last year with COVID.

Troubled.... Besides I will miss my opportunity to buy SOIN2LA a beer or two.

 

[koliver]

So this is the big question for ASD. Balancing the knife edge. I tend to agree that it is what it is and a year lost to COVID.
We are on a fixed income, yet we keep a "fuel" account of about 12k every year. So if prices keep climbing, we'll it leaves a big pit in my stomach. Triple the cost of last year with COVID.

Troubled.... Besides I will miss my opportunity to buy SOIN2LA a beer or two.

Maybe only go one way? Leave the boat in Ak after your visit this summer is done? Fly back up next spring and do the other half of the trip? That way you will stay close to your "budget".
Or just throw out the budget.

 

[O C Diver]

At the risk of repeating myself from another thread:

While you can choose to sit out a year, your internal clock still keeps ticking. If you sit out this years and it turns out to be the last year of your boating life, how will you feel? How many more boating years do you think you have? When lying on your death bed, will you view sitting out this summer as a good choice or exceptionally short sighted?

Ted

 

[2savage]

Remember, it's just numbers on a piece of paper. Life is real. This is not a dress rehearsal.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

At the risk of repeating myself from another thread:



While you can choose to sit out a year, your internal clock still keeps ticking. If you sit out this years and it turns out to be the last year of your boating life, how will you feel? How many more boating years do you think you have? When lying on your death bed, will you view sitting out this summer as a good choice or exceptionally short sighted?



Ted

Well said

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Remember, it's just numbers on a piece of paper. Life is real. This is not a dress rehearsal.

This is a true statement. Am I freaking out?

 

[jungpeter]

This is a true statement. Am I freaking out?

Yes. Boat now, die later. Beats the opposite outcome.

Regards,

Pete

 

[mvweebles]

It will hit unevenly. My Willard 36, even with an ancient Perkins 4.236, gets around 4.5-5.0 nm per gal and wouldn't do 8-kts if I had a pair of Pratt & Whitney's strapped to her decks. So there is a practical limit. Honestly, there isn't a fuel price that would keep me from using her. But for boats that slurp even 10 gph, sales will be hindered when people think "Gee, that's $50-$60 per hour!!! Or $300-$400 per day!!!"

TF has a core of die-hard enthusiasts that will figure out a way to use their boats. But for folks at the margin, I'm sure the impact is already felt. I'd love to hear from brokers about what they're seeing in the market right now. I'd bet their phones have slowed a bit....

Peter

 

[Portage_Bay]

This is a true statement. Am I freaking out?

Yes you're freaking out. AND it's totally understandable. However if cruising is important to you then I suggest you take the advice of those who say go. I do like the idea of leaving her in Ak for the winter as long as she's pretty well up on maintenance so startup the next season will be relatively easy. I think TF member Tator is one who does that and may be able to offer some advice.

 

[FWT]

Look at the bright side. Maybe transient slip fees come down, or at least the price hikes slow down.

 

[Art]

It will hit unevenly. My Willard 36, even with an ancient Perkins 4.236, gets around 4.5-5.0 nm per gal and wouldn't do 8-kts if I had a pair of Pratt & Whitney's strapped to her decks. So there is a practical limit. Honestly, there isn't a fuel price that would keep me from using her. But for boats that slurp even 10 gph, sales will be hindered when people think "Gee, that's $50-$60 per hour!!! Or $300-$400 per day!!!"

TF has a core of die-hard enthusiasts that will figure out a way to use their boats. But for folks at the margin, I'm sure the impact is already felt. I'd love to hear from brokers about what they're seeing in the market right now. I'd bet their phones have slowed a bit....

Peter

Naa... plenty calling to sell their boat!

 

[Peter B]

Our marina is usually double the price of street gas stations. So that means our marina will likely charge around $8 with the current price of gas, give or take. Our section of the river is about 26 miles long (well, somewhat less with rapid siltation but let's say). So if we do the full run, 26 miles out, 26 miles back, .75 gallons per mile if I stay on the sweet spot of 1200 rpms, <9 knots, on a quiet day, no significant current, $8 per gallon -- (26+ 26)(.75)($8) = $312 for one spin out on the river. Yikes.

Is one sensing a big boom in sailboats again, like back in the oil shock days of the 70s..? That affected those of us who normally pay more than in the US for fuel anyway, but...

 

[Group9]

Is one sensing a big boom in sailboats again, like back in the oil shock days of the 70s..? That affected those of us who normally pay more than in the US for fuel anyway, but...

Yep, sailboaters are laughing at this problem.

 

[kthoennes]

Sure sailboaters, laugh at this problem, as you slip on a steep, wet companionway stair tread, crash down to the sole, go careening across the salon until you hit your head on the mast coming up through the middle of the salon, then crack your rib cage against the gimbaled stove because you slid across the teak-and-holly floor because the boat was heeled over at 20 degrees. You'd wave for help out the window, but since you only have tiny little porthole windows, and they're over your head and above your sightline, nobody will notice to send you medical help. But no worries, if you're unconscious, at least you won't be kept awake all night by slapping halyards, tink tink tink tink tink tink...

 

[hollywood8118]

You guys do realize that oil has dropped almost $40.00 a barrel in the last 4 days?, closed today at $96.00.
I think production is up tempering cost.
HOLLYWOOD

 

[Art]

You guys do realize that oil has dropped almost $40.00 a barrel in the last 4 days?, closed today at $96.00.
I think production is up tempering cost.
HOLLYWOOD

Must be a conspiracy!!

