With around 108,000 registered boats in a state that is home to 3.6 million people – about one boat for every 33 residents – getting out on the water is broadly popular in Connecticut. No question, keeping this New England state’s boating appetite sated takes a lot of energy, and not just for filling gas tanks. Today’s natural gas and oil move us, but they also make summer recreation, including boating, better.
From electricity (in Connecticut nearly 49 percent came from natural gas-powered generation in 2016) for manufacturing to petroleum for materials and gasoline for engines, energy is both the glue and the driver of summer’s maritime adventures. Even the transportation of boats to sellers, homes and marinas, typically on trucks and trains, depends on traditional fossil fuels.
From Bow to Stern
Most boats, from traditionally self-propelled canoes and kayaks to sailboats and motorboats, use a wide variety of energy-based materials for both superstructure construction and ancillary components. For example, light and durable fiberglass is popular for use as the hull of recreational boats, including sailboats, motorboats and fishing boats. It is a material that depends on energy for both its manufacture and its composition, as it typically uses petroleum-based polymers and other plastics as binding agents.
Fiberglass is not the only petroleum-based polyurethane product found on boats. Marine and spray foam insulations are used in a variety of ways, including seating, climate control, engine insulation and to aid in keeping boats afloat. And those are just the pieces attached to the boats, as there are plenty of other items related to boating that also depending energy for their manufacture. Life vests, which keep you buoyant if you go overboard, depend on petroleum for several aspects of their construction. This includes a polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene closed-cell foam core that does not become weighted or saturated by water, allowing it to retain its ability to float. They also typically use petroleum-based vinyl and nylon as a cover fabric and belting, respectively. Additionally, sunglasses – with lens made of plastic, which is petroleum derived, or glass – help keep the glare out of your eyes while on the water.
Even sailboats, which are designed to harness the power of the wind to move, depend on fossil fuels in a multitude of ways to reach their metaphorical sunset. From the aforementioned hull and insulation to their riggings and sails (and inboard engines to power them on calm weather days), sailboats, like their mast-less counterparts, depend on energy. Because unlike their wind-powered ancestors, modern sailboats benefit from the improved strength and durability of nylon and polyurethane ropes and Dacron sails, all petroleum-based products designed to last longer while providing increased ease of use.
The Power of Fuel
Before the development of the internal combustion engine in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and before that the mid-19th century’s coal-fired steam boilers, there were two ways to keep a boat moving, either with the wind in its sails or the strength of rowers’ arms. Luckily, today reliance on a strong wind and muscle stamina are not necessary to go full speed ahead; as fuel-powered marine engines, both inboard and outboard, add ease to enjoying life on the water.
Collectively, the nation’s fleet of recreational marine vehicles consumed upwards of 2.1 billion gallons of gasoline in 2015, or around 1.5 percent of the total amount of gasoline used across all of our domestic transportation sectors. A sliver of our nation’s overall energy use, yet a huge benefit both for quality of life and local economies.
An economic anchor, recreational boating in Connecticut has an economic impact of around $1.34 billion each year and helps support more than 7,000 jobs in Connecticut alone. And beyond that, nationally, it supports nearly 35,000 related businesses and 960,000 jobs and helps contribute $121.5 billion to the economy. A major stimulus that would not be possible without energy.
These financial returns largely stay in country, as recreational boats often carry the “Made in the USA” stamp. In fact, 94.9 percent of the powerboats sold in the United States are also produced in the U.S. This category of boats includes everything from speedboats and cruising boats to bass boats and other recreational boat varieties that use inboard engines.
So as hundreds of thousands of Connecticuters and millions more of their fellow Americans spend this summer boating, they and their local economies have energy to thank, for making it all possible.
By Mark Green
Originally posted July 14, 2017
Energy Tomorrow is brought to you by the American Petroleum Institute (API), which is the only national trade association that represents all aspects of America’s oil and natural gas industry. Our more than 500 corporate members, from the largest major oil company to the smallest of independents, come from all segments of the industry. They are producers, refiners, suppliers, pipeline operators and marine transporters, as well as service and supply companies that support all segments of the industry.
