Thank you for the video! I have some friends who are part of freedom club here in Jacksonville Florida. I think it’s great for what they offer but for my own personal use, I’d rather use that money for a down payment on a boat. I already have a tow vehicle and I have no issue when it comes to storing as I don’t live in an HOA community. I don’t have the extra money to start off in a boat club and then transition to buying a boat. I have to choose one. But for people who have the extra money to do both and that’s great for them. That being said, if I lived a little more north I don’t think I would want to own a boat. But boating is year-round in Florida so I don’t mind owning.
Well, despite the fact that I am new to all of this, reinforces that buying is the right answer. I live on the water, want to boat when and how I want, and can fix just about anything. We'll see how I did buying fairly blind, but I feel like I didn't risk too much at $12.5k on an older (but well cared for) 25' 90 hp Playcraft pontoon as a first boat. Good video.
No discussion about age. When you start pushing 70+ you no longer want to do all the work that was fun when you were younger. You just want to go out on the water.
Clubs do not typically have cruisers. Most are less than 24 foot base model center consoles, dual consoles and bow riders. Pontoons are not boats. Clubs are generally restricted to no more than 5 miles offshore.
The one here has tons of cruisers up to 26', Everything for fast zodiacs, crusiers, fishers, even aluminum boats. can go 25 miles offshore, but up to 35 miles with extra training.
Good video, lots of good comments. I own/operate club, rental, dealership, marina and glad to share some real world info from behind the scenes, just reach out
@ray fernandez when owning a club how do you go about acquiring the inventory and slips? Is it based on your credit or do you pay the boat club company for that ?
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon It's not like a timeshare. It's closer to a Country Club, but for boating, if you need to compare it to something. With Freedom Boat Club you can have 4 rolling reservations plus unlimited spur of the moment access. An 8:1 member to boat ratio is absolutely excellent for availability. Not everyone is available to boat every day. Most have a lot of commitments in their lives, work during the weekdays and on the weekends with kids sports and such so it proves to be a good balance.
@@TheWomanAnglerAdventurer It literally is timeshare for boating. You are pre-paying to be able to rent different kinds of boats as you can rent different types of timeshares in different locations. With freedom boat club you can use different locations. Can you have access to different country club locations? Lol
Don't use Freedom Boat Club. It's not what they claim. I was part of there Luxury plan for only 3 weeks. The way they rip off the club members with the fueling is just unreal.
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon I’m in Fort Lauderdale and Miami location they charge me 4.68per gallon, plus I paid 10 bucks tips and 7 dollar parking fee so everytime I go boating it cost me around 80 bucks. Yesterday the dock master wanna charge me cleaning fee 😓😓😓😓
I boated all day out of FBC downtown Tampa Bay and at the end of the day it was $9 for fuel. I was shocked it was so low. It's what that particular marina charges for fuel so it all depends on how you are running the boats. Obv. in downtown Tampa it is almost all no-wake zone- so very slow. If you're running your full throttle you are going to burn a lot more gas. I guess I would like to see more in-depth info from you on your comment. Please advise.
Ok, this is 1 year old, but may help someone who runs across this: Great info Capt Matt. I’m now in the market for a boat. But, have been and are still a member of Freedom Boat Club in the Cape Canaveral, FL area. We joined at the recommendation of a boat manufacturer who we toured. Admitted we didn’t know what type of boat we wanted. He suggested try a boat club. We did. Love it. We pay $350/mo for full access unlimited 7/day week membership & have boated approx 3 weekends a month for 3 years. Never had any problems. Not 1. If anything, every dock master has gone above & beyond to be helpful. Typical trip: For a weekend: book 1-1.5 weeks in advance. The day u boat, book another one when u get back for next weekend. Most boats are 20-22’ long. Nice Pontoons 115 -150hp, Cobia center consoles 150-250hp, Regal bowriders, smaller 17’ CC - boston whaler for fishing. Been boating with the club all over Florida. We choose vacation spots by an FBC location. Tampa, Sarasota, Ft. Myers, Orlando, Daytona Beach, W. Palm Beach, Crystal River, Beaufort, NC; Beaufort, SC (yep - both are awesome), Jacksonville, Cincinnati, Ohio, Detroit MI. And not once did we pull or park a trailer. It’s super simple. Super good. But, now we know what type of boat we always gravitate to - Center Consoles. So, our experiment is almost over. Now to decide WHICH CC - liking the SeaHunt family, but want to do a few boat shows to nail it all down. Nothing but great things to say about FBC. And, re: paying for any damage you do to a club boat. Capt Matt is correct - but that is bc you are responsible for the boat when you take it. Never paid anything other than my fuel bill & a tip for the deck hands who usually deserve it. Normally fuel under $20 - enjoy a slow ride out to the sandbar, stop, anchor, chill. Forget about it! Life is better on a boat for sure Capt Matt. Great channel / thank you, just subscribed last night.
![[2023] I joined Freedom Boat Club](/img/1.gif)
The first minute and 30 seconds of this video made me understand I want to OWN my boat!
Thank you for the video! I have some friends who are part of freedom club here in Jacksonville Florida. I think it’s great for what they offer but for my own personal use, I’d rather use that money for a down payment on a boat. I already have a tow vehicle and I have no issue when it comes to storing as I don’t live in an HOA community. I don’t have the extra money to start off in a boat club and then transition to buying a boat. I have to choose one. But for people who have the extra money to do both and that’s great for them.
