The Freedom Boat Clubs is a modern American success story – an idea whose time has come. Indeed, Freedom just announced that it delivered more than 600,000 boating trips to members last year in North America, Europe and Australia.
The world’s largest boat club operator, Freedom is part of Brunswick, and is based in Venice, Florida. And it’s very pleased with the way things are going.
“We are committed to providing a pathway for new entrants and all who seek to enjoy the on-water lifestyle through our subscription-based boating model,” said Cecil Cohn, president of the Freedom Boat Club network, “and we believe this milestone reflects that strategy.”
Freedom also said it was celebrating other recent achievements, including being ranked first in the boat club category on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 list; opening its 400th location last year and adding new locations in the UK, Spain, and Australia; and having its leaders recognized on Boating Industry’s list of 40 Under 40.
Freedom has thousands of boats in its fleet; most are single-engine outboards. The idea is that you pay a one-time membership fee, and then a monthly fee that enables you to rent a boat at a club near you or at other Freedom clubs. The appeal is that you don’t have any of the costs and hassles of actually owning, repairing, docking and insuring a boat. Freedom does all that, including maintenance, repair, cleaning, insurance and storage.
The clubs have different categories of membership. Some let you use a boat only on weekdays; others on any day of the week. You must be at least 21 years old and pass a safe boating class. Local captains can help you if you’re new to boating or just a bit rusty. Then you can reserve a boat on the phone or the internet, use it, and just pay for the fuel you burn.
Read more at Freedomboatclub.com and see the video below:
