When will it end?

The least they could do is Buy me dinner 1st.....maybe a couple of drinks. Is that to much to ask :bshake::humpty:

Diesel went up .20 yesterday and another .03 today. THEY'RE RAISING THE RATES EVERY DAY BASED ON THE STOCK MARKET. Not FUTURES to the gas stations...DAILY FRICKIN NUMBERS!!!!!!!!

Diesel has now gone up .87 in the last month. GET ready for $1000 grocery bills...and $1500 home heating bills. WATCH.

I am in the middle of drafting a letter to Senator Kerry, and that fat bloated windbag Kennedy too. Rep #^&#^&#^&#^& Moore will also receive a copy of this letter. I SERIOUSLY recommend EVERYONE else do the same thing and ask that measures be taken to stop this insanity otherwise you will be in bread lines by the fall.

I think it is safe to say the pleasure power boating industry will be history for a few decades. I don't see any fuel efficent power boats (Of any realistic size) on the horizon in my lifetime.

GET ready for $1000 grocery bills...and $1500 home heating bills. WATCH.


Monthly propane bills out here are already 1500 for a lot of people. Mine last month was 1150. 6 years ago it never topped 330.

My wife sent me food shopping the other day (I never go) but she was ill so I went. I was shocked at some of the prices. Anything prepared is outrageous. I plastic container of sliced fruit was 16.99!


IMO fuel costs driven in part by the insane environmental wackos with the ethanol movement is what is causing a lot of this. Yes China is increasing demand but this ethanol madness has got to stop. It takes more energy to MAKE ethanol then it produces. Further, this mandate is driving up corn prices to record levels every day. Corn is used as feed. Farmers can't eat the cost so it is passed on as higher meat and dairy prices. They have got to stop this madness. and return to more responsible behavior. I read someplace over the weekend that the amount of corn it takes to create a gallon of ethanol could FEED A FAMILY OF 4 FOR A YEAR!

It is apparent that the Saudis can't grow food. The price of US grain just went up to $109 a basket.........

Tis is making more sense every day.
http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripertalk/showthread.php?t=46451

I think it is safe to say the pleasure power boating industry will be history for a few decades. I don't see any fuel efficent power boats (Of any realistic size) on the horizon in my lifetime.


Mr S,
I really think there is a new future for displacement hull pleasure boats in this country. Granted you have to live with 7-8 kt hull speeds but you can get some real fuel economy like 20+ mpg with some of the little diesels. It doesn't take much to push them along at hull speed. You won't be going offshore but I can see for fishing coastal waters it could be done. Over in Germany they have all sorts of horsepower taxes and restrictions, and they compensate with a lot of neat displacement hull small crafts to fill the bill for both fishing and recreation. My impression on seeing these boats in operation was not only that they got the job done but it was downright quiet and peacful compared to boating in the US.

I'll agree with you on the future for planning hulls with twin engines though. There won't be many people who'll be able to afford much more than a quick spin around the block, drop anchor and start chumming and drinking beer.

Ed

Corn is used as feed. Farmers can't eat the cost so it is passed on as higher meat and dairy prices. They have got to stop this madness. and return to more responsible behavior. I read someplace over the weekend that the amount of corn it takes to create a gallon of ethanol could FEED A FAMILY OF 4 FOR A YEAR!

Jim,
I think the number was 25 gallons (i.e. one SUV tank) would feed the family of four, but I could be way off. I agree, I'm not an ethonal supporter, pretty much for the reasons you mentioned.

Holy S---
an Ed B sighting!:btu:

Was talking to a guy I know this am who delivers oil........marked his per gallon home heating oil price up to.......are you ready for this......$3.88 A Gallon!

Rock, You may be right it might be a tank full I just read it in passing and but even still............

Ed, you have a valid point....While I grant you full displacement hull design is probably the best we can do for a while this is going to devastate the power boating industry.

I came across a blurb about an interesting electric drive in low speed trawlers that use a small diesel to change batteries, this got good efficiency for a few reasons. Mainly though they can design a low RPM very high torque electric motor that can turn a big prop effectively.

