Will $5/gallon gas change the next boat you buy?

ya we went over this idea on the peak oil thread I think it was, basically its far more likely that the oil is simply migratory.

http://www.theoildrum.com/story/2005/11/4/15537/8056

this article "no free lunch" seems to be pretty good at explaining what is wrong with the abiotic oil theory

http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/102104_no_free_pt1.shtml

 

Here is someone collecting waste oil to power their boat at 10 gallons an hour, CAT 353 http://www.sc772.com/id6.html

 

Thats pretty slick, I sure hope they are watching there engine temps carefully. Lots of people think they can just run the stuff straight without realizing there are some tricks to it. Gotta admit thats about the biggest thing I've ever seen converted. Three cheers to them

B

 

Looks like $5.00 isn't the break that will stop those with bigger boats, they are just slowing down. Might be a good time to buy that bigger boat if that's what floats yours.

It could be that half are going smaller, lighter with a single, so it seems to be a break point for some. With over a third who don't plan to change habits or won't admit it.

I just got rid of my last boat (not counting canoe, kayaks and inflatable) and I'll actually be going bigger, single, slower and probably lighter than what I had. Compared to the people on this site, I'm a tiny boat guy, 26 to 32' or maybe a cat on the shorter side.

I'll admit too that I'm rather lazy, getting older, and if I can sail with a line in my hand or in a block, I'd like to sail and get there a little cheaper, quietly and enjoy the sound of the water off the hull. If it becomes work for too long, I want an electric start.

I'd alsogo electric, because I'm pretty sure $5.00 won't be the end of higher prices.

 

Oh I think $5.00 will evoke a change but not necessarily in size but in Gallons per hour burned or nautical miles per gallon. I think commercial/ industrial enterprises will still be able to justify high fuel cost for the necessity of speed. Water taxis, passenger ferries and crew boats come to mind. Fuel for these operators is a cost of doing business and will be probably passed on to a customer.

The typical weekend fisherman or pleasure user will be forced out of high speed unless he was a resent lottery winner. Going bigger (Longer hull length) on a displacement boat at hull speed is a lot slower but burning 1 to 2 gallons per hour is a nice option. My current boat goes through 30 gallons per fishing trip, around 8 to 10 hours. At 23 feet going 23 knots and trolling. If I leave several hours earlier at 7 to 8 knots I can still enjoy the scenery on the way out to the fishing grounds or tie a few hooks while my wife takes the helm. Maybe breakfast too!

Smaller and lighter is an option in protected waters and I also use my 14 foot aluminum with a 25 Etec for excursions close to home and out of any large open areas where the wind can pick up the sea state. Lighter may be ok for lakes but any debris in the water , logs , sticks, deadheads would spell an end to a light boat I think.
Single engine? For sure, gets rid of the weight but not at the cost of a lighter boat. Here is a question to pose though, 2 stroke verses 4 stroke. Heavier 4 strokes but does the better fuel efficiency outweighs the extra weight? How does it play out in portable, mid-size and large outboards? Hmmmm. Don,t forget a question about going for a sail !

 

For what's worth :

Fuel is currently in France over 7$ / gal

New 2011 powerboats by beneteau:

http://www.beneteau.fr/Bateaux-a-moteur/Flyer-Gran-Turismo
http://www.beneteau.fr/Bateaux-a-moteur/Barracuda

Barracuda has twin 200hp outboards.
Gran Turismo 49 has twin 435 hp diesel.

So, unless Benetau marketing is brain damaged, current euro fuel price has about no influence on new powerboats buyers. They just want to go faster.

NB: Beneteau is a mass production builder. I expect them to sell the smaller barracuda series over 1000 units and the Gran Turismo series over 100.

 

Most of that $7 is taxes. Socialism is expensive.

 

"Socialism is expensive."
__________________

What Failure is not expensive?

Remember the Edsel?

Remember Communism?

FF

 

Yes and no. I see plenty of big vulgar stinkpots stampeding about. But ....

I just took on fuel at a major bunkering point in the Adriatic. 8 high speed pumps and 100 meters of dock face. The fuel station operator told me that fuel sales this season were down nearly 40 percent. People still use their fuel burners...they just slow down or do shorter trips.

Fuel at the pump was 9.5 Kuna per litre...1.80 us dollars per litre.


I would expect that the resale value on these fuel hogs is very low/

 

Would you expect a Ferrari or a Porsche to have a low resale value because of fuel burn ????

There are bunch of people who cannot afford a new one, yet with some money to afford to fill the tank, that are waiting to buy one used at 60 or 70% of the new price.

Same for powerboats. What makes these boats sell is speed. +40 kts for barracuda. + 30 kts for monte carlo.

This used boat, although of a known brand name, and very low price does not seem to sell well. http://www.yachtworld.fr/bateaux/1979/Grand-Banks-36-Classic-#602-2335575/country.états-unis

I guess the 8 kts cruise 10 kts top is part of the problem. Nowadays, a trawler speed MUST be 20-25 kts. (GB new Heritage line, Beneteau swift trawler line).

 

Tell that to the HUMMER guys....


Cars.com notes, "Rarely has a brand fallen from grace as quickly as GM's Hummer nameplate has. It was only a few years ago that Hummer was GM's very own version of the U.S. Mint - a veritable money machine for the automaker, which was riding the popularity of large luxury SUVs." However, with the memory of high gas prices, an economic meltdown and the birth of frugal-chic, many see the H2's brand of excess as . . . excessive. "

At present a social stigma is causing people to shun grotesque inefficiency. They own a Hummer but wont be seen driving it in public. This trend will continue and will affect boats...no matter how much money the customer has. The 1990's style, 1000 litre per trip to the beach, motorboats are history

 

That's why the windows are heavily tinted on most Hummers!

 

BTW, there are missing options and errors in the poll.

I fear going slower in an option for existing boats owner, but less pertinent for the next boat.

And if going slower, why not just going at same speed, or even faster, but nearer and / or less often ?

And why not in the poll simply going more propulsion efficient, ie changing an old boat with a mechanical controlled / straigh shaft diesel for a new boat with electronically controlled diesel with contrarotative prop (ie volvo IPS or similar) ? (or going from 2 stroke outbard to 4 stroke).
Less fuel, yes, but definitely not slower, not lighter, and not smaller.

Why also not a bigger heavier faster boat because of fuel price I got a so fantastic bargain on that thristy used boat that the few hours I will yearly powerboat and put fuel in will still make it an overall bargain ????

Also why not in the poll just stop powerboating. Afterall, nothing forbid you to sell the boat and do something else if you no longer enjoy powerboating because of increased costs. There are billions of mens on earth enjoying life without even boating at all (be it sail, motor or paddle/row).

 

I didn't participate in the poll because it didn't offer a category for my alternative fuels design. My vote wouldn't have really reflected the intention of the OP. Steam, Waste oils or gasification systems are all viable alternatives for the more mechanically inclined in the crowd.

My two cents on a very interesting thread
cheers
B

 

One thing I notice with each spike in fuel prices is a lower number of the big fuel hogs actually out on the water. Not that there are many out there normally anyway, since the owners are usually weekenders.