Beneteau has just started a boat club where you pay 1,000 Euros (about $1,135) to join and then rent a boat from a fleet of 60 powerboats in 15 locations in France and Spain. The new Beneteau Boat Club is the latest entry in the growing genre of boat rental organizations that let you pay an upfront fee to use a boat without having to buy or maintain it, and is part of the “on-demand” economy that is taking hold around the world.
Once you’re a member of the club, you can book a boat on line and then simply show up at the rental location. The boats are all relatively new, less than three years old, and are professionally maintained. Beneteau says that using the club’s boats is cheaper than chartering and also is easier since you probably are already familiar with the boat, or at least the brand. The largest boat in the club’s fleet is the Beneteau Flyer 8.8, which is about 26 feet (pictured above). Club members can rent it for the day or the week. The Beneteau Boat Club is the largest in Europe and the company says it may expand to Italy and the UK. There is no information about Beneteau starting a club in the U.S. For more:
