Bayliner Boats - Drop in traffic on state canals

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Hi gang, Rick Ostler here from North American Waterway bringing you Bayliner Boats along with news and views from the boating industry. Boaters likely to log fewer miles. Drop in traffic on state canals blamed on high cost of filling gas tanks

WATERFORD -- Less gasoline, more elbow grease. Less hot rodding, more chilling. Goodbye New York City, hello Castleton.

High gas prices are putting a new twist on the fun for many boaters this summer

But it's too soon to tell whether they'll be keeping some folks off the water entirely, state canal watchers say. Through mid-June, the state's 524-mile canal system saw a 14 percent drop in the number of recreational boats traveling through its locks, said state Canal Corp. Director Carmella Mantello.

But while Mantello said she's quite sure that high fuel prices played a role in that drop, she noted that several weekends were rainy and the weather was often unpredictable. And at the same time, commercial traffic has been up sharply in the first few weeks of the season.

Having an impact, especially for weekend boaters

"There's no doubt in our minds that it is having an impact, especially for weekend boaters," Mantello said of the high fuel prices, "but it's still early. I'm not waving the white flag yet."
At Lock 2 in Waterford, Chief Lock Operator Frank Jones said lockings actually have been up slightly on most weekends, with exceptions when the weather was stormy or exceptionally hot.

Jones, who has spent 31 years working on the canal, said the main difference he sees is in how boaters are behaving and where they are choosing to cruise. In addition to what he sees himself, he said, he hears a lot about plans for the season when boaters come in for their permits.

"They're staying local," Jones said. "They're using the canal instead of going up to Lake George. They're not pulling their boats up the Northway." And while they're here, Jones and lock operator Rick Pucci said, boaters are taking things easier and saving the additional fuel they'd burn if they were going faster.

"They're not going nuts. They're not water skiiing and pulling tubes," said Jones.

The Waterford Wall, where boats can tie up for the night, is busier than ever, Pucci said, and Jones said others are heading to shallow areas and sandy beaches on the Champlain Canal to swim. Greg Schwartz, vice commodore of the Troy Motor Boat and Canoe Club in Lansingburgh, said he and his wife, Sue, have pared back their boating plans a lot because of gas prices.

Last year, while fuel was still $2.75 a gallon or less, Schwartz and a few friends planned a sightseeing journey to New York City this summer. Now, that's off. "It's become cost-prohibitive," Schwartz said. "I didn't want to take out a home equity loan to go on my vacation."

Instead, the Schwartzes will take their 31-foot Bayliner out on shorter weekend excursions, visiting neighboring boat clubs in Castleton, Coxsackie and other closer towns. They're also teaming up with other couples and sharing one boat instead of taking two.

Call it boat pooling

High gas prices also may be steering more vacationers to boats without motors, like canoes and kayaks, and to biking and hiking trails. "We are seeing good things happen on land," Mantello said. "We expect tons of people to cycle the Erie."

More than 500 people have signed up for the 400-mile Cycling the Erie Canal bike tour from July 6-13, and museum operators and festival organizers along the waterway are reporting strong interest, she said.

Meanwhile, throughout the state, "there's a huge interest in nonmotorized boats," said Ro Woodard, a boating education specialist with the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. "The kayaks are hot stuff."

Cathy Woodruff can be reached at 454-5093 or by e-mail at cwoodruff@timesunion.com.

Canal lock activity
Lockings on the state canal system through mid-June

2008 2007
Erie 14,792 17,196
Champlain 2,811 3,151
Oswego 2,422 2,818
Cayuga-Seneca 658 973
Total 20,683 24,138

Commercial traffic
May 2007: 0 trips
June 2007: 4 trips
May 2008: 12 trips
June 2008 (through 6/9): 3 trips

Source: NYS Canal Corp. Thanks to CATHY WOODRUFF, Staff writer http://timesunion.com for this.

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Rick Ostler, North American Waterway


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