"Nobody is getting out of boating, but everybody is changing their habits," says Scott Croft, with the Boat Owners Association of the United States. He says, due to the cost of fuel, people will be throttling back on their activities.

"Shorter trips and fewer trips," Croft tells WSB. "Instead of going for a week, you'll go for a long weekend. You won't go as far, or make that trip to the other side of the lake."

Boaters who keep their crafts on the lake use marinas to fill up. The price of gas there can run as much as a dollar a gallon more than at nearby service station. But even that will not be enough to deter boaters.

"It's a lifestyle," Croft says. "You do it every weekend. You're just going to find a way to do it cheaper."

So some people have turned to "boat-pooling," splitting the time on the water between two or more boats.

"Especially those people who go out 30 or 40 miles off shore to fish," Croft says. "What people will do is say 'Hey. You take me fishing today and I'll take you fishing tomorrow,' this way both boats don't get run both days."

While boaters may be scaling back their water activities, marina operators are keeping an anxious eye on fuel costs.

Lakeside restaurants and other businesses along Lake Lanier, Lake Allatoona and West Point Lake rely on the boaters to survive. One marina operator expects a bad summer, as boaters stay home, and docks go unrented.