Boat Clubs

Love ’em and Leave ’em

In a tough economy, boat clubs keep sailors afloat

According to members of the many boat clubs that have sprung up throughout the Southeast, there is nothing quite so sweet as spending the day on the water cruising, fishing, wakeboarding, or whatever– then pulling into the marina, throwing the lines to a waiting dockhand and simply walking away.
They can do this because the boat club owns the boats rather than the members themselves, and the club takes care of maintenance and service, as well as the loan payments, storage and insurance. Members pay a one-time initiation fee and monthly membership dues in return for access to the boats on an advance-reservation basis. The further ahead they book, particularly for a weekend slot, the better chance they have of getting their first-choice boat and time.
“It’s not unlike making a tee time,” said Brennan Robertson, general manager of Adventure Boat Club in Daytona Beach, Florida, which now has an online reservation service.
Beyond that, club members only pay for the fuel they use.

“This was such a great option, when it came up…to walk away and not have to clean the boat …or all the other things that go along with owning it,” said Beverly Fisher, member of Another Day in Paradise Boat Club in Dunedin, Florida, who finds the membership fee comparable to slip rental.
In the current economy, many former boat owners like Fisher are turning to boat clubs as an affordable alternative and a way to keep boating.
“More this year than any other year, we’ve seen people sell their boats and join the club,” said Fletcher Shackelford, managing partner of the Legacy Boating Club, which has five locations in the Florida Panhandle. Legacy Boating Club was named the Fastest Growing Private Boating Business in Florida by Inc. Magazine in its September 2009 issue. “We’ve sustained a sixty-six percent growth rate through the last three years,” Fletcher says. “That kind of growth in three declining economies; it really is a statement, I think.”
Finances are not the only reason people join boat clubs, however; it’s also a good way for newcomers to sample the boating lifestyle before buying a boat. “We had one couple that stayed in the club for a year until they found their boat,” said Susan White, manager of Another Day in Paradise Boat Club. “Now they live aboard.”
Boat clubs vary widely in terms of the number, sizes and types of vessels in their fleets – as well as their respective membership fees. At the less expensive end of the scale are small clubs like Another Day in Paradise, which has 11 deckboats and center consoles up to 24 feet. The club charges a lifetime initiation fee of $2,000 and a $249 monthly fee, along with mandatory TowBoatUS membership.
At the high end are organizations like Barton & Gray Mariners Club, which maintains a fleet of 36-foot Hinckley Picnic Boats–all with captains–in nine East Coast locations from Key Largo to Nantucket. Its membership is configured much like a private jet lease card, with higher levels allowing members to hold more concurrent reservations.
“A new Hinckley costs about $750,000 fully equipped, and with dockage, insurance and upkeep you are talking about a million-dollar investment,” said Barton & Gray Regional Sales Director Donna Lockhart. “On the average, for about $50,000 a year, you can have access to all these boats in all these locations.”
In the middle are Freedom Boat Clubs, a chain of 57 boat club franchises scattered across the U.S. that offer memberships for $5,000 plus an monthly fee based on the type of boat pool you want. It offers the possibility of renting in other boat club locations up to four times annually.
Boat club vessels typically are relatively new and loaded with electronics; towing toys are often included. Many of the clubs throw in valet services like unloading members’ cars, stocking the boat with ice and food and having it waiting with the keys in the ignition when the member shows up. “They treat you like a millionaire,” said Legacy Boating Club member Mario Berenguer.
Many of the clubs describe their programs as “boating country clubs”–some literally. The Adventure Boat Club, which recently moved to Sunset Harbor Yacht Club in Daytona Beach, includes access to the host facility’s restaurant, pool and tennis courts in its monthly fees. The club, which offers 23 fishboats, deckboats and cruisers up to 31 feet, has six membership levels ranging from $299 to $599 per month.
Most boat clubs are power-centric, but not all. One of the biggest and best established, SailTime, features Hunter sailboats, in fact, SailTime is one of Hunter’s best customers “We have forty-six bases around the world, including thirty in the U.S.,” said George Bonelli, president and CEO.
SailTime is unusual in that it offers Owner Memberships to sailors who purchase a new Hunter and enter it in their local club fleet for a specified time period. During that time, all the boat’s operating costs are all paid by the club; in exchange, other members have access to it. While this program is based on a fractional use model, it’s not truly fractional ownership, because when the time period elapses, the Owner Member keeps his boat.
No matter how varied, boat clubs all place a common emphasis on boating safety. Members typically are required to pass both regional boating safety courses and hands-on, in-house training classes.  
“Every year you have to re-certify your skills,” said Mario. “I don’t think the average boat owner out there is doing that.”