With gas prices nearing $4 per gallon, it's not just drivers who are putting the brakes on their summer plans.
The price hikes have local boaters changing some plans, though most say they won't keep their boats in their slips all summer.
"They're not gonna let go so easy," said Scott Croft, director of public relations, for BoatU.S., the nation's largest organization for recreational boaters. "So right now our 650,000 members are telling us they're cutting their trips short, they're cutting their engine time down."
For boater and Brackenridge councilman Tom Kish, cutting back is a reality. Kish said he usually boats on the Allegheny River and goes through about 300 gallons of gas each summer with his two boats and a jet ski. Gas prices have changed a lot of plans for running the boats up and down the river, he said.
"We'll probably cut back some because the price of gas. You can't afford it," he said.
He also plans to cut down on jet skiing, which uses about two tanks of gasoline a day.
One saving grace for Kish is the ability to trailer his boats to an on-land gas station to fill up there. Fuel prices at marinas are about 10 to 20 percent higher than at regular gas stations, said Dennis Tubbs, aquatic resources program specialist with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
"It's always best to fill your boat before you get on the marina -- a tip to save money," Tubbs said.
Richard Shelly, operations manager at Manni's Lighthouse Landing Inc. in New Kensington, said the marina sells 89 Octane gasoline. As of Friday, the price for a gallon of that fuel was $4.39, said Frank Manni, owner of Lighthouse Landing.
Though the price may be more at the marina than at on-land gas stations, Shelly said the price doesn't change as frequently at the marina because it operates differently.
"We're not as volatile," Shelly said about the marina's gas prices.
Lighthouse Landing buys about 6,000 to 8,000 gallons of gasoline at a time, and it takes longer to draw that down, so prices don't move up as quickly, he said.
While many boaters and drivers alike are concerned about gas prices, Shelly said boat engines don't run for as long as car engines.
"They're not thinking about how much they don't run their engine," he said.
It typically takes between six and eight minutes to get from place to place on the water, then boaters usually turn off their boat engines, so the total time the engine is running is about 20 minutes a day, Shelly said. He estimates that this season will cost about an extra $160 or $165 in fuel for boaters.
Boaters don't just face the cost of fuel for boats on the water, they also face the cost of transportation to bodies of water.
Kish said he doesn't know if he'll make trips to go boating. Staying close to home to boat may be a trend, Tubbs said.
For John Romick, commodore of Oakmont Yacht Club, his boat is his home. Romick has lived aboard for 20 years. In the summer, his boat is at the yacht club, which is a year-round marina that does not sell fuel.
He said the club is trying to promote the idea of each boater not taking their own boat every weekend. Instead, boaters will take others along and share the cost of fuel.
Though he said price of fuel may make him travel less, his boat is his home.
"Well, I live on this boat," he said, "so I'm still going home every night."
For marinas, Croft said, the fuel price situation could be "a blessing or a curse."
Because of the prices, some boaters will stay on land more, taking advantage of the amenities marinas have to offer, Croft said. Marinas with restaurants, pools and other amenities may fare better, he said.
"A lot of our members have been telling us too that they're staying in the marina more," Croft said.
Croft said the organization expects national fuel prices to average $5 per gallon this summer at marinas.
The prices could change the school of thought for powerboaters, he said. Powerboaters say that the joy is getting to the destination, and sailboaters say that the joy is the journey of getting there, Croft said. But this summer, he said, powerboaters may find that the destination has to be closer.
Despite the cost for fuel, Tubbs, of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, said boat dealers have been doing well so far, and newer boats with more energy efficient motors are selling.
But Croft said people are buying boats less and there are fewer people coming into the lifestyle because of the cost.
Even with the concerns over rising prices, Croft said boaters won't give up the recreation, which for them, is more than a pastime.
"Boating is more than a passion for people, it's a lifestyle," Croft said.
Rossilynne Skena can be reached at rskena@tribweb.com.
