2008 Boating Poll
 

Please take the poll.

Gas price wasn't the probelm...
 

We planned on boating more during our week vacation but Mother Nature had other plans for us!! We crammed as much boating in as possible during the 2 1/2 days we had with no rain, wind, lightning etc

Planned on more boating
 

We bought a new 18ft I/O this year and planned doing more boating than in other years. The four cylinder burns about 1/2 the gas as the V8 in our other boat so that helped offset the higher gas prices. The ride isn't as smooth as in a bigger boat but we did manage to get some nice rides in. Mother Nature definitely cut back on our boating plans. Rain seemed to be the norm this summer. I think it was nice two days during our two weeks in August and we had daily thunderstorms during our week in July. On a positive note I was not at work so overall it was a nice summer at the lake.

Weather was a factor.
 

Didn't really use the boat till Mid August because of the weather. I started experimenting with the prop by changing pitch and number of blades to see if I can save gas. It makes a difference when you have the right prop.

gas
 

We didn't put the boat in the water until Labor Day. Not sure if it was weeks of bad weather, over crowded lake or gas prices being high that postponed our boating. Enjoying it now however.

Did more
 

for several reasons...now semi-retired (sorry Dear), docking in Alton bay again, golfing at Farmington (another passion)(and it's closer to home), and we also committed to using the boat more. Didn't feel cost of gas was that much more than for our car, so why travel when we could get out on the boat. Managed to work around the rain :rolleye1:. All in all, a better year this year than the last two years combined.

We did our usual 50 engine hours this year which equates to a boatload of fun!!

As posted above, the weather was a factor in our boating this year but the price of gas really was not. Still a few more weekends to go! :)

We did a lot less. But this was more a factor of the weather than gas prices. The season is so short, and we enjoy it so much, I would have been willing to take the bigger wallet hit, and cut elsewhere. If Mother Nature had cooperated...

Well
 

Mine was a lot less because last year we would head out to enjoy but there year if there was any question at all with the weather we said why waste the gas, but trust me I am not that all enthused with that decision this year seeing I just paid my storage bill for the winter

A lot more!
 

Well since I bought a new boat this year...I just had to put some hours on it. I have a 140 engine hours on so far this season and i'm not done! ;)

Dan

We decided that, with gas prices so high, we'd be very selective about what days we spent on the water. The weather had more to do with our fairly limited boat use this year, but gas prices certainly affected us as well.

The Weather
 

The weather had more to do with our not using our boat this year as much as last year.

Total boating was about the same but I used the 280HP boat less and the 15HP boat more. It has a two and a half gallon tank I fill about once a week. Love those small four strokes!

More boating,much less driving, we spent more time at the home pond.

A little more than last year. Weather was a factor but I take Monday's off from Memorial Day to Columbus Day. Do most of my boating then. Gas prices always an issue but I get my gas from Irvings(non-ethanol) so it was better than most.

Dave M

We only enjoyed about a third of the usage compared to last season. Hard to say how fuel prices may have impacted things due to the fact that weather kept us home instead.

Needed a choice for less boating due to weather
 

:)

I did less boating because of bad weather

checked the engine log
 

by the end of the season (in 3-4 weeks), I'll end up with the typical 40-45 hours of usage.

Much less this year, due to the weather. While I am far from wealthy, gas prices would have to be quite a bit higher to keep me from getting my time in on the water.

Hey Webmaster -- Another poll, please
 

140 hours? It would take me 3 years to put that many hours on a boat.

Webmaster -- how about conducting another poll on the number of hours put on your boat?

• <25
• 25-75
• 75-150
• >150

I would bet most people put on around 50/year, which is why I set the range 25-75 -- so that we don't try to fine-cut it too much.

You can start your own poll, it is pretty easy. Go back out to the Boating Forum Subtopic, and on the top left click on New Topic. Scroll down towards the bottom of the screen that comes up, and you will see the section where you can make your new thread a poll. If you need help, let me know. :)

a lot less
 

i dont live on the lake full time - i just am half owner of the property, but i do live on the coast in RI. my 25' lobster boat never hit the water, i spent my summer tooling around in a 13' work skiff with a 9.9 on it - lol very slow but it did the trick. this year however with the fuel dropping i will be in early fishing.