What Are The Extra Costs
The fuel used to power your boat is not included in the costs. Most members have to pay anywhere between $20 and $50 per outing, depending on the current gas prices and distance traveled. As a general rule, the majority of the boats in the fleet would need three to five gallons of gasoline burned for every hour.
In case you need to transfer to another location, be prepared to pay a transfer fee that is around $550.
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Renting Vs Boat Club Member
Boat clubs are very different from rental organizations, though the two often get confused. Rental facilities dont offer the extra services of a club, they often have a very limited number of boats in just one or two different sizes and styles, and are commonly found only in tourist destinations. Rather than having a fleet of well-maintained, relatively new boats to choose from, youre likely to encounter a limited choice of boats that have been used hard and put away wet, when you opt to rent.
There are also sailing clubsbe sure to read The Benefits of Joining a Sailing Club or Organization to learn more.
Get Access To Several Boats
Buying a boat is a good idea, but the problem is, one boat cannot meet all your needs. There are days you need a fishing boat for two people and others you need a family boat. On other days, you need to hold a nautical party.
With a boat club membership, you have access to several boats to meet different needs. All you have to do is reserve the boat you need and the club will ensure you have it when you need it.
There are many more benefits to joining a boat club. Some clubs have social gatherings and parties where all members can socialize and enjoy a good time.
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What Is Included In The Boat Membership Price
This question really does depend on the specific boat club and which location is closest to you. For most of the leading boat clubs, you gain unlimited access to their entire fleet of boats across the country.
Each location will have a unique lineup, but you should have several makes and models to choose from.
The monthly fee paid toward your dues includes any insurance that you may require, safety lessons on how to use the boat properly, and slip fees.
The only thing that it does not cover is the cost of fuel.
It would be hard for a boating club to factor fuel into the monthly fees as this can vary depending on which boat you choose and how far you sail.
Many boat clubs also include complimentary access to water toys such as tubes or wakeboards. Be sure to inquire if this is something that interests you.
Are Boat Club Memberships Worth It
If you do not have a boat, yet you want to enjoy the fun that comes with sailing, you can either rent a boat or join a boat club. When you rent a boat, the cost will depend on the hours you are out with the boat. When you join a boat club, you pay a month fee and then pick a boat whenever you are available.
If you do not want to rent or join a boat club, you can buy a boat which comes with its advantages and disadvantages. Is a boat club membership worth it?
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Carefree Boat Club Membership Overview
A membership offers unlimited usage of all boats, which, depending on the location, range from 23 to 29 feet long. Most fleets include water sport boats, fishing boats, pontoons and sailboats, with most being less than three years old, but again, fleet choices will greatly depend on the location you sign up at. According to the club, there is no limit to how many times you can boat its truly unlimited, and again, depending on the exact geographical location, boats will be available year round.
All members receive free, unlimited training with a USCG certified captain, which includes navigating, docking, anchoring and safety strategies. The average training session can last up to five hours.
The company covers the insurance, boat purchase, slip fees, maintenance, repairs, taxes, towing, coverage, and winterization.
Details On The Carefree Boat Club Membership
Membership allows you to use all the boats, which can range from 23-29 feet long. Offerings include water sports boats, fishing boats, and pontoons with most being less than three years old but this will depend on where your location is so its best for you to go see what they have available before joining.
The Club claims there is no limit as to how many times one could go boating its truly limitless depending only on the availability. They also offer boats year-round, only depending on geographical location.
USCG-certified captains are available for free, unlimited training sessions. The average session lasts up to five hours and includes navigating, docking, anchoring, and safety strategies.
The company will cover all of the costs associated with boat ownership from insurance to winterization, and everything in between. This also includes boat purchase, slip fees, taxes, maintenance, or repairs.
It should only take you somewhere between five and 14 days to become an active member after applying, on average.
The entire process of reserving a boat is simple and straightforward, allowing you to make the reservation up six months in advance or on sight. You can only reserve four boats at any given time due to company policy however, there are no limits for spur-of-the-moment reservations when speaking with dock staff.
As a member, you may be able to keep a boat overnight, but usually, there are some restrictions around this.
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Benefits Of Boat Clubs
Before I introduce each club and tell you what sets them apart, I want to mention what you can expect from a boat club and what they all have in common.
Boat Clubs work by providing members access to a fleet of boats that the club maintains for a low-cost monthly fee. This model allows many people to have access to the thrill of boating without needing to own their own vessel or know someone who owns a boat. Boat clubs make boat ownership easy by taking out much of the hard work involved with getting out on the water.
