freedom boat club

wildmanyeah said:
Just curios if anyone has any experience using this service?

http://freedomboatclub.com/locations/166-vancouver-bc/boats/

They say they have fishing boats available at a decent price. I have emailed them to actually check the prices and membership.

They advertise that the service is less than moring so just wondering if anyone knows anyone that uses it?
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The number of persons they use for the boat capacity for the smaller boats is scary. Me thinks they need to be challenged on this. Its possible that the boat has a Transport Canada plate that says that they can fit 7 people in a 19ft boat... but really... Someone is going to be sitting on the deck as there are not enough seats for 7.
 
Agreed. My dad's 19' Princecraft has a 7 person rating in the US, and 6 person in Canada. But it has bow rider seating. With that said, it is an absolute pig with 6 people in it. 4.3L can hardly make the boat plane.
 
Corey_lax said:
Agreed. My dad's 19' Princecraft has a 7 person rating in the US, and 6 person in Canada. But it has bow rider seating. With that said, it is an absolute pig with 6 people in it. 4.3L can hardly make the boat plane.
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This argument is for another thread I know 14 foot tinys with a 6 person canada rating. Also whale watching boats like wtf?

anyways i was more interested in anyone has used the service, what the quality and availability and price point was like.
 
wildmanyeah said:
This argument is for another thread I know 14 foot tinys with a 6 person canada rating. Also whale watching boats like wtf?

anyways i was more interested in anyone has used the service, what the quality and availability and price point was like.
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No argument--- it is listed on the site and someone without experience could rent the boat(s) and find it isnt up to the claims that were listed. It deserves to be here IMO .
 
I looked into it last week. Here's the basics I got:

Dear Steve,


Here is some information about the club, feel free to contact me with any questions you may have or come down to the docks and see the fleet of brand new boats.

Below is a link for our first club here in Port Moody, BC Canada. Also we are running a Special since we are at the end of the season with a initial cost of 5900.00 not 6400.00 to join the boat club with $349 a month. We will also give you the first 3 months for free. Keep in mind once you are a member you have access to over 115 locations across the US and Canada.

Here in Canada we offer a unlimited use of our brand new boats for $349 a month. We also have another special that is as follows, you pay $2000 entry fee then on your anniversary year you pay another $2000, and in the last year you pay $1900 with $349 a month.

Currently we have 8 new power boats which range from 18-25ft. We have 3 Campions, 2 Bayliners, 2 Hewescrafts with down riggers, and 1 Ranger Tug. This club will have a Member base of 60 people so it will be easy to book boats with our on-line reservation system.
 
Old Blue said:
I looked into it last week. Here's the basics I got:

Dear Steve,


Here is some information about the club, feel free to contact me with any questions you may have or come down to the docks and see the fleet of brand new boats.

Below is a link for our first club here in Port Moody, BC Canada. Also we are running a Special since we are at the end of the season with a initial cost of 5900.00 not 6400.00 to join the boat club with $349 a month. We will also give you the first 3 months for free. Keep in mind once you are a member you have access to over 115 locations across the US and Canada.

Here in Canada we offer a unlimited use of our brand new boats for $349 a month. We also have another special that is as follows, you pay $2000 entry fee then on your anniversary year you pay another $2000, and in the last year you pay $1900 with $349 a month.

Currently we have 8 new power boats which range from 18-25ft. We have 3 Campions, 2 Bayliners, 2 Hewescrafts with down riggers, and 1 Ranger Tug. This club will have a Member base of 60 people so it will be easy to book boats with our on-line reservation system.
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I may have to crunch the numbers on this one. The convenience of not toeing a boat, launching or worrying about maintenance. Availability may be the only issue. Also the availability to fly down to the US and hop on a boat and do some marlin or w.e is nice too.
 
Hi Guys! Great forum. I am a long time reader. Saw that you guys were curious about Freedom Boat Club. I am a member. I have been a member since May. The staff is great, boats are always clean. Availability has never been a problem. The website is very vague check out Freedom Boat Club BC on Facebook. Lots of reviews and it was very helpful in making my decision to become a Freedom Boat Club member.