 

[RedRascal]

In a sense we are all on a fixed income. The folks working can only earn so much and reach an expense limit at some point. You gotta play the hand you are dealt. In 2020 when the U.S. and Canadian border was closed we pulled a back burner idea off the shelf and toured around in southern Puget Sound with our little red boat that is my avatar. Also in 2020 since Canada wasn't in the cards it allowed us to bring our niece with us on a charter in the San Juans. The time with her was more valuable than the destination. In 2020 fuel was dirt cheap and if I would have had the time and a bigger boat I would have gone up the Columbia and then up the Snake river. That's a bucket list item for me. Guys were sitting around trying to figure out what to do and I was thinking run the Snake.

If the round trip to Alaska is going to blow the fuel budget then what about doing the West Coast of Vancouver Island or poking around Haida Gwaii this summer. Not sure if going south has much appeal, the best I could say is cheese in Tillamook or explore the red woods out of Crescent City.

Or can you figure out a reasonable way to cut down on fuel consumption. Can you throttle back and pretend you're a Nordhavn 40 or CHB 34 moseying along at 5.5-6 knots? Would that save enough fuel to make a difference? Here is a crazy one if you're running straight up to AK. Have a diver pull a prop and run on one screw to K town. Have a diver slap the prop back on in K town so you have twins for poking around during the summer. Do the reverse coming home. Crazy yes but that's gotta help cut the fuel bill. Might even cut some stress too, you only have to worry about running over stuff on the side of the boat that has the prop. 50% less stress? I thought I saw somewhere about a couple on a Bayliner 3888 that did this in the Caribbean to get more range because they lacked the tankage for the distances they wanted to travel. The 3888 was what they had to work with so they figured out a way to make that boat work for them. Someone may know who I am thinking of.

Another thought, would a couple fuel drums in the cockpit give you the range you need to be able to fuel in the most affordable places?

Another thought, do you have a buddy you would trust with your boat. Let them run the boat up and pay for the fuel. Maybe they want to cruise the inside passage but only have a limited time to do it like the classic two week vacation which works out to about 16 days with the weekends. They get to check off a dream trip of the inside passage and your boat gets to K town on their dime. Everybody is happy, they in essence get a free charter and you just cut your fuel bill by a 1/3 or more. You fly into town to meet your boat with a nice fuel buffer in your wallet.

Overall though it is a scary scenario with the pocketbook because AK is an out and back trip. If prices jump up once you get up there that could really, really, really suck when it's time return home.

 

[ksanders]

At the risk of repeating myself from another thread:

While you can choose to sit out a year, your internal clock still keeps ticking. If you sit out this years and it turns out to be the last year of your boating life, how will you feel? How many more boating years do you think you have? When lying on your death bed, will you view sitting out this summer as a good choice or exceptionally short sighted?

Ted

yes, Very well said!

I just turned 60 last week. Retirement is 12 shifts away.

May 1st I'm leaving and heading south regardless of the fuel cost.

 

[Iggy]

Originally Posted by 2savage View Post
Remember, it's just numbers on a piece of paper. Life is real. This is not a dress rehearsal.

This is a true statement. Am I freaking out?

So true! Just cut back a little in spending. We just got rid of our 2nd car. It was a great having it, but 95% of the time the Admiral and I were together.

 

[NEtrawler58]

Remember, it's just numbers on a piece of paper. Life is real. This is not a dress rehearsal.

You stole my words. I thought I made that up. I've been saying for a lot of years, money is just numbers on paper. You move numbers around, but it's mostly meaningless.

 

[NEtrawler58]

Must be a conspiracy!!

I don't think production has changed at all in 4 days and even if it did, It wouldn't reach the market quickly enough to cause that change. Prices right now are based on emotion and speculation.

 

[rslifkin]

I don't think production has changed at all in 4 days and even if it did, It wouldn't reach the market quickly enough to cause that change. Prices right now are based on emotion and speculation.

Decisions on production changes can impact those emotions, however (even if the actual change hasn't happened yet).

 

[NEtrawler58]

Decisions on production changes can impact those emotions, however (even if the actual change hasn't happened yet).

True, but I haven't heard anything about that.

 

[Simi 60]

Yep, sailboaters are laughing at this problem.

Depends on the sailboat

One that offers the level of comfort we now enjoy and can maintain a 7.5knot average is going to cost an easy 10x or more than what we paid.
And then be to much of a handfull under sail 2 up so will be motored most of the time anyway
2 X 150hp engines will likely use as much fuel as what we currently burn

I'm good thanks.

 

[Group9]

Sure sailboaters, laugh at this problem, as you slip on a steep, wet companionway stair tread, crash down to the sole, go careening across the salon until you hit your head on the mast coming up through the middle of the salon, then crack your rib cage against the gimbaled stove because you slid across the teak-and-holly floor because the boat was heeled over at 20 degrees. You'd wave for help out the window, but since you only have tiny little porthole windows, and they're over your head and above your sightline, nobody will notice to send you medical help. But no worries, if you're unconscious, at least you won't be kept awake all night by slapping halyards, tink tink tink tink tink tink...

I know. It's amazing sailboaters even survive sailboating, much less enjoy it!