Most clubs will handle fuel costs, cleaning, and yearly maintenance. As a boat club member, you also dont have to worry about extra costs like insurance or storing the boat.
Both Freedom Boat Club and Carefree Boat Club follow this model. That means you can expect a fleet of well-maintained boats ready to be reserved at each location. Each club also provides a reservation service, like an app or website, to make securing your vessel quick and easy.
Next, Ill go over what you need to know about Freedom Boat Club and Carefree Boat Club and what sets them apart.
Does Freedom Boat Club Have Sailboats And How Much Can You Use The Boats
Freedom Boat Club started in 1989, making it one of the oldest operating boat clubs in the U.S. It started in Sarasota, Florida, and then grew all over the U.S. and later in Canada and France. Today, you can access FBC in more than 210 locations.
The club has at least 2,400 boats and more than 20,000 members. Although they do not have sailboats, they offer bow riders, cruisers, fishing boats, and . Most boats are between 12 and 25 feet. You do not have to limit yourself to the same boat as you can pick any boat you like as long as you are a member.
The boat fuel is not part of the fee you pay. Before you reserve a boat, you need to consider how much fuel it will consume in the duration you will have it out in the waters.
Some clubs offers special plans that may limit when you access the boats. Some of these plans include:
Weekday-only plan
Unlimited usage
Friends and family usage plan
You will have unlimited access to the boats during the time that the boats are accessible to you. For instance, if you pick a weekend-only plan, the boat will be available to you on weekends for unlimited usage.
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Can You Share A Freedom Boat Club Membership
There is one challenge that comes with a boat club membership you may not have the time to maximize the usage of your membership. If you do not have the time to go boating for months on end, you better cancel your membership as Freedom Boat Club does not allow sharing.
You can split your membership fifty-fifty with another member if you join Carefree Boat Club. Here, you will pay the entry fee in half, the monthly fee, and the reservation plan. Once you are a member of a shared plan, you will have equal access to boat reservations as the other member.
Any of the members of shared membership can manage reservations, and they need to be in communication to make reservations easy. You should request whether the Freedom Boat Club in your area allows you to split your membership as some may allow splitting to some extent.
Once you are a member, you are allowed to bring family and friends as you see fit. If you no longer need your membership, some boat clubs allow you to sell the membership while others only accept cancellation.
For Freedom Boat Club memberships, you cannot sell the membership to any other person. You can transfer it to a new town anywhere in the U.S., Canada, or France, but you cannot sell. To cancel the membership, you need to give Freedom Boat Club a sixty-day written notice.
Freedom Boat Club Vs Carefree Boat Club
If you have any familiarity with boat clubs, chances are that you have already encountered the two most-popular boat clubs.
In this article, we compare the Freedom boat club and the Carefree boat club to see how they stack up!
Here are some numbers and facts to consider:
| Carefree Boat Club |
Heres what you need to know!
Before you decide which boat club is the right fit for you, make sure you understand what each one has to offer.
You might just find that one is a far better fit for your individual needs and desires.
These two companies feature locations at marinas across the United States and Canada. They each boast a unique set of attributes that sets them apart from one another, but they also share some important similarities.
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Freedom Boat Club Details
While paying the monthly fee, a member will have unlimited access to boating at his/her homeport location, plus four outgoings anytime throughout the year at any location. You can make an appointment 6 months in advance and have a maximum of four active reservations at a time.
Boat sizes at the Freedom Boat Club vary between 16 and 24 feet and include deck boats, kayaks, floats, pontoons, skiffs, sailboats, and bow rides, but options vary by location. Most of them are newer than three years.
You dont have to worry about cleaning, maintaining, or storing the boats as the club will do all this work on its fleet.
As a member of this club, you will be offered a two-hour training class in order to learn how to operate different boats.
It is important to know that a two million dollar insurance policy along with a $3,000 deductible is included. However, this may vary from location to location.
The opportunity to meet other members is one of many perks that come with being part of a club. The monthly dock parties are where you can find all sorts of people.
Carefree Boat Club Expands To Sea Isle
With the cost of a new Jet Ski hovering around $10,000 to $15,000 these days, some people may think twice before plunking down all of that money for some fun on the water.
Add to that an extra $1,000 to $2,000 to rent a Jet Ski slip, plus the cost of fuel, maintenance and winter storage, and youre looking at a pretty hefty outlay.
But there is a much less expensive option that gives Jet Ski and boating enthusiasts all of the thrills of being out on the water and none of the headaches of ownership.
