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DEXTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. — <\/span>On the kind of warm, bright afternoon that Michigan boaters wait all year for, Malik Amine and his brother readied their family\u2019s pontoon boat for the summer.<\/p>\n The cover was off and Portage Lake sparkled in the sun. But before the brothers could leave a narrow wooden dock, they had a decision to make: how much gasoline to put in the pontoon\u2019s 52-gallon engine.<\/p>\n Recreational boaters, like motorists, are feeling a pinch<\/a> from the Iran war<\/a>. U.S. gas prices have come down in recent weeks, but a gallon of regular gas<\/a> still cost an average of 34% more Friday than it did a year earlier, according to motor club AAA. The price of diesel fuel<\/a>, which is also used by some boaters, is up 53% from last year.<\/p>\n Ethanol-free gas, which many boaters, classic car owners and lawn mower users prefer, is anywhere from 20 cents to $1 per gallon more than regular fuel, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores, which also represents fuel retailers.<\/p>\n One gas station near Portage Lake<\/a>, which is 60 miles west of Detroit, is selling ethanol-free fuel for $7 per gallon. Amine said he didn’t plan to fill the boat’s tank ahead of Memorial Day weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cThe cost is going to be a lot more than it was last year,\u201d Amine said. \u201cI think it\u2019s probably a little bit smarter to do what you need and fill it as much as you need, because who knows when this conflict\u2019s going to end.”<\/p>\n The National Marine Manufacturers Association estimates that 100 million Americans go boating each year, contributing to an industry worth $230 billion annually. The trade group, which represents companies that make boats, marine engines, boating equipment and accessories, said its conversations with boaters indicate that most still plan to head out on the water this year, but in some cases, gas prices are curtailing their plans<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were a number of people within that who said, \u2018I am going to have to change my behavior\u2019,\u201d said Ellen Bradley, the association\u2019s chief brand officer. \u201cI may not go as far. I may not as fast. I may spend more time anchored and swimming. I may spend more time at the dock.\u201d<\/p>\n Neil and Kathleen Donohoe sold their home in Colorado and now live aboard a 50-foot, diesel-powered boat dubbed the Granuaile, which is the Gaelic name of Grace O’Malley, a 16th century sea captain known as Ireland’s<\/a> pirate queen. They\u2019ve spent the last seven years cruising up and down the East Coast and to the Bahamas<\/a>.<\/p>\n Maintenance on the boat \u2013 not fuel \u2013 is typically their greatest expense, Neil Donohoe said. But lately, the cost to fill up the boat \u2014 which can hold 1,500 gallons \u2014 is eye-popping. They talk to other boaters and use various marine apps to find the cheapest gas<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not driving us not to cruise, but it\u2019s making a difference,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n This summer, the couple plan to stick around the Chesapeake Bay<\/a> area instead of heading further north. They\u2019ve already been to Maine and to Canada, they reasoned, and they don’t feel the urge to go again while gas prices are so high.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems a little gross to spend that kind of money when so many people are struggling,\u201d Kathleen Donohoe said.<\/p>\n