Boaters hitting Minnesota lakes for Memorial Day weekend to find ballooning gas prices
As Minnesotans get ready for Memorial Day weekend and travel, they're also keeping an eye on gas prices.
AAA says right now the average price of gas in the state is $4.38 a gallon. That's up nearly $1.40 cents from a year ago.
In addition to drivers, boaters are feeling the squeeze.
"This is my favorite time of the year. I don't want to go anywhere else because this is the place to be for us," said boater Jim Loffler.
Loffler has his boat out for the first time this year. He'll take his family out this weekend, hoping to have fun while he keeps an eye on the pumps.
"It's still very expensive, obviously," said Loffler. "I'd say it's maybe a buck and half to two more than it was last year."
"Right now we are at $6.75 a gallon," said Nick Mensen, operations manager at Tonka Bay Marina.
Mensen says as the lake gets busy this weekend, so will his gas docks.
"Oftentimes there will be lines, boats circling, waiting to get in," said Mensen.
Boaters will fill up on premium gas, spending about a dollar more than they did last Memorial Day.
For the past decade, the marina has used one fuel supplier and locked in on a price for the season. Now, they are using multiple suppliers to try and find the best deal on gas.
"This year we've been just watching the market. Watching our levels and how much fuel we have and trying to get choosy when we purchase the fuel," he said.
They're also offering 25 cents off per gallon for the summer to boaters who pull up this weekend. Mensen believes current prices at the dock pumps could have an impact on boating and fishing across the state.
"Things could change as far as how frequently people are getting out," he said.
Boater Paul Grandbois said the lake season is short and he doesn't think rising fuel costs will keep people from doing what they love.
"You do have to shop around if you are really sweating it," said Grandbois. "If you are scraping to get by, yes, it will hurt you. But otherwise, it shouldn't be that big of a deal."