[PUP] $100 per barrel oil

[Kevin Kearney]

Scott, I can say from history, Gas rationing during WW2 and The Oil Crisis in 1973 that the resale value of heavy fuel users declined and fuel misers increased-I can see some relationship with boats. However, the 50gph vs 10gph vs 1gph relationships in boating will have a market result, If people/listers are asking What about fuel prices?-it is not imy opinion  that the operating costs,of fuel use which are a small percentage of the total boat operating costs, but the Capital  Costs ,the buy at one price and eventually sell  for less. The percent of depreciation, which will be most costly. Within the Long Range community nobody is doing the 50gph thing , but some are doing the 10 vs 1gph thing--and those boats that use less to do some sort of hull speed will be "worth more" when they sell--Look at boat sales and use in europe, or car sales. 
   
  As to OEM boatbuilder engine size choices for displacement boats, I would make the arguement based on Europe again. Look at the HP numbers from a Broker like H20 in France for say Dutch built 40-45 footers and Yachtworld for the same style of boat in the US. Tell me that there is not an order of magnitude difference in these HP numbers and consequential fuel use numbers, but then again Europe thinks our fuel prices are really cheap.
   
  I went into the marketing issue of bigger is better because its there-has been and needs to change, Ford can't seem to stop building F150 pickups, they can lay off workers,promise green cars, but can't kick the bigger/faster thing. Volvo "has to" make SUVs--even their recently introduced small car the C30 came with a 200plus HP engine, instead of more traditonal values in volvoworld of efficient/safe-they sell the C30 in the rest of the world with 100hp gas and diesels, not here , and not because of saftey or tort issues. Volvos sales last year in the US  went from 139,000 to 106,000, but Volvo is being managed by the person who previously brought us the Lincoln Navigator-bigger profit margins by building bigger cars, and they are laying off staff as well. 
   
  I did close with remarks-ways of operating our generally efficient displacement boats that you agreed with-you can see efficiency in your own wake, when your stern squats and your bow rises, back of the revs save fuel/money and go just a little slower. When repowering, look into the requiremets of the boat, A/B, PC, D/L, Consult with Skenes ELEMENTS OF YACHT DESIGN, Gerrs, PROPELLER HANDBOOK, VOYAGING UNDER POWER, First and Third editions, Buehlers TROLLER YACHT BOOK. Make choices on true engineering not the compromised market oriented engineering that comes from "MOST" not all builders.
   
  We as Americans have been marketed/brainwashed for a long time,that cheap never ending fuels will be available. We can do better, think for ourselves,the references are out there, comparative countries where fuel has been more expensive for a long time can be an example for us to learn from. So when I contend that the most costly thing about $100 barrels of oil will be the severe depreciation of fuelish boats and fuelish operators--its a hopeful remark that we as a community of fuel users will become more ethical in our choices-that the manufactures will also move in that direction-and that we can all do something more than go to war to get our fix.
   
  Fuel stingy Trawlers are part of the solution-Fuelish boats are part of the problem.
   
  Safe Boating Kevin
   
  

"Scott E. Bulger" <scottebulger at gmail.com> wrote:
  Oh Lord help me keep my cool... There is so little in this posting that's
on topic it's hard to comment

Kevin: "the real cost on cruising under power will be the lost value in
fuelish yachts being operated fuelishly-they were wrong when they were
concieved, often wrong in operation and will be difficult to sell with fuel
costs going where they are bound to go.

[scott] The market will establish the resale value of the boat based on
supply and demand. Time for recreation will always be a factor to many who
will choose faster boats so they can extend their cruising area with limited
time. I doubt many "Passagemakers" will fall into the category of boats
that loose value because the price of fuel goes up.

Kevin: Relative to boat design most builders know their market (free
market) and buyers given the choice between 50 or 300 Horsepower on a 20 ton
trawler yacht-make the traditional more is better route, the ethic of less
is best, simplify-simplify-is not within most of us.

[scott] I couldn't disagree with you more. Few of the people I know are
not aware of the relationship between HP and displacement hull needs. I
don't see any boats out here with 400hp motors. If your talking about the
high HP boats like Sea Ray, Meridian or the Italian jobs, I don't think they
fall into the Passagemaker category.

Kevin: These lessons are being ignored in our automobile industry, we could
be making efficient turbocharged/intercooled sub 1000cc 4 passanger cars in
diesel or gas that exceed 50mpg-do 0-60 in sub 10 seconds and have speeds
exceeding 100mph but instead the technology and research is directed towards
the 600HP/200mph feel good car.

[scott] Huh? That's funny, in Mazatlan and PV I saw a bunch of Ford and
Chevy cars that fit the category of sub compact cars, but by far the ruling
auto is a Nissan. The same kind you can buy in the states. Perhaps
relaxing the safety standards and having tort reform would do more to
advance the trend in building small cars in the US?

Kevin: In 1951 0-60 in a Jag XK120 was 10 seconds--in 1966 VWs were pokey
at 20 seconds, today sub 3 seconds is the standard and anything that takes
more than 8 seconds is "dangerously slow"-That's what we are being marketed
and thats what we buy.

[scott] Yea but the Jag is a terrible passage maker. It doesn't have good
sleeping accommodations, doesn't have good range and won't even float, so I
think everyone would agree it's a lousy boat! : )

Kevin: So leave a "clean wake", and be moderate in your speeds, do some
reengineering when you repower in terms of HP needed and the costs of
Voyaging Under Power will be modest and your resale will be better.

[scott] Here I couldn't agree with you more! 
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