24 | FLORIDA BOATING MAGAZINE U FloridaBoatingMag.com
B
Boaters today have plenty of options to get their
fi x. Many choose the route of traditional boat
ownership and prefer the ability to outfit and
customize according to their own desires. Others
may charter or rent on occasion, whenever the
mood strikes.
For newcomers to boating along with a healthy percentage of
former boat owners, the boat club is today's affordable and simple
alternative.
e founder and pioneer of the boat club movement is Freedom
Boat Club, the oldest and largest in the nation with 10,000
members in 19 states coast-to-coast. Freedom Boat Club began in
Sarasota in 1989 and currently operates nearly 90 corporate and
franchise-owned clubs from coast to coast.
"Our club appeals to folks who love boating , but who prefer the
many conveniences that club membership offers," said Freedom
Boat Club President and CEO John Giglio. "If the idea of mak ing
advance reser vations, showing up at the dock and having your boat
ready to go sounds great, then returning aer a full day of fun and
turning in the keys with no further responsibility probably sounds
even beer."
Giglio points to the club's massive fleet of 850 boats nationwide,
320 of which are right here in Southwest Florida at the corporate-
owned club facilities, from Bradenton to Marco Island. Boats
Boaters Love
The Club