So in that regard you are probably right but even still with all the boat companies out there they can't all survive. IMO this is going to be a rough stretch for power boating. I think when gas hits 5 bucks the market will be flooded with used boats at give away prices. Used power boats will be nearly worthless and anyone with a loan on a boat will be really underwater with that loan. My brother bought a 2 year old aquasort with 40 hours on it in florida... for the remaining cost of the loan on the boat, and the seller was happy to get rid of it and the bank was happy to see the loan paid off....its gonna get real ugly in the world of power boating.


I vote to Drill in the US and drill hard (while developing new alternatives)

I know it is bird seed, but it has doubled form a year ago. It is better to grow corn rather than anything else. I guess a lot of other grains are going the same way. The ethanol is jacking up everything else, along with a gas price that is crazy. In the agriculture end of things everything is going up and quick. This all gets passed along. I guess it is a good time to grow corn.:nopain:

Maybe we should thank George W. Bush, the Federal Reserve and likeminded captains of industry. In the late 1990's, oil was as low as $10 a barrel. Mass transit use has reached a 50 yr high.

Maybe I could utilize pedal-boat technology for back water and bay boats. Kind of like the Hobie kayak type of propulsion.
As for boating, I'm looking into a kayak this spring. It still means gas to haul it around, but that's one thing I'll concede.

Maybe I could utilize pedal-boat technology for back water and bay boats. Kind of like the Hobie kayak type of propulsion.
As for boating, I'm looking into a kayak this spring. It still means gas to haul it around, but that's one thing I'll concede.
But hopefully you can look at it this way Tim. That's gas that you would use to travel to your fishing spots anyways. I know from your posts here that you like to fish Duxbury a lot. Perfect for kayaking. I hit there a lot with mine last year.

But hopefully you can look at it this way Tim. That's gas that you would use to travel to your fishing spots anyways. I know from your posts here that you like to fish Duxbury a lot. Perfect for kayaking. I hit there a lot with mine last year.

That's what I was getting at (in a 'round about way).
The gas I use will be getting me to the fishing spot, not puttering around looking for fish, although it's only a problem if you don't catch anything.

Imagine rigging a boat, say a Carolina Skiff, with the same pedal system they use for the swan boats in Boston?
They only serious issues would be riding in rough water, and who has to pedal. I'd say bring a friend along, and instead of asking for gas money, tell him/her that they will supply the "fuel" for the trip.
It would promote better health and reduce speeding overall.

The thing that really kills me is we send these bastards BILLIONS in frickin' aid, and they still shove it up our torsos. Without the USA's thirst for oil, they would be a third world sandpile again. But, us with them, well, we'll be the third world freezing poor pedistrians. F:cens:K!!

This country needs and Enema

We're bad as far as our thirst for oil, but China is getting worse by the day. And, they're willing to pay at any price it seems. That's hurting us as well.

The difference, between us and China is that the Chinese govt is subsidizing oil, so the average Chinese citizen is not paying 3.19 equivalent/gallon. I'd wager if they didn't subsidize, they wouldn't use nearly as much.

Just making a statement, I'm not advocating the govt subsidize our oil or the Chinese shouldn't!

We will be looking back at this thread by summer wishing it was still $109 a barrel.

$4 gas doesn't seem to have stopped many judging by the lookof most things right now. $5 home heating oil will be the stopper for most.

$4 gas doesn't seem to have stopped many judging by the lookof most things right now. $5 home heating oil will be the stopper for most.

I'm thanking God I have natural gas..For now anyway..

Ridiculous...
http://www.homeheatingoilprices.com/searchpage.php

The difference, between us and China is that the Chinese govt is subsidizing oil, so the average Chinese citizen is not paying 3.19 equivalent/gallon. I'd wager if they didn't subsidize, they wouldn't use nearly as much.

Just making a statement, I'm not advocating the govt subsidize our oil or the Chinese shouldn't!
Which only makes the situation even worse.

When will it end?

major changes are coming --> as in stackable cars
a prototype to be built this year...

they'll be just like shopping carts....
ya better hang on to that two piece rod :uhuh:

and don't worry Flaptail...and Bigfish you'll be able to sit
cross legged as these babies will drive themselves

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/stackablecars.jpg