Fuel Cost Changing Cruising Plans?

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

With diesel currently at $4.66 gallon and rising in SW Washington who are reconsidering their plans to cruise?

I had heard fuel at Port McNeill, Canada is $8.00 USD a gallon.

 

[mvweebles]

With diesel currently at $4.66 gallon and rising in SW Washington who are reconsidering their plans to cruise?

I had heard fuel at Port McNeill, Canada is $8.00 USD a gallon.

You may want to check again - changes over last couple days. I literally just arrived in Ensenada a few hours ago after a 3-day drive from Florida. Apps like Gas Buddy show that at stations where we paid $3.099/gal (Texas) two days ago are now charging $3.419/gal. Saw may signs at truck stops for $5.099/diesel in NM and AZ. California was higher of course (didn't fuel in California). Fuel prices in Ensenada appear to be only slightly higher Than a couple months ago when I was here last. Time will tell if the pricing lags a bit and will go up soon.

Peter

 

[ksanders]

I waited for Covid.

Not waiting for fuel to come down in price.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

I waited for Covid.



Not waiting for fuel to come down in price.

Good point

 

[Sailor of Fortune]

I waited for Covid.

Not waiting for fuel to come down in price.

VERY good point

 

[oscar]

Hmmmmm...... 700 gallons times..... "This is the big one Elizabeth, I'm coming to meet you!" I'll fill those about half as many times as last year. OK, I know..... If you can't afford the fuel why own one..... but this IS getting a little silly.

 

[magna 6882]

I am going to watch my fuel burn more closely and just slow down a bit. I tend to just hit the throttle when i want to get going but i can stay below 2 gph if i just slow down. I drive my car the same way and it occurred to me if i just went the speed limit i could get a lot more out of my tank.

 

[Ken E.]

I waited for Covid.

Not waiting for fuel to come down in price.

+2, Kevin. I just filled up in Tucson AZ, $5.10/gal. Come summer, BC and AK will very spendy. But we're not ditching another cruising season based on fuel cost.

 

[soin2la]

I had heard fuel at Port McNeill, Canada is $8.00 USD a gallon.

Good grief, where do you hear this stuff?
You want to know what I heard? Oh never mind, it's old news.

Fuel on the north end of Vancouver Island (Port Hardy) is cheaper than it is on the south end (Victoria).

Deisel in Port Hardy/McNeill today is $6.08US per imperial gallon or $5.05US per US gallon.

 

[mvweebles]

I waited for Covid.



Not waiting for fuel to come down in price.

I'm guessing for 4000nms you will burn around 3000-3500 gals diesel. An extra $4k-$5k or so. Understand it won't cancel a trip for someone who understands and accepts the total cost of operation, but given the emphasis newbies and sailors place on fuel costs, will influence the buying decisions if price is sustained. Recall, the Taiwan Trawler craze started in the mid 1970s with Mid East Oil Embargo.

Peter

 

[markpierce]

Rising fuel prices is good news for full-displacement, single-engine trawlers. And I've got four full tanks of diesel.

 

[ksanders]

I'm guessing for 4000nms you will burn around 3000-3500 gals diesel. An extra $4k-$5k or so. Understand it won't cancel a trip for someone who understands and accepts the total cost of operation, but given the emphasis newbies and sailors place on fuel costs, will influence the buying decisions if price is sustained. Recall, the Taiwan Trawler craze started in the mid 1970s with Mid East Oil Embargo.

Peter

Slip fees far exceed money spent on fuel.

 

[rslifkin]

Much like we did with COVID, we aren't going to scrap our plans. Depending on what fuel prices turn out to be as we get into summer we may alter our plans to involve less miles traveled. And we'll certainly be spending very little time to on plane. Worst case, we go to some different places this year. Plenty of places to go and (hopefully) plenty of years to do it, so we can always change the order.

We won't make any definite decisions for another couple of months though.

 

[Comodave]

With our new planing hull boat with twin 450hp diesels we probably will slow down to displacement mode more often.

 

[O C Diver]

I'm getting old, and my internal count down clock isn't going to pause until the fuel price drops. I'm not changing where I'm going even if fuel is $10 a gallon. Did an abbreviated cruise in 2020 because of covid, won't make that mistake again.

If I was going to guess, I would wager prices won't get stupid crazy before the summer peak fuel season. Hopefully I will have purchased 2/3rds of my summer cruising fuel needs before Memorial Day.

Ted

 

[bowball]

As I mentioned on another thread, prices will get higher as they are due to seriously contemplating a Russian oil and gas embargo to support the sanctions due to their invasion of Ukraine. I’m willing to pay my share. Should see a big increase in price of a barrel of oil tomorrow.

