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This week marks the beginning of hurricane season. Here are some basic tips to help you out in case you live in a region of the country that is afflicted by these storms:
- You are responsible for taking precautionary measures to protect your boat because marine authorities such as the U.S. Coast Guard will not be in a position to offer assistance prior to the storm, and you may be held responsible for damages caused to other persons or property by your boat.
- Purchase and stow line specifically for hurricane use. As a general rule, line should be twice the diameter of your normal line.
- All boat hurricane preparations should be completed 48 hours before a hurricane arrives. This will allow you to concentrate on your family and home.
- Secure all hatches and tape all windows from the inside. Seal all openings with duct tape to make the boat as watertight as possible.
- Check the batteries for a full charge and make sure bilge pumps are working.
- Shut off all fuel lines and close thru hull fittings.
- Remove all electronics and outboard motors to prevent destruction or theft.
- Remove any liquids, such as outboard motor oil, to prevent it from spilling out all over your boat.
- If you have a boat with a trailer, remove the boat from the water and secure both boat and trailer to high land. If you prefer, remove the boat from the trailer and lash down each separately. Trailer should be firmly anchored to prevent or minimize damage.
- Let the air out of tires before tying the trailer down. Place blocks between the frame members and the axle inside each wheel. Secure with heavy lines to fixed objects from four different directions, if possible.
- Place your boat in a sheltered area next to a wall, etc. to provide added protection from falling tree limbs and debris.
- If you will be anchoring out, do not stay on your boat. Have a designated “hurricane hole.” Avoid shoal areas and look for areas with high embankments. Consult responsible marine literature for best anchorage and anchoring methods.
On Thursday, declines in bulk oil due to delays with tankers along the Gulf Coast have caused gas prices to rise towards a national average of $3.95 a gallon. Analysts predicted gas prices peaked over Memorial Day weekend, but with Indonesia pulling out of OPEC and the current tanker problems, they are now forecasting a $4 a gallon on a national level soon.
With the boating industry facing an uncertain summer, bulk oil prices went down under $130 a barrel on Tuesday, after the traditionally vacation-heavy Memorial Day weekend. Prices sank amidst reports that demands for gas had dropped due to high costs; others speculate that it was simply a high peak in the normally high holiday weekend.
With these declining prices, analysts are now claiming that gas prices may not reach $4 a gallon, after all.
As reported by NPR, the summer season in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region is just getting started, but as gas and outboard motor oil prices continue to set records on land, some boat owners are keeping their vessels in storage or selling them altogether.
That’s already starting to affect marinas that store, dock, rent and sell boats. Other businesses, such as charter boats and tourist cruises, are setting their summer rates and weighing whether to swallow high fuel costs or pass them on to customers.
Of course, this sudden conservative attitude towards boats means that with a waning demand, the waters are clearer for a more personal boating experience. Though the price of outboard oil is slightly up, the experience of a relaxing boating trip may be worth the hit. However, if you’ve planned your finances accordingly, then boating this summer won’t be such a worrisome activitiy.
Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of the summer traveling season and is usually the time when oil prices slightly rise. With less than two days until the weekend begins, bulk oil prices hit a record high of $132 a barrel. This shot up gas prices to $3.80 for the national average. The news comes in light of a report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration that claims gas and oil stocks had declined, as well as President Bush’s unsuccessful trip to the Middle East, requesting a higher production rate.
Analysts are now predicting a national average of $4 for gasoline within the next month and $140 a barrel come September.
Yamaha Marine Group announced earlier this month that it has put its marine care products under the trusted Yamalube brand.
Products affected include fuel additives, adhesives and lubricants, which will now bear the name Yamalube. With the change comes color-coded packaging designed to improve the customer’s ability to choose the correct product for the job at hand.
Yamaha is creating and launching an extensive campaign for dealers and customers as part of the rollout.
The price of bulk oil - yet again – continues to rise to new heights as it reaches near $128 a barrel, pushing the average to roughly $3.79 per gallon. The price of diesel fuel has also gone up to due to China’s demand to refuel their power plants in light of this week’s earthquake. This news comes as President Bush journeys to Saudi Arabia to push the production of oil in the Middle East. Analysts expect the national average for gas to reach $4 a gallon within the coming weeks, though some states are already paying that.
Last year, Boating Industry reported that 2007 was the worst year for boat sales, with 2008 projected to decline further. While this report may seem a bit on the grim side, it may also be a good time to take advantage and buy a new boat or replace that engine and give your boat some new parts.
While some may consider this kicking the small business owner while they’re down, a surge in these kinds of purchases could very well help in reviving sagging boat sales. Whether you buy a boat, replace a steering wheel or buy large amounts of marine engine oil, every contribution will help and ensure that there is a viable boating community out there.
Today oil prices surged, yet again, to $127 a barrel. On the heels of this news are the concerns that oil prices will not go down as Memorial Day weekend (the unofficial first day of summer travel) looms closely. That said, outboard motor oil prices are also scheduled for a slight price increase. Do yourself a favor and start buying oil for the summer now. Don’t wait around or you’ll be apt to spend your summer on land.
Today, the Washington Post reported that the American Petroleum Institute, the industry’s main oil lobby, is embarking on a multiyear, multimedia, multimillion-dollar campaign.
The intended audience is elected officials and the public, with an emphasis on the latter. The industry is trying to convince voters — who, in turn, will make the case to their members of Congress — that rising energy prices are not the producers’ fault and that government efforts to punish the industry, especially with higher taxes, would only make pricing problems worse.
The campaign has stirred outrage among consumer groups. They complain that the industry is using its outlandish profits to make even more money, and that its advertisements use statistics selectively.
The news comes on the heels of a brief record high of bulk oil prices coming in at $126 a barrel, before falling back down to $124.