By Ira Kantor
To most consumers, boats embody three things – recreation, fun, and financial headaches.
The old adage about the two best days in a boat owner’s life being buying one and selling one still seemingly rings true to this day, yet Freedom Boat Club (FBC) is out to ensure that every day spent on the water in their immaculate line of boats is a “best day” for members thanks to the service and ease the world’s largest members-only boating club provides.
Freedom Boat Club Massachusetts franchise owners Matt Carrick and Matt O’Connor currently operate eight locations spanning the North Shore to Cape Cod, and are set to open a ninth in Chatham. Both Carrick and O’Connor eagerly look to the future in terms of attracting new members and expanding the club’s ever-growing fleet.
“There are certainly enough people in the marketplace that want to go boating,” Matt O’Connor said. “We’re always looking at expansion locations and adding more boats and adding more members and I don’t think we would stop expanding anytime soon.”
Carrick and O’Connor have seen the potential in boat clubs growing over several years. In fact, it’s what caused them to merge their respective franchises to make one Bay State “super-franchise.” Along with Chatham, their FBC’s Massachusetts locations also include Danvers, Boston, Quincy, Hingham, Scituate, Falmouth, East Dennis, and West Dennis.
FBC’s growth expectation is buoyed by the boating club’s reciprocity business model. To join FBC, simply pay a flat rate and a monthly fee and you receive access to 850 boats spread across 85 locations throughout the continental United States. There’s no insurance or docking fees for members; no hassles. Freedom Boat Club ensures smooth sailing for its members – which currently total more than 600 in Massachusetts – whether they want to fish in Quincy, or savor watery views from Jordan Lake in North Carolina or Austin, Texas.
“Our members have unlimited access to all nine Massachusetts locations that we own and we’ve seen a real jump in memberships because of that,” said FBC Massachusetts franchisee Matt O’Connor. “If you own a boat and keep it up in Danvers, there’s a very low likelihood you are ever going to go to Martha’s Vineyard or to Nantucket because it’s such a long trip. This really opens up the on-water universe for our members here.”
“The shared asset concept has really gained traction market-wide and I think the recession really helped to snap people out of things and make them realize the value of the dollar,” adds FBC Massachusetts franchisee Matt Carrick. “When you buy a used car, you can go to a dealer; everything is great. It’s a lot harder to do that with boats.”
Yet FBC goes the extra mile in guaranteeing its members’ happiness through the mandatory hands-on training the club provides. Given that more than half of FBC’s new members are new to boating themselves, staff is always on hand (and on water) to offer classroom sessions and teach members the necessary nautical know-how as many times as needed until they feel comfortable enough to sail on their own.
“For a newbie, it’s really unprecedented,” said Matt Carrick. “It’s a very hands-on approach. If members were to go down to a boat dealer and buy a boat, they would be handed the keys and told, ‘Good luck.’”
Freedom Boat Club has trekked a long way since its 1989 inception in Sarasota, Florida. Hailed as one of Entrepreneur magazine’s top 500 franchises five years straight from 2005 to 2009, the one-of-a-kind boating club works tirelessly to keep boats fresh and up-to-date by way of style and amenities.
“For Freedom Boat, we’re really pushing towards an all-outboard motor market,” said Matt Carrick. “Whenever we can, we upgrade cup holders, cushions and stereos because at the end of the day, people want to have a good time.”
Membership is open to boaters of any skill set, provided they are at least 21 years of age. FBC’s fleets include such boat varieties as bow riders, cruisers, deck boats and fishing boats. Recently, Freedom Boat Club announced it would add some major boating bite to its acclaimed roster of performance saltwater fishing boats – the 238 OCC and 188 CCF model Barracuda Boats.
Once onboard, members can sail solo, bring along a special someone; even have their pet dog join them for a one-of-a-kind boating experience. Members can also make guaranteed reservations up to six months in advance.
The cost savings in joining FBC is immediately apparent, according to Carrick and O’Connor. Owning a 25-foot boat can cost upwards of more than $8,500 annually when you factor in insurance, maintenance, spring commissioning, slip cost, winterization, and wrap and storage costs. While each FBC franchisee sets their own pricing, the club’s monthly fees hover in the $250 to $350 range, providing for an annual cost that actually totals less than half the amount of owning a boat outright.
“It’s a fraction of the cost of actual boat ownership,” said Matt O’Connor. “Our members are getting access to new boats every year and new locations every year. From the cost perspective of things, you’re paying less all around.”
Carrick and O’Connor say FBC’s expansion plans in Massachusetts have to take into account the number of slips, moorings and docks available throughout the state. However with the utmost goal to be the Zipcar of the boating industry, FBC’s economic game-plan is one that is designed to be individual at the same time.
“We train you on how to use the boats. We clean the boats. You just show up, use the boats, then hop off and head for home,” said Matt Carrick. “It’s like having keys to a boat with you wherever you go.”