 

[mvweebles]

As I mentioned on another thread, prices will get higher as they are due to seriously contemplating a Russian oil and gas embargo to support the sanctions due to their invasion of Ukraine. I’m willing to pay my share. Should see a big increase in price of a barrel of oil tomorrow.

....and the day after....and the day after....rinse/repeat

At the margins, there are folks for whom fuel price has no impact. But for the vast majority, fuel is fungible and the price is highly elastic. For anyone who thinks price of fuel has no bearing on the broader market, well, that's wishful thinking.

Peter

 

[Swa]

$130. barrel Gold $1966. Natures way of telling you somethings wrong

 

[bowball]

....and the day after....and the day after....rinse/repeat

At the margins, there are folks for whom fuel price has no impact. But for the vast majority, fuel is fungible and the price is highly elastic. For anyone who thinks price of fuel has no bearing on the broader market, well, that's wishful thinking.

Peter

True. But Putin is a cancer. I did nuclear attack drills in my school, under my desk with hands over my head. Everyone remember those fallout shelter signs everywhere? If this is the price I have to pay to stop Putin who has threatened us with nuclear war, so be it. I don’t want my grandkids to have to live through that.

 

[Spinner]

That would make it about 8.00 per gallon in Canadian dollars ….

 

[soin2la]

That would make it about 8.00 per gallon in Canadian dollars ….

What would?

 

[Slowmo]

Well I'm glad I leave my tanks full over the winter but this summer will be spendy on fuel, if it is available at all. I had a Tesla driving friend smugly tell me that I should just go electric. Made me realize that many people have no ability to buy things like Teslas and have to choose between fuel and food. But for most of us boat owners I suspect we'll just buy the fuel at whatever price, perhaps many will slow down and stay closer to home.

 

[NEtrawler58]

I'll still boat this season but will be a lot more conscious of fuel consumption. Last year I never even thought of it. This year I will cruise slower and maybe not quite as often. But that's what is supposed to happen, rising process cause a decrease in demand to meet supply until things stabilize and/or reverse.

 

[Osprey69]

We are staying closer to home-base for other reasons so fuel is not impacting us yet. A BIG YET. We will deeper explore our local areas. I find that even 2-3 days in a location is not near enough to enjoy. We will stay a week at a time and will not "blow" by what could be interesting spots.

 

[rslifkin]

Another thought on fuel prices is that I'm trying to assess whether higher fuel prices push me to put an outboard on the dinghy (or if I'm better off just spending the cost of an outboard on fuel this year). Being able to explore further than rowing allows, etc. will lead to less moving the big boat (at least in some areas) and will save gas (putting around slowly in the dinghy should return 30+ nmpg vs ~1.25 nmpg at slow cruise in the big boat).

 

[bshanafelt]

or cruise down to Venezuela, only $0.95/gal.

your mileage & injector safety may vary.

 

[rgano]

Finally, we are hearing about cutting off Russian oil, and what you may be thinking of as fantastical pricing will very likely be coming to pass. Glad a filled the tanks a couple weeks back.

 

[bowball]

Another thought on fuel prices is that I'm trying to assess whether higher fuel prices push me to put an outboard on the dinghy (or if I'm better off just spending the cost of an outboard on fuel this year). Being able to explore further than rowing allows, etc. will lead to less moving the big boat (at least in some areas) and will save gas (putting around slowly in the dinghy should return 30+ nmpg vs ~1.25 nmpg at slow cruise in the big boat).

Fuel price concerns to me here would be on the margin as it takes a lot of fuel burn to overcome the capital costs of an outboard motor (I just bought one). If you think you would enjoy the adventure more by going further afield with the outboard, then fuel costs could be the nice upside, but I doubt in a cost benefit analysis it ever pencils out? As a former rower, you would give up great exercise! Maybe get a sliding seat skiff.

 

[soin2la]

Yesterday, 12:46 PM:

I had heard fuel at Port McNeill, Canada is $8.00 USD a gallon.

To be fair to the North Island vendors and not unduly mislead, or freighten BC boaters, marine diesel in Port McNeill this morning is still $1.69.9 per litre.

So still $5.05US per US gallon. So “$8.00 USD a gallon” is still homemade bologna.

 

[NEtrawler58]

Another thought on fuel prices is that I'm trying to assess whether higher fuel prices push me to put an outboard on the dinghy (or if I'm better off just spending the cost of an outboard on fuel this year). Being able to explore further than rowing allows, etc. will lead to less moving the big boat (at least in some areas) and will save gas (putting around slowly in the dinghy should return 30+ nmpg vs ~1.25 nmpg at slow cruise in the big boat).

How about an electric OB for the dinghy?