Many people who were planning to take their boats out this holiday weekend will remain docked simply because they can?t afford to fill up their gas tanks.

Boaters say they may even remain docked for the majority of the summer. With gas prices averaging around $4.45 a gallon, it costs many boaters more than $1,000 to fill their tanks.

Some families are altering their vacation plans, traveling in vehicles other than their boats. Others have decided to sell their boats. Oil prices have hit record highs recently, and with predictions that costs could rise again, some people don?t feel like waiting to see if prices will ever fall. As of Thursday, a middle-grade fill-up at the Tarrytown Marina cost $4.94 a gallon.

Max Madler bought a 17-foot boat last month. He plans on taking it out, but explains that he must cut back in other areas of his life to do so.

?I work in Manhattan, so just the cost of lunch every day is pretty expensive,? he says. ?So I?m taking stuff from home. Doing the little things that you can do. Maybe walking to the train station rather than driving.?

People who used to routinely fill their tanks up now request smaller amounts at a time, such as $200 worth of gas per visit. But die-hard boaters say they?ll continue to hit the waters, regardless of the cost.