Bay Area Boaters Feeling Pinched At The Pump
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – With the 2011 boating season kicking off this weekend in the Bay Area, many boaters may be docked.
Joe Lloyd with the Treasure Island Sailing Center said that's because of rising gas prices as buying gas at fueling docks typically costs 20 to 25 percent more than at gas stations.
"For gasoline off the fuel docks, it's a little over $6," he said.
KCBS' Anna Duckworth Reports:
That has boaters doing what they can to save money, which includes filling up cans at gas stations to bring to their boats.
"It's funny because the gas stations aren't considered cheap right now," Lloyd said. "But they're much cheaper than the fuel docks. That's what we do at the sailing center. It's much cheaper for us to take our small gas cans to the gas station than it is to fill them up at the fuel dock."
Lloyd said since most gas-powered boats are used for pleasure cruising, owners can simply cut back, a trend that he's noticed more the last few years since the recession began and gas prices started going up.
He said just as fewer people are taking weekend trips to the mountains to go skiing, the same can be said about boaters.
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