How Many Boat Clubs Are There
During our research, weve come across many reputable boat clubs. There are hundreds of boat clubs across the country serving major lakes, river systems, and oceanside communities. Between local and international options, there are plenty of boat clubs to choose from.
Some of the larger and more well-known boat clubs, such as Freedom Boat Club, have hundreds of locations that can be accessed with a club membership.
If you travel often, you may consider joining a club with multiple locations in order to get the most out of your membership fee.
What Is The Difference In Pricing
Both Carefree and Freedom Boat Clubs will have pricing that varies based on location.
They can agree that larger metropolitan areas will have more expensive one-time initial fees and monthly membership fees. This is because dock slips are at a premium in these busy marinas, and companies can command top dollar for this precious space.
Many cities are not forthcoming with the rates you can expect for membership.
This is in part due to the fact that both companies offer multiple types of membership.
For example, Freedom Boat Club offers five different membership levels:
- Three-month seasonal membership
- Weekend-only membership
- Friends and family programs
At Freedom Boat Clubs West Palm Beach location in Florida, you can expect to pay anywhere from $2,750 to $5,500 for a one-time fee. Their monthly rates are a little more affordable with prices ranging from $149 to $299.
You can see some price examples on membership costs from various boat clubs in our article here.
Carefree Boat Club also has an initial fee that can vary.
However, they do offer an affordable solution for members who want to enjoy boating without the commitment of owning their own ship. You can join for as low as $300 per month at their Clinton, Connecticut location.
One of the benefits of the Carefree Boat Club is that you arent locked into lengthy contracts.
You can sign up for as little as a single year instead of being stuck long-term contracts.
The same policy applies to the Freedom Boat Club.
Is Freedom Boat Club A Good Deal Vs Buying A Boat
A boat club is always a good deal when you need to enjoy boating without the hassle of paying for insurance and maintaining your boat. It is estimated that up to 142 million Americans went boating in 2016, and you may have been one of them.
While boating is a great hobby, buying a boat and taking care of it doesnt come cheap. When you join a club membership, you enjoy the following benefits:
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How Much Does A Carefree Boat Club Membership Cost
The cost of a Carefree Boat Club membership will greatly depend upon the type of membership you sign up for and the location you sign up at. From what we researched, the average one-time initiation fee is about $5,500 to $3,500 and the monthly dues for the highest tiered membership will cost close to $350 per month, on average, to remain active at the club. Some lower-tiered memberships, however, could be as little as $175 a month. These memberships, unlike the full membership, would only allow you to reserve a boat on a weekday only, for example.
The official company says the costs will depend on the location, local costs, fleet, the membership options and the availability of the membership.
This Boating Magazine article talked about one couple who resided in Maryland, and at their local location, they paid $315 a month, plus fuel, to boat at one of the four waterways available.
One entry on RipoffReport.com claimed they paid $3,500 to join the club and another $350 a month to remain active.
According to one Yelp review for the Washington, D.C. location, a member said his final costs were $385 a month and $2,490 to join.
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What Is Freedom Boat Club
Freedom Boat Club is the largest membership boat club with over 30 years of experience. With over 250+ locations, members will enjoy reciprocal access in the U.S Canada and France. One of the perks to joining a boat club like Freedom vs. ownership is the club takes care of the maintenance, cleaning, insurance and storage.
Freedom Boat Clubs fleets vary by location but generally include bowriders pontoons, offshore/inshore fishing boats deck boats and wake boats.
Finally, besides having your pick of boats that fit your needs for the day Freedom offers 1-on-1 training by licensed captains and includes insurance coverage of liability for hull and machinery.
Freedom Boat Club Lends Boats Without Hassle
Want a boat without the headache of actually owning a boat? You know, cleaning it, fixing it, figuring out where to dock and store it.
Renting a boat for a day isnt really an option around Cleveland. But the Lake Erie Freedom Boat Club is sort of a boat library. For a $5,500 initiation fee and $259 a month, you can make up to four reservations , to check out a power boat for any day between April and the end of October. You can also borrow a boat from any of 148 locations across the United States and Canada.
Were hassle-free boating, said club owner Beckett Spreng.
Nationally, the Freedom Boat Club started in Florida in 1989.
The Sprengs opened the Lake Erie franchise in 2009, with four boats. Now the club has 185 members and 20 boats, all three years old or newer, 22-28 feet long.
The Lake Erie fleet which is spread among Catawba, Huron and the Emerald Necklace Marina in the Rocky River Reservations includes bowriders, deck boats, single- and double-consoles and tri-toons. No jet skis, though, and no tubes, water skis or other toys.
