by MarkJ » Fri 23 May 2008, 09:14:33
Many of the larger boat owners (30 Plus Feet) in my area use their boats for low speed cruising, use them as floating camps, use them as floating base stations, or only use them occasianally, so fuel price isn't a big issue. Many larger boat owners also own waverunners and/or other smaller boats for fishing, waterskiing, tubing, high speed cruising etc. Some of the out-of-towners taht their boats at local marinas don''t use them more than a few times per season.
Many people with trailerable boats have towed them to the gas stations for decades since marina gas prices are so high. This also gives you the opportunity to wash the bottom of your boat. Many boats with outboards also use portable tanks which the owners fill at the stations. The portable rolling gas caddy fueling stations have been popular for years due to the price of marina fuel.
The people that use their large boats, house boats or pontoon boats as floating camps save a lot of money in comparison to owning a lake front home or camp. We lived in our 32 foot Carver moored at the marina or my dock when I was building my home. I built my dock before I started building my home.
Some of my fishing boats are actually quite economical since I mostly troll, drift or troll with a small kicker motor.