But with the onset of $4-a-gallon gasoline, Jarrell, a construction contractor who lives near Asheboro, is content with his 25-foot Cobia -- which comes with a 140-gallon fuel tank.

"We'll run through 25 gallons just piddling today," Jarrell said Saturday morning shortly before he and his family -- wife, daughter, son-in-law and 3-year-old granddaughter -- set out on Jordan Lake. "It hurts."

That adds up to around $100 in gas for the day -- and that's just for the boat. The cost of towing it to and from his home in Randleman with his Ford F-250 truck, Jarrell estimates, tacks on $60 more.

That's why Jarrell is taking his boat out less than in the past -- about a third less, by his account. Last summer he went boating just about every weekend, weather permitting.

"This year, we pick the very best weekends," he said.

The Fourth of July weekend is prime time for boating and the activities that go with it, such as tubing and water-skiing. But many boaters who were hoisting anchors at Jordan Lake on Saturday said the the double whammy of filling two gas tanks -- the boat and the SUV or truck to tow it -- is taking a toll on their wallets.

Liz Vought, an occupational therapist who lives in Cary, said of the 22-and-a-half-foot Crownline boat that she and her husband, Ralph, cruise around in: "I would love to get rid of it right now. But who's going to buy it?"

Others who said they weren't cutting back on their outings are still frustrated by the higher price.

"It's no fun at all," said Jim Fletcher, 54, of Apex. "It's one of those thing that you have to live with."

Fletcher -- who was enjoying the day with his wife, their two children and a neighbor's child -- likes to take their 22-foot boat out weekly.

"Generally, we always bring somebody with us," he said. "It's a good social outing."

This weekend John Campbell of Durham and his family made their maiden voyage in their 28-foot cruiser. Campbell, a human resources executive at pharmaceutical services company Quintiles Transnational, paid $22,500 for the 14-year-old boat.

Campbell, his wife Melody and their four children were hanging out with about a dozen friends with similar-sized boats. They call themselves the Redneck Yacht Club.

"Right now, I'm still ready to pay the price, and it doesn't cause me too much heartburn," Campbell said.

Still, this summer the Campbell family probably won't attend a festival at Kerr Lake as they have in the past. Campbell estimates it would cost about $100 to tow their boat there.

"Rather than spend all that money, we'll spend the weekend here," said Campbell, who stores his boat a few miles from Jordan Lake.

Likewise, Ronnie and Elena Lowrey of Apex -- who were out on their pontoon boat with their life-jacket-wearing dogs, Twinkie and Q-Tip -- were thoroughly enjoying themselves, despite the rising costs of owning a boat.

"If I went shopping this weekend," Ronnie Lowrey joked, "I'd end up spending $200 -- buying stuff for the boat."