Courtesy Freedom Boat Club
Freedom Boat Club will soon begin its third season of operation on Lake George after ordering four new boats and substantially increasing its local membership base.
As the concept of membership boating has grown and adoption of the sharing economy has spread with companies like Uber gaining in prevalence, the local Freedom Boat Club franchise has become an attractive option for people looking to enjoy boating.
To help meet the demand, as membership grows, Freedom Boat Club has added to its fleet.
Joining this year is a new Regal 23 OBX, two new Sweetwater Premium tritoons, and a new Four Winns HD200 deckboat.
According to Rebecca O’Hara, who co-owns the franchise with her husband Matt, “The new boats are a big part of the reason members join the club. Instead of owning the same boat for ten years, they are able to try a variety of boats and know that they’ll always have the opportunity to captain brand new boats each year.”
Freedom Boat Club members pay a one-time initiation fee and monthly dues to have unlimited access to their fleet of boats on Lake George and up to four reservations per club, per year at the over 150 locations across the country. Members simply log in to a reservation system, book a boat, and arrive at the dock with a clean, fueled boat ready for them to enjoy the day on the water.
“We are thrilled by the satisfaction we have among our current member base and the increased interest we are seeing,” Matt said. “Our membership doubled from 2016 to 2017 and will double again in 2018. Our red-carpet service is the easiest way to enjoy the boating lifestyle.”
With the annual cost of membership ranging from $3,100 to $3,800, the O’Haras say local boaters are finding both economic and time savings when they join. Rebecca noted that there are several groups they have appealed to, including former boat owners who couldn’t keep up with the work and expense of maintaining a boat, new boaters who were drawn to the club by the hands on training, and busy professionals and young families who want to be part of the boating lifestyle but need the convenience the club offers.
Freedom Boat Club is the nation’s oldest and largest boat club, with nearly 145-plus club locations operating in 29 states and Canada. For more information about Freedom Boat Club in Lake George, call 845-642-0201 or visit www.freedomboatclub.com