It’s Boating Season, But Only If You Can Afford Fuel

Off the southern shores of Louisiana’s Bayou Country, where the Mississippi River turns brackish as it spills into the Gulf, Khristian Rousseve has been easing the throttle on his twin-engine, 27-foot Blazer 2700 Hybrid Bay to make his fuel last longer. The souped-up fishing rig holds 110 gallons of gasoline, an outlay of just over $300 at the start of this year. Since the US and Israel began a war against Iran, rattling global energy markets, a refuel costs as much as $425. “Right now, I’m kind of at my max,” says Rousseve, 23. “It’s one day at a time, and save as much money as possible.”

Since late February, the war has driven up prices of gasoline for commuters, diesel for truckers and jet fuel for airlines, triggering so-called demand destruction and threatening the affordability of goods and services across the board. Recreational boating doesn’t get as much attention, but as a distant conflict pushes the average gallon of gas past $4 and diesel uncomfortably close to $6, an industry built on big, fuel-hungry engines is being squeezed. And that squeeze will quickly ripple through waterside economies once the summer boating season gets underway—or doesn’t.