2026-06-06T04:01:06Z
DEXTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — On the kind of warm, bright afternoon that Michigan boaters wait all year for, Malik Amine and his brother readied their family’s pontoon boat for the summer.
The cover was off and Portage Lake sparkled in the sun. But before the brothers could leave a narrow wooden dock, they had a decision to make: how much gasoline to put in the pontoon’s 52-gallon engine.
Recreational boaters, like motorists, are feeling a pinch from the Iran war. U.S. gas prices have come down in recent weeks, but a gallon of regular gasmotor kulübü AAA'ya göre hala bir yıl öncesine göre ortalama % 34 daha fazla Cuma gününe mal oluyor.diesel fuelBazı tekneciler tarafından da kullanılan bu araç, geçen yıla göre %53 artış gösterdi.
Pek çok teknecinin, klasik otomobil sahibinin ve çim biçme makinesi kullanıcısının tercih ettiği etanol içermeyen gaz, aynı zamanda akaryakıt perakendecilerini de temsil eden Ulusal Bakkallar Birliği'ne göre, normal yakıttan galon başına 20 sent ila 1 dolar arasında daha fazla.
Yakınlarda bir benzin istasyonuPortage GölüDetroit'in 60 mil batısında, galon başına 7 $ karşılığında etanolsüz yakıt satıyor. Amine, Anma Günü hafta sonundan önce teknenin deposunu doldurmayı planlamadığını söyledi.
Amine, "Maliyet geçen yıla göre çok daha fazla olacak" dedi. "Bence ihtiyacınız olanı yapmak ve onu ihtiyaç duyduğunuz kadar doldurmak muhtemelen biraz daha akıllıca, çünkü bu çatışmanın ne zaman sona ereceğini kim bilebilir ?"
Daha Fazlasını Oku
Ulusal Denizcilik Üreticileri Birliği, her yıl 100 milyon Amerikalının tekneye bindiğini ve yılda 230 milyar $ değerinde bir sektöre katkıda bulunduğunu tahmin ediyor. Tekne, deniz motoru, tekne ekipmanı ve aksesuarları üreten şirketleri temsil eden ticaret grubu, teknecilerle yaptığı görüşmelerin çoğunun bu yıl hala suya açılmayı planladığını, ancak bazı durumlarda gaz fiyatlarınıncurtailing their plansHer gün
“There were a number of people within that who said, ‘I am going to have to change my behavior’,” said Ellen Bradley, the association’s chief brand officer. “I may not go as far. I may not as fast. I may spend more time anchored and swimming. I may spend more time at the dock.”
Neil ve Kathleen Donohoe Colorado'daki evlerini sattılar ve şimdi 16. yüzyıldan kalma bir deniz kaptanı olan Grace O'Malley'nin Galce adı olan Granuaile adlı 50 metrelik dizel motorlu bir teknede yaşıyorlar.as Ireland’s pirate queen. They’ve spent the last seven years cruising up and down the East Coast and to the BahamasHer gün
Morning Wire'a kaydolun:Amiral gemisi bültenimiz günün en büyük manşetlerini paylaşıyor. E - posta adresi KaydolunBu kutuyu işaretleyerek AP'leri kabul etmiş olursunuzKullanım Şartlarıve AP'nin verilerinizi aşağıdaki hükümler uyarınca toplayabileceğini ve kullanabileceğini kabul ederiz:Gizlilik Politikası.
Maintenance on the boat – not fuel – is typically their greatest expense, Neil Donohoe said. But lately, the cost to fill up the boat — which can hold 1,500 gallons — is eye-popping. They talk to other boaters and use various marine apps to find the cheapest gasHer gün
“It’s not driving us not to cruise, but it’s making a difference,” he said.
This summer, the couple plan to stick around the Chesapeake Bay area instead of heading further north. They’ve already been to Maine and to Canada, they reasoned, and they don’t feel the urge to go again while gas prices are so high.
“It seems a little gross to spend that kind of money when so many people are struggling,” Kathleen Donohoe said.
Gas prices are also impacting boating-related businesses. The Seattle Sailing Club, which offers lessons, chartered cruises and rentals, said its fuel bill has gone up 10.7% since the beginning of the war.
Lindsey Brown, the club’s office manager, said its fleet of 30 boats usually rely on wind power, but they all have gas or diesel backup engines. In April, the marina where the boats are docked charged $6.50 per gallon for diesel, she said. By late May, that had risen to $7.99 per gallon.
“We are just heading into our busy season, so we may see a more dramatic effect on our business if the price of fuel doesn’t change or continues to increase,” Brown said. Brown, who lives on a sailboat at the marina, said the service she uses to pump out wastewater just added a fuel surcharge to her bill.
It’s also the busy season for Melissa Kunnert, who owns NautiMi On the River, an ice cream and gift shop near Portage Lake. She rents out a tiki-themed pontoon boat for parties and hosts three-hour evening cruises for $50 a person starting after Memorial Day.
Kunnert decided not to raise her prices this summer even though it costs more to fill up the pontoon. She wonders if the higher gas prices affecting all forms of travel might benefit her business by keeping more potential customers closer to home.
“I’m interested to see if we’ll have the same amount as previous years (or) if we will have more because people don’t want to use their gas, they want ours,” Kunnert said.
In Traverse City, Michigan, a few hours north of Portage Lake, Robert Hinds decided to add a $50 fuel surcharge to the fishing trips he offers as the owner and operator of Central Coast Angling. He tows his 22-foot boat from port to port on Lake Michigan depending on where the fishing is best, so he has to fill up his truck in addition to his boat.
Hinds said he’s had multiple cancellations as customers do their own math on gas prices. One regular customer from Nebraska didn’t make the trip this spring.
“It’s really tough. People do want to get out and I still believe people will,” he said. “But everybody comes from different walks of life.”
Hinds recently ruled out his own fishing trip to Wisconsin after figuring out it would cost him $400 in diesel fuel for the truck that tows his boat.
“I can just stay home and fish here,” he said.
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AP Video Journalist Mike Householder contributed to this report.
DEE-ANN DURBIN Durbin is an Associated Press business writer focusing on the food and beverage industry. She has also covered the auto industry and state and national politics in her nearly 30-year career with the AP. Twitter mailto
