Conservation on the Lakes

I was surprised but quite unsympathetic to learn how much of an impact higher gas prices have on owners of pleasure boats:

Even with the higher prices, boaters are going out, lest they waste what can be a huge investment.

“It’s a short season,” said Todd Heimlich of Burlington “You’ve paid for the boat - and you’re not going to use it?”

Heimlich and his brother, Mark, from Wakefield, were docking in Paugus Bay in Laconia after a spin this week in their Baja, a gas guzzler with twin 425-horsepower engines.

Mark Heimlich said they’ve noticed some changes, including more boats carrying more people.

“They used to go out on their own, but now four couples are sharing the gas and going out,” he said.

Their boat has a 225-gallon tank, meaning a fill-up at $3.95 pushes $900. Todd Heimlich said running six hours a day, they can burn a tank in a weekend.

The brothers and the Valitons also said they see people anchoring after short boat rides rather than taking long cruises as they did in the past.

Nice to see they're economizing