Another great thing about Freedom Boat Club is they help me with fishing partners when I have no one to go out with. They have two fishing boats that are equipped with electric scotty downriggers. They have cannonballs and all the different scotty accessories. If you are serious about buying a boat really check them out!
 
So for three years including initiation fee, the cost is $18,464 plus taxes. Sounds like a lot of money but not when you consider the cost of some of one of those boats. No resale value in there, of course. Interesting concept.
 
It does seem interesting. will probably work for some people. as mentioned I think availability may be an issue. Is there a certain amount of time you are allotted per month?/ year, etc?
 
You are allotted as much time as you please. It is completely unlimited. I usually book a day in advance. Never have had a day where I didn't get a boat yet. These guys have a great setup. You can ever overnight the boats up to 3 nights.
 
I think short term it's a reasonable idea for some people especially not having to worry about maintenance, cleaning, general upkeep. Not for me for though. With that kind of cash I'd rather own a boat and be able to take it to the island and actually have an asset (ya right B-ring O-ut A-nother T-housand)
$10G for year one would be 5 multi day guided trips to the island.
 
Hmm I wonder if these rates are frozen in time so to speak. Most timeshares have yearly maintenance fees which tend to increase yearly. So what I'm asking is .... is the monthly rate going to stay the same for the length of the timeshare? Says unlimited so what happens if this becomes a popular alternative to boat ownership and there is a increase in membership and you have a hard time getting type of boat or days you want? Is there anything that guarantees there will not be any additional fees added down the road? Sounds like a great idea for peeps that don't want the headache or time involved with boat ownership.
 
I thought this was an interesting idea too, especially if you travelled to other locations that have this service.

I'd be worried about availability, especially in peak fishing times with only 2 fishing boats.

Also a $70k loan can be taken out at a nice interest rate and payments are around the same price as the monthly membership.

Prob a good deal for some, not for me though.
 
If there are 60 members, let's say there are 30 of those that fish. 2 boats equipped for fishing , gives 16 weekend boat - days a month. If you want a weekend day you are only going to get to use that fishing boat once every 2 months.

The economics and viability of this business model are suspect. Without the initiation fee it might be worth a try, but that big fee is a big risk in my opinion.
 
I am surprised nobody has mentioned another reason this wouldn't be attractive to many - to me there is one huge reason I would never, ever, ever consider a rental no matter even if the price was somewhat economical . I have owned boats, fished and explored the local saltchuck my whole life. Rowed my own 12' clinker built since I was 10. My bro and I shared a 6 hp on a tinny at 14. The thought of not having my own boat set up the way I want, customized to my liking is absolutely impossible to imagine. Knowing how I have maintained the boat, fixed it and altered it. Knowing where all my gear is, where and what saftey gear is there. All the functions and quirks. Choosing and knowing my electronics to a "T" . Knowing every sound (or change in sound). as well I can't imaging taking every bit of gear I have now on my boat down to a rental boat, every time I wanted to use it. Any gear left on rental boat, gone next time you get it. I could go on and I will... Pride of ownership. Maintaining and cleaning your own boat is something I enjoy and all part of the boating "culture". Yes its a culture I am speaking of....those that rent would not "get" that. Shoot'in the sh*t with other boaters in your marina (or at the ramp) is part of it. Hang'in out at the boat preping "gear" ....with a beer of course. Even a BBQ and and a glass of wine. There is no amount of savings in money that would have me renting a boat that is owned by others and used by others......not an option for me in a cazillion years. For those that don't understand what I am talking about, there is rental and it absolutely would appeal to some....and it would likely be a successfull business. Its just a completely different thing - black and white.
 
