The price of gas in the U.S. has soared in the past few months. One year ago, the average price of regular gas in Michigan was $3.13. Today, the average price is $4.28, according to AAA.
But those driving on the roads aren’t the only ones being affected by a surge in fuel prices.
Boaters are also bearing the burden of expensive fuel, and those wading through Emerald City Harbor Marina in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, are no exception.
“I used to fill up a 26-foot cruiser, like a hundred gallon gas tank for right around 150 bucks, okay, back in ‘98,” said Bill Parilo.
He’s been boating in Michigan for over thirty years. Parilo said he’s been seeing fewer boats leaving the dock since fuel prices have gone up. Today, he’s budgeting around $800 to fill up his Sun Ray 340 Sundancer’s entire tank.
“The best thing here is because I belong to this dock, you got Mark here, gives us a discount for coming here,” said Parilo.
Mark Conley is the owner of Mark’s Fuel Dock. For eighteen years he’s been pumping fuel for loyal customers. As of early June, fuel at Mark’s was going for $6.99 per gallon for non-ethanol fuel.
“Other fuel docks are 50 cents a gallon cheaper, but it’s self-serve,” said Conley. “It’s kind of a dangerous thing fueling boats so, it’s good to have attendants that took the test and are knowledgeable when they get on your boat.”
Most boats take non-ethanol fuel, making it more expensive than the gas most people put in their cars.
The cost of diesel fuel—used by many recreational vehicles, including large water vessels—has increased by nearly 60% in the Midwest since last June. That’s according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The price of fuel is just one hindrance for boaters this year.
Parilo said that he usually has his boat in the water by mid-April, but this year, a colder start to summer pushed that date back further.
“You just saw me put it in today, almost two months later. Cold weather, rain, whatever you want to call it. Okay, it hampered the season right off the bat.”
And the weather has impacted Conley’s usual cadence of business, too.
“These customers didn’t get a chance to uncover their boat, paint and wax them. So we’re like a month behind. So we got a lot of catching up to do. And if you discount fuel too much, man, you can’t do it,” Conley said.
Regular customers like Parilo, however, keep fuel dock owner Conley confident that the price of fuel won’t have much of an effect on his business.
“I know this is a retail job, but 95% of your customers, they’re like family. They come back to you every year, you know, they love to see what happened to you over the winter,” said Conley.
And, he noted, the price disparity between fueling up a car versus a boat is not all that different these days.
“When I tell them $6.99 they say, well it’s $6.17 on the street,” said Conley.
Plus, the high cost of owning a boat is high as it is.
“If you already have the boat, then it might actually be quite economically reasonable to just fuel it up and go have fun,” said University of Michigan Associate Professor Scott Rick.
Rick researches the psychology of why and how people spend their money. He said that business owners can be methodical about directing customers’ attention away from the price of the product.
Mike LeFevre is doing just that. He’s the owner of Mike’s on the Water, a nautical-themed restaurant and bar about half a mile up the harbor from Mark’s Fuel Dock. Part of what makes the restaurant unique is the variety of ways that customers can visit—by foot or by water.
Boaters can cruise into the canal, dock at the restaurant, and order from their boats without having to step off.
LeFevre said that boating customers are extremely important to his business in the summer, but he’s not worried about high fuel prices stopping boaters from getting out on the water and visiting his restaurant.
“I think that people that are boaters will get out and enjoy it with whatever the price of the gas is,” said LeFevre. “We know what gas prices are, and they’ll make a point to get out and have fun.”
Like business-owner Conley, LeFevre is certain that his relationship with his clientele will keep them coming back no matter what.
“Repeat customers and regular customers, it’s sort of my thing; I know so many people,” LeFevre said. "When they come in, I know them by name, and if I don’t know them by name, I know what they drink. Here comes scotch and water, and here comes Miller Lite.”
When it comes down to saving money or having fun on the lake, boaters like Bill Parilo are finding ways to do both.
“We always figure out something,” said Parilo. “You know, we’ve got a lot of people on the dock and rather than showing off and we all take our boats out to Muscamoot Bay or to Brown’s or whatever, we’ll all pile on one boat. Then it’s somebody’s turn next week.”
As they wait for the cost of fuel to come down, boaters say the joy of getting out on the water makes it worth the price.