In 2019, Carefree Boat Club opened its first franchise at the Cape May County shore in Avalon and is expanding to neighboring Sea Isle City this summer at the Sunset Pier Marina on 86th Street in Townsends Inlet.
The membership cost is nowhere near the expense of buying a boat or Jet Ski. There are no dock fees or insurance costs. No back-breaking cleaning or maintenance, either. Your boat or Jet Ski will be fueled up and ready to go before you even climb on board.
The Sea Isle operation will feature two boats ranging in size from 18 to 21 feet and two Sea-Doo Jet Skis when it opens in early May.
Carefree Boat Club will celebrate its second season in Avalon at the Commodore Bay Marina at 900 Ocean Drive starting Easter weekend. In Avalon, there will be eight boats ranging in size from 22 to 26 feet, including a new twin motor, center console 26-foot Cobia that is good for deep sea fishing.
Information is also available on Carefrees Facebook and Instagram pages at or
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How Boat Clubs Work
Dont think of this option as a boat rental club, nor as a boat share club, nor as a peer-to-peer service. Renting, sharing, and peer-to-peer are each a bit different. In this case, the way it works is the boat club itself owns and maintains a fleet of various types and sizes of boats. You pay a membership fee and monthly dues to join the club. Then the entire fleet is available to youcruisers, bowriders, fishing boats, sailboats, and more.
You can choose a center console and catch some dinner one day and then take the kids out on a watersports boat for some wakeboarding the next, so the experience is really an entire family boat club experience no matter what sort of boating one family member or another likes the most. Plus, most boat clubs maintain some form of reservation service or website so you can choose whichever boat youd like to use on a specific day, ahead of time.
Find out more about other alternatives to boat ownership, includingâ¦
Carefree Boat Club | Freedom Boat Club | SailTime | Boatsetter | Your Boat Club | Get My Boat
Carefree Boat Club Owners Increase Revenue By 28% With Paysimple
Carefree Boat Club was founded in 2002 with the goal of providing the joys of boat ownership without any of the hassle. The franchise organization operates over 90 locations globally and managers over 4,000 members. In 2016, two southwest Florida locations began using PaySimple to streamline their payments and billing processes. In return, their revenue increased by 28%
Today PaySimple supports 23 Carefree Boat Club locations nationwide.
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How Do I Join Freedom Boat Club
Joining a boat club is as simple as providing your details and then paying for the one-time fee and the monthly membership fee. If you travel a lot, you need a boat club with boats in different places around the country so that you can use your membership to the fullest.
Freedom Boat Club requires you to choose your location, give your name, and then continue to pay a one-time payment and a monthly membership fee. The one-time payment varies based on several factors and so does the monthly payment.
How much is Freedom Boat Club a month? The Freedom Boat Club one-time payment is about $5,000 . From there, you will pay a monthly fee of between $300 and $700.
It may sound like you are paying a lot to be a member, but this is more than 60% cheaper than owning your boat. Once you pay that amount, you never have to deal with boat storage, wrapping, maintenance, and towing.
The entry fee varies based on the market situation. The entry fee is also different in different locations as the market varies from one market to the next. If the boats are in a popular boating destination, you may have to pay a higher entry fee.
The boat club pays higher marina charges, including slip fees and office space than they would in other locations. If you live in a large metropolitan market, be ready to pay a higher fee.
Once you pay the needed fees, you will have unlimited access to a boat. You can book as many times as you need. However, you have to reserve a boat in time.
How Do Boat Clubs Work
Boat clubs allow members to access a boat from their fleet after paying a monthly fee. A member can reserve a boat for a specific day and time and the club will ensure they have that boat for their boating needs. The club takes care of boats maintenance and insurance, and they also teach members how to boat.
If you do not have the money to buy and maintain a boat, boat club memberships allow you inexpensive access to a boat. This comes in handy for new boaters who are not sure whether boating is the right hobby for them. Before you buy a boat that you may only use a few times every year, try joining a boat club.
If you are new to boating, the boat club offers training to start you off with boating. There are several other perks that may come with a boat club membership, including slides and skis among other water toys.
You do not have to boat alone when you can join other boaters at the club and make new friends. The gatherings can be a great place to learn more about boating and make a few new friends.
How many boats do you have access to? If you join a small boat club serving a community by the lake, you will have access to only a few boats. However, if you join an Oceanside club serving tourists and larger communities, you will have access to several boats.
The Freedom Boat Club is one of the oldest boat clubs, and they have a variety of boats, including cruisers, bow riders, deck boats, and fishing boats. Such a club doesnt restrict the boat you take out each time.
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