Freedom Boat Club of San Diego on Dana Landing in Mission Bay celebrated its 10th anniversary recently with a luau and live music to thank patrons for their support.
Established in 1989 in Sarasota, Fla., Freedom Boat Club is the first and largest boat club in the world. It was a revolutionary business model that came when traditional boat ownership dominated the industry. With no boat clubs or extensive rental options available, Freedom Boat Club opened the waterways to shared boat access with premium dockside service and unparalleled training opportunities.
Challenging the boating status quo for over 35 years, Freedom Boat Club today operates 400-plus locations worldwide with 90,000-plus members accessing 5,000-plus boats.
The company’s founding vision was simple and direct: to provide a hassle-free boating experience for members. And the husband-and-wife team of Jen and Dan Hasbrouck are fulfilling that mission in San Diego.
“They (clients) get to use the boats as much as they want,” said Dan Hasbrouck of their membership-based, dues-paying boating club. “Boats are rented and we build a fleet as we get more memberships.”
Best of all, said Hasbrouck, “We take out the hassles of maintenance and cleaning, dock fees, the insurance. It’s a little bit like a timeshare in the sense that people are buying access. It’s a little bit more like a gym membership. You join the gym, you pay monthly dues and you can use the equipment as much as you like.”
“You’re (member) not limited by time,” noted Jen Hasbrouck. “You can boat every day of the week if you want to. There is an online reservation system, so once a member joins they get access to that reservation system and they’re all set. They just show up and our staff gets them out and checks them in when they get back.”
The Hasbroucks both underwent career changes to join the Freedom Boat Club. “Before this, I was a helicopter pilot and she was a chiropractor and we wanted to just stop what we were doing and have our own business,” said Dan Hasbrouck. “This being a franchise made it a little easier to start. We love boating and the franchise started in Florida and we’re from Florida originally, so we just knew a lot about boating and what to do with it. So we pulled the trigger on that in 2014. We started with three boats. Now we’ve got a lot more.”
“We were the first West Coast location,” pointed out Jen Hasbrouck.
Freedom Boat Club maintains a variety of boats ranging from flats boats to bowriders. Each local market chooses its fleet based on its own needs and demands. Boats will always be waiting with a tank of gas. If your membership plan includes reciprocal access, you can boat at any Freedom Boat Club location across North America, Europe, and Australia.
A major proponent of boater education and safety, Freedom Boat Club provides free training to local members regarding the safe use and operation of your ‘home club’ fleet. This generally includes classroom and on-water training activities. Members must complete this training course before they can start reserving boats. All boats also have required equipment including life jackets, a fire extinguisher, sound equipment, and flares. Boats are checked for this equipment by both the dock staff and members before departure.
RULES OF THE WAVES
– The reservation system ensures all members have equal access to boats with guaranteed reservations up to six months in advance.
– No usage charges. Your only additional cost is for the fuel used.
– Boat usage is unlimited at your home location.
– Boat reservations are easy. Log in to your reservation dashboard and choose your desired date, vessel, and time slot.
– As long as a member is present, you can bring friends, family, guests, children, colleagues, or even your favorite pet.
– Membership is open to boaters of any skill level, 21 years of age and older.
