Yes, but so is spending $3,000 less on the motor in the first place. When I said that they wouldn't save; I meant that after taking both the price of the motor and the price of gas into consideration they won't come out ahead.
I figure that I spent at most $500-$600 a year to put gas in my 55hp 2 stroke. If I take interest and time value to money into consideration; a four stroke would never save enough on gas to compensate for the extra three grand on the initial purchase. Someone who's running their boat eight hours a day for a hundred days a year will probably save with a four stroke; I think the average fisherman will save with a 2 stroke.