When Does it Become Cost Prohibited?

[FWT]

http://www.rvia.org/news-insights/latest-rv-shipment-report-shows-new-february-high

RV sales still red hot. Guess boats would track similar.

 

[kthoennes]

SD may be flyover country in a lot of ways, but we're the national crossroads for RV activity and motorcycles. From every indicator I can see, even this time of year, FWT is right -- hasn't slowed down one bit yet. I'm not sure even rampant inflation and higher interest rates and fuel prices will make a dent (yet). The sellers are willing to finance RV's, motorcycles and boats for 900 years. And this year our marina is spending millions to increase the marina density from 400 to around 500 slips, and our marina fees -- for five and a half months, for a 40' slip, are nearly $4500. And they can't expand the RV parts around Yankton fast enough. Maybe it'll all cool off tomorrow, but not yet.

 

[Hippocampus]

Be interesting to see how many show up for Sturgis or sit in the garage.

 

[NEtrawler58]

Be interesting to see how many show up for Sturgis or sit in the garage.

Not sure, but my guess is that Sturgis bikers are not afraid of Covid.

 

[BandB]

Not sure, but my guess is that Sturgis bikers are not afraid of Covid.

Well, Sturgis was previously a super spreader event, so that lends credibility to your statement.

 

[Hippocampus]

Been to Sturgis several types of riders.
Dentists and like professionals ( such as me). Bikes are shipped. They fly.
Iron butts who ride there.
Custom show bikes. They come in trailers/RVs with the people in the cabs.
We have enough t shirts so don’t even enter the town. Spend our time riding. Still, it’s expensive and now will be more expensive. Not due to fuel for the bikes but rather fuel for the rigs bringing them.
It’s a long ride from anywhere on the east coast and much of it boring. So even so iron butts on repeat ship. It’s more interesting and shorter from California. Still, suspect fewer people will go this year having nothing to do with C19 but rather expense. Particularly those who have been there done that and start from the east coast.

 

[NEtrawler58]

Been to Sturgis several types of riders.
Dentists and like professionals ( such as me). Bikes are shipped. They fly.
Iron butts who ride there.
Custom show bikes. They come in trailers/RVs with the people in the cabs.
We have enough t shirts so don’t even enter the town. Spend our time riding. Still, it’s expensive and now will be more expensive. Not due to fuel for the bikes but rather fuel for the rigs bringing them.
It’s a long ride from anywhere on the east coast and much of it boring. So even so iron butts on repeat ship. It’s more interesting and shorter from California. Still, suspect fewer people will go this year having nothing to do with C19 but rather expense. Particularly those who have been there done that and start from the east coast.

Why would expense be more of a deterrent this year than any other year. As you say, most don't ride there anyway. People are spending more than ever these days on boats, RVs, and other leisure activities. I would expect big crowds, no?

 

[kthoennes]

Attendance counts are always imprecise for something like the Rally -- it's not like a state fair where you can neatly count gate attendance, but Hip's exactly right, lots of doctors and lawyers and dentists and hedge fund managers truck or trailer in their bikes from elsewhere. The 2020 estimate -- near the height of the national COVID restrictions elsewhere -- was 460,000. 2021 was about 550,000. We also never shut down the state fair, where 2020 attendance was just over 100,000, and 2021 was almost double at 185,000. Mt. Rushmore visits were 2 million people in 2020, 2.5 million in 2021 (which broke the all-time record). Now part of that was almost certainly a counter-reaction to COVID restrictions elsewhere, both as a matter of choice and because so many other travel and recreation options were closed -- but so far we see no indication whatsoever that the recreational stampede will diminish, at least not here.

Of course we're not Stuart, Florida for example, so I'm not sure how closely tied the RV and motorcycle markets are to boating, but I have to think it's all part of the general recreational vehicle market. A local car dealership is expanding its boat sales division as fast as it can -- here on the prairie, just about as far from salt water as you can possibly get on North America -- and they're posting absurdly expensive listings for little open boats like this:

https://www.verneidemarine.com/Pre-...NC-Boat-ZX5-575hp-Tige-Surf-11700920?ref=list

And that's used, not new. Still a red hot market from my perspective, limited as my perspective may be.

 

[Fletcher500]

Regarding solar, we have a fairly small system on our home that is about 15 years old. A large percentage of our neighbors have solar, and more modern systems with larger arrays. Its just my wife and I, and we spend a lot of time on the boat each week as well so we don't burn through a lot of watts. The spike in the Dec/Jan timeframe was when our kids and their significant others were staying with us during the Holidays. Overall, we are often pushing more back in to the grid than we are taking.

 

[GoneFarrell]

I calculated my burn rate in ton-miles per gallon, gave me a bigger number. So I feel better now.

 

[AZ2Loop]

https://sharylattkisson.com/2021/03...s-motorcycle-rally-as-a-super-spreader-event/

Well, Sturgis was previously a super spreader event, so that lends credibility to your statement.

Was it?

https://patriotpost.us/articles/82171-the-sturgis-super-spreader-that-wasnt-2021-08-24

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...id-19-cases-misstated-online-post/3458606001/
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/sturgis-motorcycle-rally-covid/
Studies and opinions are all over the board on that one. They vary from as few as 260 cases linked to Sturgis, to a quarter of a million cases. I'm not sure I would say it was a super spreader event at all, and certainly would not state it as a matter of fact.