The club plans to add boats at a downtown Cleveland location next year.
The resurgence of downtown has really helped, Spreng said. People want to be out on the lake.
Members like to take boats to the Flats for lunch or to Edgewater beach to listen to live concerts on Thursday nights, she said.
The club provides life jackets, plus unlimited training on skills such as docking and navigation.
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Members Gain Access To A Fleet Of Boats
Freedom Boat Clubs concept allows members to gain access to a fleet of boats such as fishing boats, deck boats, cruisers, and bowriders. Members have the opportunity to choose any boat every time they go on the water.
The club also conducts on-the-water boat safety classes for its members. This way, everyone will feel comfortable and safe, especially the new and young ones. The notable young FBC members include Elene Pilpani, Esther Ng, and Prisha Khatwani.
Pelican Isle Yacht Club
Pelican Isle Yacht Club is recognized as one of the premier private yacht clubs in Naples. The club focuses on providing an exclusive feel while still remaining friendly and helpful.
Certified as a Clean Marina by the state of Florida, this club is designed for those who want all the benefits a club can offer.
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Were Proud To Be Part Of The Brunswick Family
As part of the Brunswick Family, Freedom Boat Club franchisees have access to an extensive portfolio of brands and services offered through Brunswick Boat Group, Mercury Propulsion, Mercury Parts & Accessories, and Brunswick Boating Services. Partnering with Brunswick is partnering with the Worlds Largest Marine Parts & Accessories Portfolio, World Leader in Marine Propulsion Systems and Worlds Largest Manufacturer of Recreational Boats with the Most Recognized Boat Brands.
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How Do I Cancel My Freedom Boat Club Membership
To cancel your membership, all that is required from most of the club locations is receipt of a written notice at least 60-days in advance of your requested cancellation date. Be sure to check with your local club to confirm the specific advance notice requirement, as a few clubs may require longer lead times.
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What Does It Cost To Join
The cost of membership is a very important consideration as you begin your research on boat clubs. Were consumers too, so we know that you want to be as thorough as possible when analyzing all the options.
It is important to understand that boat club pricing is not a standardized one-stop shop from coast to coast. In this article, we explain why, and look at the variables involved.
What Are The Terms Of Service
Freedom Boat Clubs terms of service include an automatic renewal of your subscription including the collection of annual or monthly fees. To cancel a subscription, youll need to submit the cancellation in writing to Freedom Boat Club.
Furthermore, this organization has the right to change payment terms and fees with at least 30 days of prior written notice. At that point, you have up to 30 days to cancel your membership if you do not wish to pay the new terms of service.
This boat club also reserves the right to change or replace any portion of the terms of service. Members will need to pay close attention to the terms of service in case any changes are made in the future.
Now that we better understand the costs of a membership plan and the terms of service, its time to learn how Freedom Boat Club members can cancel their membership and quit the organization.
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Can I Use My Freedom Boat Club Membership At Other Locations
You may be able to use your Freedom Boat Club membership to reserve boats and attend social events at other Freedom Boat Club locations.
However, if this is something you anticipate doing, youll need to make sure that your monthly membership is a reciprocal membership. Reciprocal memberships allow you to make use of the fleets across all Freedom Boat Clubs in the U.S. and Canada, as well as French locations.
If youre interested in more flexible and inclusive membership options, you should ask your local Freedom Boat Club if they have reciprocal membership packages available.
The Port & Starboard Option: Our Newly Designed Boating Plan
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Higher Accessibility Rates & Lower Prices just in time for Summer. Weve created two boating groups to alleviate accessibility issues and cut down on wait times while also providing a higher quality product for our members. Group Port can make a planned reservation on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays while group Starboard can make planned reservations on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
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Members get 6 Planned reservations on any day regardless of boating plan
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Usage at any of our 31+ locations across the Greater Tampa Bay area along with the choice of over 550 vessels
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Unlimited Day Of boating. You can still take a boat out on ANY day, just call your desired dock or book online
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Access to a fleet of exclusive Luxury vessels
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4 Rolling reservations.
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Can I Cancel My Freedom Boat Club Membership
You can cancel your Freedom Boat Club membership for any reason, so you dont need to meet any specific criteria in order to cancel.
However, the vast majority of Freedom Boat Club branches require written notice of cancellation at least 2 months prior to ceasing payments.
Depending on your location, this notice period may be shorter or longer, but 60 days is the norm for most Clubs.
Regardless of the specific length of the notice period, the takeaway here is that while you can absolutely cancel your Freedom Boat Club membership, you cant do so on the spur of the moment.
