Boat Club Membership: Pricing, Benefits, and More

While some believe boat club membership costs are high, the average cost of a boat is $60,000 to $70,000 and that doesn't include the yearly cost of upkeep, transportation, storage, insurance, and supplies.

That’s a costly investment if you aren't sure you want to commit significant time and effort into boating. This article will explain why you should join a boat club and how it can save you money in the long run.

What Is a Boat Club?

A boat club is a business that owns a fleet of boats. Boat clubs encourage boaters of varying skill levels to join the club and gain access to a fleet of boats for a set fee and with certain regulations.

For most members, a boat club is an alternative means of enjoying the boating lifestyle without assuming the responsibilities of owning a boat themselves. Before deciding whether a boat club is right for you, it's important to understand how they work and clear up any misconceptions.

What a Boat Club Isn't

Some boaters assume a boat club is like renting or sharing a boat. But it’s quite different. The main difference is that the boat club owns each boat in the fleet and is fully responsible for them. Members are simply allowed to operate the boats. Most boat clubs to not follow a pay-as-you-go model. Boats can't be rented by the day as they are reserved for member use only.

How to Schedule

Depending on the number of members at your chosen boat club, it's important to know how to schedule. Many boat clubs can't guarantee last minute boat access and require advanced booking. Each boat club has its own scheduling system and requirements. Some may require you to call for bookings while others have an online portal available for members to make reservations.

At Freedom Boat Club, we offer an online member dashboard through our website. When you're ready to make your reservation, you can simply log in to the system and select your preferred date, boat, and time slot.

When to Schedule

While boat clubs work hard to keep an accurate schedule, available timeslots can fill up quickly. As soon as you know when you want to go boating, you should make a reservation to secure a boat.

The scheduling system at Freedom Boat Club allows you to make reservations up to six months in advance. Once you schedule within this timeframe, your booking is guaranteed.

Who Can Go with You

Boating can make a relaxing solitary activity; however, many boat clubs expect members to share the experience. For this reason, they allow you to bring family, friends, or business associates. Some boat clubs, such as Freedom Boat Club, also allow you to bring your dog on board.

It's important to factor in the capacity of your chosen boat. While there are no limitations as to who you can bring, there are limits on how many people can be on board at one time.

Boat Club Membership Benefits

The reason boat clubs are growing in popularity is due to the benefits that membership affords you. When compared with owning or renting a boat, boat clubs offer more ease and peace of mind by removing many of the hassles of ownership and risk of rentals.

Save Money with a Membership

When it comes down to the final numbers, joining a boat club can present significant savings, especially when compared to boat ownership. This is due to several factors including maintenance, storage, and insurance – just to name a few.

When you buy a boat, there are immediate, additional expenses to consider such as licensing, registration, and equipment. Since the boat club owns the boats in its fleet, these expenses are covered in the cost of your membership.

Boat club members aren't stuck with these ever accumulating and unpredictable costs. They simply pay a set membership rate that doesn’t change unexpectedly. Members also aren't financially responsible for any repairs or maintenance, which can add up quickly.

Try Before You Buy

If you're contemplating boat ownership, fractional ownership, or leasing, you should join a boat club as a means of trying before you buy. The boat club experience allows you to test out the boating lifestyle before fully investing in your own boat. This can save new boaters a lot of money.

When a new boater joins a boat club, they might decide it's not the hobby for them. They might also realize they don't have the time and resources needed to take care of a boat. Realizing this before purchasing a boat, means they aren't on the hook for the cost of the boat and all other expenses. They also don't have to deal with the trouble of selling it.

Access a Variety of Boat Models

Another benefit of a boat club is access to a variety of different boat types within the club's fleet. Many boat clubs offer a wide variety of boats from center consoles and pontoons to fishing boats and even sailboats. This can be ideal for new boaters that are unsure of their model preference. While you can learn a lot about boats from research, being able to see, operate, and fully experience a boat is the best way to know if you like it.

Experience More Freedom

You get more freedom from a boat club because members get to simply walk on and walk off the boat. Once you arrive for your reservation, the boat is cleaned, fueled up and ready to go. When you're finished, you simply hand over the keys and head out.

