Punta Gorda Freedom Boat Club (Port Charlotte: rent, insurance, credit)

[PCHI]

The wife and I are finally ready to purchase a boat. Pontoon, for casual fishing, shelling that type of thing.
Saw an ad for the Freedom boat club. Spoke with the owner. Entrance seems a bit steep and monthly dues were up their. But, given the initial investment in a used boat, insurance, towing, maintenance was wondering if anyone has also gone down this road. Im leaning towards the used boat. But any advice out there? Port Charlotte resident and full timer also for many years now.

[rtwdoug]

I joined the FBC a couple months ago, & love it.
Talk to Vince in the P Gorda office, tell him Doug with the motorcycles told you he was running a special, 1st year, no dues.
as for the club itself, its nice. lots of locations, all I have to pay for is the gas, no maintaining, insurance, hauling, fixing, washing, etc.
Its probably not for everyone, but for me, I now go out at least once & usually twice a week.
When I had to take the time to haul a boat to the water, I went once a month.
I think it'll pay for itself rather quickly.

Doug

[storm lady]

A used boat in good condition can be a real bargain. If you've never owned a boat renting a few different styles sounds like a good idea. Many of us have bought boats only to find out that they were just not right for the kind of use we ended up liking.

[Macgregorsailor51]

Different strokes for different folks.. About 4 million people visit Cozumel Mexico Every Year.. Many who visit.... dream of living there or visiting much more regularly..So , a Few Hundred of us have Bought Homes.. a few Thousand Bought Time Shares and Millions rent by the day the week the month.. Different strokes for different folks..

[KillerKoala]

Seems like a timeshare trap, read the reviews...the time you can actually use the boats seems deterring.

[Macgregorsailor51]

Thats a scary thought.. There are Honest Time Share Projects and there are others that are not.. this issue may well be the same with many other property sharing plans. I knew 2 of the most successful closers in the Mexican Riviera andas I learned from them, there is a lot to know ( read and UNDERSTAND) before you sign..Read and Understand what you read before you sign, goes hand in hand.. To The Victor Goes The Spoils

Originally Posted by KillerKoala

Seems like a timeshare trap, read the reviews...the time you can actually use the boats seems deterring.

[Harbor Hopper]

One of my best friends who will be moving down upon retirement next year went to a FBC open house in October (Cape Haze). He is a very smart guy who researches EVERY purchase. He decided the boat club was not for him. Yes, the up-front fees and monthly fee was quite high but he has money, so that wasn't the dagger. For him personally, it was the use restrictions. He would only want to use the boats on the weekends when the rest of us non-retirees will be out. With FBC, you can only reserve a few "credits" at one time and you can't have both saturday and sunday booked on a weekend. I understand they do this so all members have boat availability, but for him, this doesn't work and he will likely buy a boat and do in/out storage at a marina. The boat clubs are a great option for those that intend to use the boats according to the rules & restrictions. For others, ownership is the best option.
FYI regarding insurance, it's not required unless you have a boat loan which requires it. A used $8,000 pontoon, why bother? A $70,000 30' twin engine CC, absolutely. But that's your call :-)

[Restrain]

We went with a used boat, figure we will be dollars ahead. You check the used boat prices, there was a nice flats boat for $4995. Doesn't take long to pay for a boat like that. However, if you don't know what you want and if you are not tied into a long term contract, it would be a good way to experience various styles, sizes.

For example,I saw a 20' cruiser pulling in a sailboat yesterday through Boca Grande Pass. Wind was up, waves would have swamped a flats boat whereas the cruiser cut cleanly through the waves. At the same time, a flats boat is a better fishing craft.

All depends.

[Macgregorsailor51]

I wonder what was up with that? I know there are times when sailing in heavy weather is no longer fun but having someone TOW your sailboat when there is wind?? I would Like to hear that Captains excuse hahahaa How Embarassing

Originally Posted by Restrain

For example,I saw a 20' cruiser pulling in a sailboat yesterday through Boca Grande Pass. Wind was up,
All depends.

[PCHI]

After reading some online reviews, reading some thoughts here, we have decided that buying a good used pontoon boat, for us, is the way to go. The boat club thing didn't feel like a good fit. We are still full time workers and getting enough time on the boats to justify the cost would be tough. Thanks for the input. Ideas and where to find a good used pontoon? We have just started looking.