Always a wonderful experience. Accidentally showed up on a waitlist, without a call, thinking we had a boat and they accommodated us.
The dock staff are THE BEST. Freedom Boat Club takes all the hassle out of boat ownership. You just enjoy the water lifestyle. Worth every penny!
Dock staff are attentive, proactive and always helping. They make it a real pleasure to be part of the Freedom Boat Club. Captain Frank gave us an excellent introduction as well.
Ok, so we didnt technically use this club, but we are members of FBC in another city. We stopped by to ask a couple of questions about reciprocal bookings, offshore training and generally have a conversation, since we have had family move to this area. The four staff working at the dock could not have been more disengaged or unhelpful. No others there, just them and us trying to ask some questions, since we boat on a lake.We love our club and cant say enough positive things about it, but it is safe to say, will not be using this club.
With so many boats and so many locations to choose from we love going out on different boats from different places I cant imagine owning just one boat and having to do the same thing over and over and over again
Great people, awesome boats!
The best decision my family ever made was joining this club. The staff could not be more friendly and helpful. I highly recommend it to all
Gotta take the good with the bad. I have been a member for over 3 years and it is by and large a good program but there are many things that are frustrating and disappointing. I paid nearly $6k to join and $300/ month since. The pros are that I can spend time on the water with my family without the inconvenience of trailering, fueling, and storage. There are many considerations that potential members need to understand. You will need to reserve at least a week in advance for any shot at decent boat on a weekend, typically 3 if you want to go out of Marina Jacks or Bradenton. Most of the boats are stripped down to standard equipment lack necessities like GPS, trim tabs, radios, working livewells, working gauges, under powered, stern anchor, first aid kits, non-moldy kids life vests, etc. Think of them as rental car quality boats. For the fee, you get 4 reservations but need 2 of them to use the boats on the weekends for any meaningful amount of time. First weekend reservation is for sun up to 1pm second is from 2pm to sun down. You cannot use reserve more than 2 weekend reservations at a time. This means if you want to plan a specific weekend day with friends weeks in advance, you cannot use the boats between that time on the weekends. There is an off chance that you could show up and get a boat if they are not reserved but I have never been so lucky. My biggest problem was that they set my expectations so high when I joined but have been disappointed many times along the way...
I have been a member now over a month and use it several times a week. I feel welcome everytime I show up. Everyone is so attentive. Concierge service when I arrive and leave. You would think the employees worked for the Ritz Carlton. Value is unmatched. You wont be disappointed.
I recently took an on-the-water maneuvering course with Captain Frank DiMarino. You can study boating manuals but there is nothing that compares with hands-on training. It was a very good experience. Captain Frank knows what he is doing and is sooo patient and repetitive whenever necessary and explains things so well. I think a lot of the more experienced members of our boat club could benefit from this course. Thank you Freedom Boat Club and especially Captain Frank!
Great fun.
Awesome service
Might not be one of their boats but it is named Freedom