Boat, RV owners brace for higher gas prices this summer
BOSTON - Record setting costs at the pump have been hitting the pockets of everyday drivers for weeks, but what about those behind the wheel of a boat or an RV?
"Medium-sized motor homes have a 35-gallon tank, so five times 35, you're going to spend a few hundred dollars getting fuel," Bradford RV Center GM Brad Moore said.
Moore said higher gas prices means drivers will be taking shorter road trips this summer.
"It certainly has an effect for those on the road, people are choosing to go to campgrounds closer to home, like southern New Hampshire, southern Maine," Moore said.
As for boaters, some said they too will be keeping their rides on the water closer to home.
"It's at least $5.50 a gallon, which there's a lot of families here so I know that makes it tougher, people are probably staying in the marina and just enjoying time on the docks," boat owner David Fogarty said.
Although despite rising fuel costs, many will still make hitting the water a priority.
"It's a little bit high but we don't use that much really unless you're going on trips and then you don't care anyways," boat owner Steve Dulling said.
"People are just dying to get out, even with the high fuel prices," Debbie Miles said.
Husband and wife Rick and Debbie Miles sell boats on the South Shore and report sales for sailboats are up more than 10% this year. They said rather than canceling plans, lots of boaters are focusing more on being cost-effective.
"People who may have wanted to cruise to Maine are looking at shorter cruises to Provincetown and maybe down the Cape Cod Canal," Rick said. "If you're not in a rush to go somewhere a sailboat is a great way to go and obviously the fuel savings are incredible."