Peahead said:
I am surprised nobody has mentioned another reason this wouldn't be attractive to many - to me there is one huge reason I would never, ever, ever consider a rental no matter even if the price was somewhat economical . I have owned boats, fished and explored the local saltchuck my whole life. Rowed my own 12' clinker built since I was 10. My bro and I shared a 6 hp on a tinny at 14. The thought of not having my own boat set up the way I want, customized to my liking is absolutely impossible to imagine. Knowing how I have maintained the boat, fixed it and altered it. Knowing where all my gear is, where and what saftey gear is there. All the functions and quirks. Choosing and knowing my electronics to a "T" . Knowing every sound (or change in sound). as well I can't imaging taking every bit of gear I have now on my boat down to a rental boat, every time I wanted to use it. Any gear left on rental boat, gone next time you get it. I could go on and I will... Pride of ownership. Maintaining and cleaning your own boat is something I enjoy and all part of the boating "culture". Yes its a culture I am speaking of....those that rent would not "get" that. Shoot'in the sh*t with other boaters in your marina (or at the ramp) is part of it. Hang'in out at the boat preping "gear" ....with a beer of course. Even a BBQ and and a glass of wine. There is no amount of savings in money that would have me renting a boat that is owned by others and used by others......not an option for me in a cazillion years. For those that don't understand what I am talking about, there is rental and it absolutely would appeal to some....and it would likely be a successfull business. Its just a completely different thing - black and white.
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Amen!! Peahead--well said!
 
I appreciate all those points Peahead, I've had my nose in every single nook and cranny of my boat and its engines so I know exactly what I'm dealing with. My boat is set up for fishing and I've enjoyed tweaking it to get it just the way I like it. It works well on the big lakes in the Okanagan where I live and it's easy to trailer to our cabin at the Sunshine Coast. But... once a year I like to take a boat trip somewhere on the coast, Desolation Sound, Princess Louisa, places like that. A 19 ft runabout isn't really the right tool for the job - small fuel capacity, no sleepaboard capability, limited shelter in poor weather. What to do? I've considered upsizing to a pocket cruiser, 24-26 ft, but that means I've got more boat than I need for 90% of my boating time - more capital tied up, more gas, harder to trailer, more maintenance, more storage/moorage issues.. Right now I'm making do in the smaller boat with some camping gear thrown in, but we'll want to venture further afield some day. Makes sense for me to rent a larger boat for the once a year trip, run my older boat the rest of the time and invest the cash saved.
 
sly_karma said:
I appreciate all those points Peahead, I've had my nose in every single nook and cranny of my boat and its engines so I know exactly what I'm dealing with. My boat is set up for fishing and I've enjoyed tweaking it to get it just the way I like it. It works well on the big lakes in the Okanagan where I live and it's easy to trailer to our cabin at the Sunshine Coast. But... once a year I like to take a boat trip somewhere on the coast, Desolation Sound, Princess Louisa, places like that. A 19 ft runabout isn't really the right tool for the job - small fuel capacity, no sleepaboard capability, limited shelter in poor weather. What to do? I've considered upsizing to a pocket cruiser, 24-26 ft, but that means I've got more boat than I need for 90% of my boating time - more capital tied up, more gas, harder to trailer, more maintenance, more storage/moorage issues.. Right now I'm making do in the smaller boat with some camping gear thrown in, but we'll want to venture further afield some day. Makes sense for me to rent a larger boat for the once a year trip, run my older boat the rest of the time and invest the cash saved.
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I see your delema.
My understanding though with the club and your only needing a rental boat once per year for the one trip ( and keeping your 19' for all other use each year) you would still incur the large initial club fee to join and still pay the monthly fee throughout every year - for just one trip? The fees are based on multiple/unlimited use as far as I understand so not sure there'd be a special pkge rate for one time use??......so that one trip would be expensive.

There are rental/lease/charter companies somewhat like bareboating a sailboat that may be a better way to go. Here is one for example ( if I have read this correctly) that you can have a 'variable lease' on a 27' Ranger or 31' Boston Whaler for a min. of 20 days on a per day rate (plus upfront fee and deposit). Still it looks your trip would be an expensive one.

Purchasing a 24' and selling the 19' seems not a horrible option IMO.....or just do shorter overnight trips from the Sunshine Coast to Desolation in the 19' until you eventually move to the Sunshine Coast and buy a bigger boat for longer trips lol

http://www.bluepacificcharters.com/lease_2/

* scroll to Lease rate table.....
 
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