That being said, if I lived a little more north I don’t think I would want to own a boat. But boating is year-round in Florida so I don’t mind owning.
Well, despite the fact that I am new to all of this, reinforces that buying is the right answer. I live on the water, want to boat when and how I want, and can fix just about anything. We'll see how I did buying fairly blind, but I feel like I didn't risk too much at $12.5k on an older (but well cared for) 25' 90 hp Playcraft pontoon as a first boat. Good video.
I recommend to boat club so you can learn and then buy boat
Great video, thanks for the information.
Thanks for this video!
No discussion about age. When you start pushing 70+ you no longer want to do all the work that was fun when you were younger. You just want to go out on the water.
Sounds like renting would be my choice .. I would only go out with a group of friends a few times a year …, we would split cost and be done with it
8am to sunset, typically.
Clubs do not typically have cruisers. Most are less than 24 foot base model center consoles, dual consoles and bow riders. Pontoons are not boats. Clubs are generally restricted to no more than 5 miles offshore.
Well, now that you went there, none of those are boats! Boats can submerge, ships stay on top of the water. ;)
The one here has tons of cruisers up to 26', Everything for fast zodiacs, crusiers, fishers, even aluminum boats. can go 25 miles offshore, but up to 35 miles with extra training.
Good video, lots of good comments. I own/operate club, rental, dealership, marina and glad to share some real world info from behind the scenes, just reach out
@ray fernandez when owning a club how do you go about acquiring the inventory and slips? Is it based on your credit or do you pay the boat club company for that ?
If you buy a new boat and sell it four years later you get what you paid for it. Who knows how long this market will last?
What About Carefree Boat Club?
Small club. FBC invented the concept and has grown to over 285 locations worldwide.
The boats are like stable horses. They work but....
Not necessarily accurate info on the boat club stuff.
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon It's not like a timeshare. It's closer to a Country Club, but for boating, if you need to compare it to something. With Freedom Boat Club you can have 4 rolling reservations plus unlimited spur of the moment access. An 8:1 member to boat ratio is absolutely excellent for availability. Not everyone is available to boat every day. Most have a lot of commitments in their lives, work during the weekdays and on the weekends with kids sports and such so it proves to be a good balance.
@@TheWomanAnglerAdventurer It literally is timeshare for boating. You are pre-paying to be able to rent different kinds of boats as you can rent different types of timeshares in different locations. With freedom boat club you can use different locations. Can you have access to different country club locations? Lol
Don't use Freedom Boat Club. It's not what they claim. I was part of there Luxury plan for only 3 weeks. The way they rip off the club members with the fueling is just unreal.
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon I’m in Fort Lauderdale and Miami location they charge me 4.68per gallon, plus I paid 10 bucks tips and 7 dollar parking fee so everytime I go boating it cost me around 80 bucks. Yesterday the dock master wanna charge me cleaning fee 😓😓😓😓
I boated all day out of FBC downtown Tampa Bay and at the end of the day it was $9 for fuel. I was shocked it was so low. It's what that particular marina charges for fuel so it all depends on how you are running the boats. Obv. in downtown Tampa it is almost all no-wake zone- so very slow. If you're running your full throttle you are going to burn a lot more gas. I guess I would like to see more in-depth info from you on your comment. Please advise.
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon They do disclose this information. Correction: "Were you told that you were required for the fuel that you use?"
Ok, this is 1 year old, but may help someone who runs across this: Great info Capt Matt.
I’m now in the market for a boat. But, have been and are still a member of Freedom Boat Club in the Cape Canaveral, FL area. We joined at the recommendation of a boat manufacturer who we toured. Admitted we didn’t know what type of boat we wanted. He suggested try a boat club. We did. Love it. We pay $350/mo for full access unlimited 7/day week membership & have boated approx 3 weekends a month for 3 years. Never had any problems. Not 1. If anything, every dock master has gone above & beyond to be helpful. Typical trip:
For a weekend: book 1-1.5 weeks in advance. The day u boat, book another one when u get back for next weekend. Most boats are 20-22’ long. Nice Pontoons 115 -150hp, Cobia center consoles 150-250hp, Regal bowriders, smaller 17’ CC - boston whaler for fishing. Been boating with the club all over Florida. We choose vacation spots by an FBC location. Tampa, Sarasota, Ft. Myers, Orlando, Daytona Beach, W. Palm Beach, Crystal River, Beaufort, NC; Beaufort, SC (yep - both are awesome), Jacksonville, Cincinnati, Ohio, Detroit MI. And not once did we pull or park a trailer. It’s super simple. Super good. But, now we know what type of boat we always gravitate to - Center Consoles. So, our experiment is almost over. Now to decide WHICH CC - liking the SeaHunt family, but want to do a few boat shows to nail it all down. Nothing but great things to say about FBC. And, re: paying for any damage you do to a club boat. Capt Matt is correct - but that is bc you are responsible for the boat when you take it. Never paid anything other than my fuel bill & a tip for the deck hands who usually deserve it. Normally fuel under $20 - enjoy a slow ride out to the sandbar, stop, anchor, chill. Forget about it! Life is better on a boat for sure Capt Matt. Great channel / thank you, just subscribed last night.
@@DB-yp7pg We are thinking about joining this location as well. Why FBC vs Care free which is also nearby?
Good insight, Thank you.