With Fuel At 4 Bucks A Gallon, Can The Big Woodys Survive?
Many of the old fun classic cruisers are in purgatory these days. Left in boat slips across the country. With fuel at $4 a gallon. A good days cruise can be $1000. With that said though, it’s free to go hang out at the marina. Have a nice lunch aboard. Do short trips to friends houses. Make a guest house out of it. Rent it out as an alternative apartment type thing. Many of these boats make a great one bedroom bachelor pad. ” Would you like to come over to my pad? Oh yes it’s a yacht” But for gods sake stop there, turn on the key and there goes a months rent..We have put the Matthews on land, put a couch on board and she is now the official hangout. OK, that may be a bit extreme, but at least we have not dug a ditch so she is more permanently there.. Not Yet, there is still the dream…..
The talk is that the price of fuel isn’t coming back down. The only hope may be in the economy growing to meet it. That’s wishful thinking and probably unlikely.
I came very close to getting serious about a 1958, 42′ CC Constellation this year but quickly came to my senses after considering the additional fuel she would demand. My 27 footer will have to do for now.
The future for these floating museums is not looking good. The sad truth is that fuel prices will continue to escalate whether the economy grows or not.
This has been my fear for the past year – and something I weighed heavily prior to the purchase of my 1st cruiser (’61 32′ CC Connie).
In the end – I bit the bullet and decided that the price of fuel is not going to stop me from creating a new passion out of an old love.
This summer will be the tell tale sign of just how much that cost of fuel will keep me at the dock… but hey – if it’s out of this world – I can always just go buy a runabout and use it as my transportation vehicle to and from the floating cottage :).