Posted: Sat, 2 Jun 2012 08:47 AM - 15,298 Readers

By: Ignacio Garcia

Last weekend business was so good for some Lake Travis businesses they almost ran low on food and boat fuel. This weekend, good weather coupled with school out for summer will likely mark the beginning of a strong summer season everyone here has been waiting for.

Marty Urwin and his friends have two water crafts and a boat to fuel feed this weekend. "On gas alone to fill these up costs you about $50 or $60, to fill the boat up, it will be about three times that," he said.

Tom Hofmeister just pumped $260 in his bow rider, but how long with this fuel go? "That will last me the better side of the weekend, into the weekend and maybe a day or so into the week," he said.

Fuel suppliers say a busy lake with fuel-hungry boaters are expected, just like last weekend. But while boaters are beginning to come out in droves, only about half the fuel pumps will be operating out here on Lake Travis.

" We had them lined up as far as you can see at some points during the day," said Bill Gauspohl, general manager of VIP Marina. "People were asking for gas, there's several marinas that unfortunately cannot supply gas because of our water conditions."

The low water levels have kept land-based gas stations out of reach and that's been great news for floating gas stations, who have already seen a significant increase in gas sales from last year.

Eric VonWitbeck, general manager of The Gnarly Gar, said sales are already up 25 percent from last year. "We're planning on being very busy, we've already seen an increase in our fuel sales  so were planning to get more fuel than we ever had before," he said.

With fuel prices on the water going for $4.39 a gallon on up, consider it the cost of having fun.

*  Story Contributed by: Ignacio Garcia