While the cost of boats is rising, as is the cost of fuel, there still seem to be just as many boaters who want to take advantage of the water this summer.
Claude Morand and Yves Carpentier are two fishing enthusiasts. They are impatiently waiting for their boats to be launched at the Trois-Rivières Marina.
“We’re putting it in the water this week!” exclaims Claude Morand, who bought a new fishing boat this year. “I went all out this year!” he adds with a laugh. For Yves Carpentier, it was the purchase of a new engine, at a cost of around $25,000: “I have a very, very modest lifestyle, but for the boat, it’s different.”
Whether at the Trois-Rivières or Grand-mère Marina, the traffic is there.
“I’ll tell you we’re almost full. I have two or three docks left to rent and we are talking about 30-foot boats. The 40-45 foot boats, I couldn’t find a location for that,” explains general manager Mario Cloutier.
The port agent at the Grand-Mère Marina Louis Maître has the same observation: 93% of his sites have found takers for the summer. The rest will be intended to accommodate passing tourists. “Our prices at the marina have been the same for several years. It’s the price of gasoline that will vary.”
Anchoring or going less distance are among the options for boaters who want to pay less for gas. The price of new boats has increased.
“A beautiful boat for traveling on the water, I would tell you that below $25,000 in new ones, there is almost nothing,” explains the director at Maximum Aventure Jean-François Houle.
He notes that consumers are turning to used or rental. “There are people who say: I had boats for 20 years. I decide to rent. I’m having a great day. Yes, it costs me $400 or $500, but it doesn’t matter, it’s a lot cheaper than maintaining a boat.”
Boats without a motor, however, offer certain discounts. “Since the pandemic, the cost of boats, particularly paddle boards, has decreased significantly” reveals Philippe Roy, operations manager at Maïkan Aventure. But since many have equipped themselves with these boards or kayaks, some rental companies are using strategies to attract new customers.
This is the case of the company Escapade Mauricie, which rents boats in Ste-Geneviève-de-Bastican. “We offer a $100 card that allows people to travel all summer, unlimited. So, a day can cost $50 for one person, so we decided to go with a slightly more accessible strategy, because we see that it’s an issue.” specifies general manager Simon Leblanc.
