Ind. marinas see signs of improving economy

Associated Press

PORTAGE, Ind. — Indiana marinas along Lake Michigan are seeing some improvements in occupancy rates as summer approaches but say cost-conscious boaters are still watching their pennies closely.

In Porter County, the Portage Public Marina is already at full capacity. The Hammond Marina, which has 916 slips available for rent, expects half of those to be occupied this season, which is on target to raise the $1.2 million in income the marina budgeted for this year. Others say they’re expecting occupancy rates of 75 percent to 90 percent.

Those are improvements from the lean years of the recession, when the Washington Park Marina in Michigan City saw the number of open slips rise from 12 to 15 to as many as 60 each year, Michigan City Port Authority Harbormaster Tim Frame told The Times in Munster (http://bit.ly/LYuyhn ).

“We’ll recover some of that, especially once it’s turning warm and nice,” Frame said.

But that doesn’t mean boat owners are feeling flush with cash. Though the sticker shock of $4-per-gallon gas prices has worn off for most, boaters on a budget are still looking for ways to reduce expenses.

Some are using their craft more as summer cottages and less as vehicles to travel around the lake, Frame noted.

“We don’t see as many people moving around, like taking a trip by boat up Lake Michigan,” Frame said. “They will buy a boat and tie it in a slip here, and some of them never go anywhere. They come down for the weekend, hang out on the boat and then leave Sunday afternoon. It’s like a little floating condo.”

Many boaters are turning instead to smaller craft that are easier to tow and use less gasoline.

Hammond Port Authority Director Milan Kruszynski said he has seen an increase in boaters paying for a daily launch fee and taking jet skis and jet boats out for the day.

“It’s something people can tow behind an SUV and something they can put in water on a Saturday morning and pull out on a Saturday evening,” Kruszynski said.

Most marinas won’t be 100 percent full, but that’s typical. The facilities generally keep some slips open for transient boaters who pay daily or weekly rates.