What Is The Best Type Of Anchor For My Boat
We get asked that question a lot, and the answer is often more than one anchor, of different types. The type of bottommud, grass, sand or rockwill dictate different choices of anchors, as will the size and windage of the boat, the wind conditions and the sea state.
Rocna Anchors stand out for their holding power, setting ability and ease of use.
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What Are The Advantages
If you missed it in the paragraph above, the most important advantage of the boat club is that the club maintains the fleet of boats. Yes, you heard that right! As a club member, all you have to do is reserve your boat, show up, and have fun. Members can enjoy the boating life completely worry free. Maintenance, cleaning, storage, insurance, slip fees, etc these responsibilities and more fall on the club owners. The members dont have to worry about any of that. Hows that for carefree?
Another huge advantage of the boat club is that insurance and liability are handled by the club. Training is provided by the club, both group training and on-the-water training. For an individual or family that may be new to boating, this is invaluable.
With all the advantages, though, the most important thing about boat club membership is that you can enjoy EVERYTHING that boating has to offer, with NO WORRIES about any of the expensive, boring things that come with owning a boat.
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Which Club Has More Locations
One of the major differences between the Freedom and Carefree Boat Clubs is their variety of locations. When you sign up for a membership with either of these boat clubs, you gain access to the fleets at every location.
This can be an excellent way to spend a vacation out on the water in a different locale.
Choosing the boat club with the most locations gives you the ultimate flexibility regarding where you can travel with access to the water.
Freedom Boat Club has been well established for many years and boasts more than 190 different locations. They cover more than thirty states and Canada.
More than 20,000 members have already signed up for their extensive offering.
However, they still manage to boast impressive success rates for the reservation of their ships.
Carefree Boat Club definitely comes in second when it comes to locations. Throughout the United States and Canada, they have just 77 unique locations.
Here are a few more statistics that you might want to consider before deciding to sign up with Carefree:
- 39,000 boat trips
- 3,300 members
- 530 boats
While they may not have the same breadth as Freedom Boat Club, they still have many members across the country who are successfully sailing on their fleet.
Because of their low numbers, they can offer more personalized services, as you can see in the section below.
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Stowage In Roller And Lockers
Plow and scoop anchors have curved shanks that self-launch much more easily on your bow roller, and are the most common choice if youre using a windlass and want remote-control operation.
Scope: The ratio of the rode length to the height is critical for safe anchoring. More scope is generally better. This example shows about a 4:1 scope.
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Dana Landing Marina On Mission Bay
FISHING:
Mission Bay provides anglers an extremely diverse year-round fishery. The bay is generally shallow, with the max depth in most areas of the bay being only 12 feet with slow sloping sand bottoms. Some areas, including the Mission Bay Channel, Mariners Basin and Quivera Basin have a max-depth of 20 feet. The majority of the shoreline is sand, but there are several areas that are lined with rocks. There is roughly 27 miles of shoreline along Mission Bay, with 19 miles of that being comprised of sand.
We Take Care of It AllIncluding the Boats
Pay a 1x Entry Fee and Monthly Dues
Get Unlimited Training from Licensed Captains
Your safety is our No. 1 concern. So we give all our members unlimited training with certified captains. And if you wish to boat in a new location, theyll show you the waterways.
Take Any Boat Out as Often as You Wish
- Worlds oldest and largest membership boat club with over 30 years of experience
- Reciprocal access to 300+ Locations in the US, Canada and Europe
- We take care of the maintenance, cleaning, repair, insurance and storage
- Fleet includes bowriders, pontoons, offshore/inshore fishing boats , deck boats and wake boats
- Insurance coverage of liability, hull and machinery
- 1-on-1 training by licensed captains
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Do I Need To Carry Insurance
Do you have to pay additional fees for insurance with a membership through Carefree Boat Club or Freedom Boat Club? You may be worried about the potential cost of adding insurance to an already pricey membership fee.
Fortunately, you do not have to worry about adding this security policy to your monthly fee.
Carefree Boat Club maintains insurance that will cover all of the boats in their fleet, as well as third-party liability. However, you will be responsible for covering the deductible on this insurance policy if you cause damage to the boat.
Freedom Boat Club also boasts an impressive insurance policy that would be equal to the coverage you would have if you had purchased a boat.
You are listed as a permissive operator under the physical damage policy and protected by a $1,000,000 watercraft liability policy.
This additional protection offers you some security from third-party claims made while you are operating one of the boats from the fleet. Participating in watersports like tubing or wakeboarding may increase your chances of third-party claims, so this can help to put your mind at ease.
You can rest easy knowing that you have some protection from major damages and accidents when you sign up under either of these major boat clubs.
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