You're also not limited to areas you can reasonably transport a boat to. Some boat clubs have multiple locations around the country and even other parts of the world. For example, Freedom Boat Club has over 400 locations across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. And each of these locations are available to every member through reciprocal access. This makes it easy to experience new waterways as you travel.

Enjoy Less Responsibility

Because the boat club owns each boat, they take on responsibility for upkeep, maintenance, security, storage, and insurance. For seasonal locations, members don't have to worry about winterization or boat storage when boating season comes to an end.

Boat clubs also keep mechanical and electrical components in top shape. If something starts to wear or becomes damaged, they're responsible for having it repaired. Plus, the repair won't hinder your boating experience. If you owned the boat, you may not be able to use it until the repair is made. But with a boat club, you can simply select another boat.

Easier Experience

Getting a boat ready for a boating trip can be an involved and tedious process. You must perform a boat check, be sure to pack all the equipment you need – as well as transport and launch the boat.

With a boat club, the boat is already in the water and ready for use at the marina. You don't need to inspect the boat or perform last-minute repairs before it's ready to go.

Boat Club Membership Considerations

Even though there are many boat club membership benefits, there are also some considerations to make when deciding if it's the right fit for you. While many believe the benefits far outweigh and down sides, it's important to be aware of them.

There May Be a Waitlist

Because boat clubs such as the Freedom Boat Club are so popular, there may be a waitlist to join. Boat clubs do this to balance booking availability. When there are too many members, there are fewer available reservation slots per person. To ensure paying members have the best experience, boat clubs sometimes limit the number of members they accept at one time. If there is a waitlist, we recommend getting on it as soon as possible.

You Don't Own the Boat

You don't own the boat or have any rights to the boat when you join a boat club. While this means you don't have the responsibilities of boat ownership, it also means that you don't have the same liberties as a boat owner. For example, many boat clubs require that the boat is returned before sundown and do not permit overnight trips. You also can't make any permanent changes to the boat such as cosmetic changes or upgrades to existing equipment.

Last-Minute Trip Challenges

Last-minute trips can be difficult for a boat club to accommodate. They can’t guarantee that a boat will be available, especially during peak season. Booking well in advance is the best way to avoid this from happening. If you’re a “spur of the moment” type of person, we recommend booking several slots ahead of time.

Boat Club Membership Costs

Boat club pricing is not one-size-fits-all. It varies on when and how you want to use your membership. Some boat clubs offer weekday-only membership plans as a cheaper alternative. As the name suggests, weekday memberships allow boaters to reserve vessels Monday through Friday only. These tend to be available at a lower cost given the decreased demand on these days. Any-day memberships allow boaters to reserve vessels 7 days per week. This is the most flexible membership plan available.

Membership Payments and Dues

Regardless of the type of membership you choose, you'll be required to pay an initiation fee and monthly dues. The initiation fee is a one-time, up-front payment that is valid for the duration of your membership.

Then, you'll need to pay year-round monthly dues, which are primarily used to maintain the club. The cost of these fees depends on where you are boating, the type of membership and any current promotions.

How to Join a Boat Club

If you've decided that you want to join a boat club, all you need to do is sign up. Anyone over 21 years old with any level of boating experience is welcome. Once you join, you'll need to obtain a boater's license and complete a boater's safety course (where applicable). At Freedom Boat Club, we offer free and unlimited one-on-one training with licensed boat captains to ensure you are confident and comfortable behind the helm.

What to Know About Freedom Boat Club

Freedom Boat Club is one of the best boat clubs you can join due to our flexibility. We accept boaters at any skill level, allow you to have up to 4 reservations on the books at any time, and have hundreds of locations across the world.

Founded in 1989, Freedom Boat Club is the first-ever boat club with the largest community of members. We have the experience and expertise needed to offer the best boating experience to our members.

Join a Boat Club Near You

Now that we've laid it all out, we hope you're ready to decide if joining a boat club is right for you. Whether you want to try boating for the first time or just want to enjoy an easy boating experience, there are many benefits to joining a club. When you reach out to our team, we will help you find a location near you. Join Freedom Boat Club today to start enjoying all the benefits of boating, with none of the bothers.

Did you find this article helpful? Click here to read a more detailed breakdown of Freedom Boat Club membership pricing.