Jeff Hines said he usually motors his 41-foot Sea Ray to Newport or Block Island in the summer.

This year, he instead opted to take the Block Island Ferry to cut fuel and mooring costs.

The Springfield, Mass. resident lives on his boat between April and December, but uses a 17-foot Regal powerboat that requires less gas for fishing.

As the summer comes to a close, Hines was not the only boater who made some changes in light of high fuel prices.

National news reports have described a slow 2008 season for recreation industries like boating. But representatives from local boat yards, marinas and yacht clubs, said the situation in this area varied by location.

Based out of Viking Marina on Margin Street in Westerly, Hines said he did not see as many boats on the water this summer with the “sky high” gas prices.

“Boats that normally go in the water didn’t go in this year,” he said.

Regular fuel costs on local waters were described as ranging from $4.15 to $4.25 to $4.48 to $4.70 per gallon.

Or, he added, “A lot of the big boats, people just used them like hotels.”

Hines said larger boats that went out would go only as far as the Kitchen, located off Napatree Point in Watch Hill.

Fred Koury, steward at the Westerly Yacht Club, said he, too, saw boaters take fewer trips this summer, choosing instead to sit on their moored vessels.

“They never took it out as often or as far,” he said.

Koury said he also noticed a lot of people opted to downsize their boats, in many cases because of fuel prices.

The biggest change this summer: the number of people selling their boats for smaller than desired prices, he said. Drive around any of the local, coastal towns, and boats marked with for sale signs can easily be spotted.

Koury said the yacht club will always have a full membership, but it saw some people cancel to cut back on extra spending. Scaled back weddings, receptions and other parties are also being held at the Watch Hill Road club, with some couples instead opting to marry on the beach.

In slight contrast, Laura Twing, the office manager at the Watch Hill Boat Yard on Pasadena Avenue, said the summer was a “little bit quieter” in terms of large boats. But she said they saw no changes in the number of fishing and sailboats.

“It hasn’t been too, too different this year,” she said.

In Pawcatuck, business has been steady and better than expected this summer at Norwest Marine, said Dean Bingaman, general manager of the River Road boatyard, repair and parts supply.

“And we’re grateful for that,” he said.

Bingaman said they have been a “little slow” in gas usage, but business has been good overall.

“We expected more of a downturn,” he said.

However, he added, Norwest’s boat sales, which are conducted in Norwalk, have been “really poor” this summer.

Brokerage operations have been down, too, at Dodson Boatyard in Stonington.

General Manager Dann Lockwood, however, said he was more worried about the forecast weather this holiday weekend.

He said they have been “very busy” with dock activity this summer and an increase in labor and storage sign-ups for this winter. The boatyard’s 115 moorings and 40 slips were filled mostly with sailboats.

Boatyard management did put up a sign indicating that in light of the current “volatile” fuel cost environment, all fuel sales are cash on delivery. Lockwood said the sign is new this summer to help with the acquisition process, because they must pay up front for delivered fuel.

Mike Lanphere, senior rigger at the boatyard, said he saw recreational powerboats hit area waters much later this season, not until the last week in July.

“People kind of caved in August, (saying) ‘I have the boat, I might as well use it,’” he said.

edupuis@thewesterlysun.com