I'm not sure what this has to do with the thread topic, but since we were going down the road to Sturgis, I though some clarification was needed.

 

[BandB]

https://sharylattkisson.com/2021/03...s-motorcycle-rally-as-a-super-spreader-event/
Was it?

https://patriotpost.us/articles/82171-the-sturgis-super-spreader-that-wasnt-2021-08-24

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...id-19-cases-misstated-online-post/3458606001/
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/sturgis-motorcycle-rally-covid/
Studies and opinions are all over the board on that one. They vary from as few as 260 cases linked to Sturgis, to a quarter of a million cases. I'm not sure I would say it was a super spreader event at all, and certainly would not state it as a matter of fact.

I'm not sure what this has to do with the thread topic, but since we were going down the road to Sturgis, I though some clarification was needed.

Wifey B: I believe the 414 cases is likely about on target for direct cases, which with 290 returning home to other states, led to an unknown number of cases in those 12 states. As we don't have contact tracing, I don't buy the wild modeling either. However, I do believe those led to some high incidences. Nothing like the initial Boston medical conference or the Tulsa rally. Still though a lot of people gathering and at least 414, a small percentage, returning home to spread to others. Maybe a moderately super spreader or a mini or a pseudo super spreader or some other name. Not as bad as it could have been but still many cases. Not nearly as frightening to me, however, as 90,000 at a football game or 20,000 at a basketball game or 15,000 at a concert.

We got there from RV's to Motorcycles or something and South Dakota roads crowded. Now when does it become cost prohibitive? Sometime. In the Future. Then.

 

[lwarden]

Boy, this is some serious thread drift here...

 

[kthoennes]

Yep, as you can imagine I have some strong opinions on that topic but I wasn't going to go down that detour. Just trying to make a case for continued red hot recreational activity and boat and rec vehicle markets.

 

[slowgoesit]

A local car dealership is expanding its boat sales division as fast as it can -- here on the prairie, just about as far from salt water as you can possibly get on North America -- and they're posting absurdly expensive listings for little open boats like this:

https://www.verneidemarine.com/Pre-...NC-Boat-ZX5-575hp-Tige-Surf-11700920?ref=list

And that's used, not new. Still a red hot market from my perspective, limited as my perspective may be.

Perhaps they need to proof read their ads a little. That 25 foot long boat has "Seating for 19!"

 

[BandB]

Perhaps they need to proof read their ads a little. That 25 foot long boat has "Seating for 19!"

Unfortunately, on a Sunday or holiday, you'll see it out on the lake with 19 on board.

 

[kthoennes]

Unfortunately, on a Sunday or holiday, you'll see it out on the lake with 19 on board.

That is definitely true. Our slip is in the perfect location to have lunch on the aft deck while watching the weekend warriors launch their boats from a public ramp. It's shocking how badly they'll overload boats. Pontoons especially, they'll pack so many people on board that the tops of the pontoon cylinders are awash.

 

[Art]

That is definitely true. Our slip is in the perfect location to have lunch on the aft deck while watching the weekend warriors launch their boats from a public ramp. It's shocking how badly they'll overload boats. Pontoons especially, they'll pack so many people on board that the tops of the pontoon cylinders are awash.

Talking about pontoons... no limit to young boys looken fer luv! :lol:

 

[Nick14]

I didn't know that so much of the world's supply of diesel fuel (either finished diesel, or the oil that's refined into it) came from Russia:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/31/business/economy/diesel-economy-russia-ukraine.html

 

[GoneFarrell]

If you think boat diesel is expensive, check this out!
Last Saturday in Furnace Creek, Death Valley, CA

 

[NEtrawler58]

Yes, but if you are in a place called Death Valley, maybe fuel prices are less concerning! lol

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Yes, but if you are in a place called Death Valley, maybe fuel prices are less concerning! lol

True, snakes....

 

[KnotYet]

If you think boat diesel is expensive, check this out!
Last Saturday in Furnace Creek, Death Valley, CA

I was there last week in the '63 Landcruiser but managed to avoid their prices
by refueling at Stovepipe Wells for a modest 6.79/Gal.

 

[GoneFarrell]

We were at Panamint Springs, only $6.49 per gallon!

 

[KnotYet]

We were at Panamint Springs, only $6.49 per gallon!

Nice! Pretty fair, all things considered.

 

[Adopo]

Nice! Pretty fair, all things considered.

Considering things...plenty of signs where I come from that ask "Do you miss me yet?"

 

[GoneFarrell]

Nice! Pretty fair, all things considered.

Ya know, I think I may have seen your rig there in Stove pipe. We stopped there almost every afternoon to sit in the rocking chairs and guzzle down a beer.

 

[KnotYet]

Ya know, I think I may have seen your rig there in Stove pipe. We stopped there almost every afternoon to sit in the rocking chairs and guzzle down a beer.

You did see it if it looked like this:

 

[Simi 60]

You did see it if it looked like this:

I learnt to drive and did the test in an FJ40
A bit of a workout to reverse park with big tyres and no power steer.

 

[KnotYet]

I learnt to drive and did the test in an FJ40
A bit of a workout to reverse park with big tyres and no power steer.

When I got it this one it was almost undriveable before I added power steering.
When these tires wear out I'll put on some narrower tread ones for sure.