My 2-year Experience At Freedom Boat Club Tampa Bay: 5 Things You Can't Miss!

[@JohnnyFour]

You hit the nail on the head. I use Freedom in St. Augustine and reciprocal in Ny ( snow bird). I have been a member for 5 years and would never buy a boat again.

[@TampaforLife]

Glad you liked the video! Boat life is the best life!

[@johnessk]

Great video, I've been an FBC member for 3 years, and this is spot on.

[@TampaforLife]

Really appreciate that!!🙏

[@devonfreeman999]

Just bought a boat last yr and worth every penny. We can take it out any where at anytime . Yes, worth the expense.

[@TampaforLife]

I might be doing that as well, so glad to hear you love it!

[@garrydye2394]

I can certainly see the pros and cons of both. I'll tell you...we moved onto the Manatee river about three years ago and luckily have boat lift in our back yard...but before that...we used the boat ramps and its truly takes all the fun out of boating. If your not there early in the morning...your not getting a parking spot for the truck and trailer. End of story. Plus we counted 9 boats sitting in the water to go in for the day waiting their turn last Sunday. Just a complete hassle for most. And you can store your boat at a marina and have them have your boat ready but often times down here in Florida...your fighting the traffic to even get down to the marina. If you can't swing to live on the water...and I could not until I was 50 years old...then I think a boat club might just be your next best thing.

[@TampaforLife]

Totally agree

[@dann952]

Great video! We have been contemplating joining for a few hours, lol. We usually rent a boat for $950 each time, so thinking if we join and use a boat 6 times a year, its cheaper than renting. We'll certainly be using reciprocal priveleges as we visit Tampa!

[@TampaforLife]

Glad you liked the video👊 Yup that math makes sense. The reciprocals are one of the best features of the boat club! See you on the water!!

[@gonzo.hybridgymgrowth]

Definitely worth it

[@jenniferbyrne1737]

I live in Chicago so would want boats here for Lake Michigan in the summer.

[@TampaforLife]

Awesome!! Yep that makes sense

[@michaelwriting]

I just contacted them. Im not so much just looking for a boatshare thing. I was hoping for more of a club where I can learn things. Im looking to eventually get a nice cabin cruiser and do some liveaboard river crusing. And id like to get some training and education for that.

[@Thfeyhvfdetyhbvcd]

Suggestions for that: USCG Auxiliary classes. Also, if you join them you’ll be with a fun group of people who take boating safety very seriously Power Squadron. Another great organization.

[@caflet2009]

Thanks for that. Was there a way "park" your membership or are you in for a new initial fee if you go back to them?

[@NickyHirst-z1g]

Just saw your video as we are considering membership with Freedom Boat Club, we wondered if you could give us an idea of how much it cost for fuel each time you took the boats out? We live on the east coast of Florida and would plan to be on the water often, it would be helpful to get an idea on fuel costs to factor in to our monthly budget. Many thanks!

[@chadleo21]

Sure! We typically spent around 30-60 depending on where we went and what boat. for offshore fishing and long trips sometimes 100-150 max.

[@johncarlsen3467]

I’ve been with Freedom Boat Club for approx 8 yrs now. We home port out of Regatta Point Marina and fuel is very reasonable. One thing he didn’t mention is there is also a friends and family option where you can get multiple people join on the same membership. I’m not certain what is available now for membership options as it has been 8 years since we’ve joined. I highly recommend Freedom boat Club. I don’t think you’d be disappointed and they do have special deals on membership periodically. Good luck and God bless.

[@samuchevres6781]

Can you book the boat only for 1 day or how that works? Can you take it for a 3 days trip etc?

[@chadleo21]

It's only bookings for one day or they do the half days on weekends. So a whole day on the weekend would count as two reservations. You can book a multi-day trip if you call them and work it out ahead of time. They have to approve it though.

[@Hawk89gt]

Great video, and your points were spot on. I have been considering for over a year, and a few things you didn’t mention I’ve found in the research I’ve done. You can get boats in any of the other locations, but only 4/year/location, which is great for traveling, especially if you are pulling a trailer. My current costs on the coast of GA will be around $6800, 389/month for 7 day agreement. I am interested in you “pulling back” though, do they pause at all, or will you have to pay an initial payment again?

[@TampaforLife]

thanks!! Glad you liked it. I've heard they will pause, but i just flat out quit. I would have to pay to start up again. Miss it very much, but needed to focus on some things in my life at the current moment. I'll either be back or buying a boat at some point though!!

[@mikef9126]

When is the boat show in Atlanta?

[@willhiemenz1880]

You could have negotiated for a pause in the membership@@TampaforLife

[@Thfeyhvfdetyhbvcd]

What turned me off about it was that you had to turn the boat in by 5pm! And overnight trips were not easy to arrange, and no night boating.

[@TampaforLife]

What location was that? For Tampa we could stay out until a half hour before sunset, which in the summer was pretty late.

[@Thfeyhvfdetyhbvcd]

@@TampaforLife I’m a snowbird, only in Florida from December through April. Last time I checked them out was 2018. Im pretty sure it was 5pm for Tarpon Springs/Hudson area. Back then, it was about $2500 to join!

[@Thfeyhvfdetyhbvcd]

The “one day = TWO reservations” really turned me off too.

[@TampaforLife]

@@Thfeyhvfdetyhbvcd Gotcha. Makes sense! Winter time is dark sooooo early

[@TampaforLife]

@@Thfeyhvfdetyhbvcd I agree totally on that one

[@owens417]

how far ahead can you book and how late can you stay out on the water?

[@TampaforLife]

You can take it out until a half hour before sunset. I forget how far in advance but I know it's pretty far out. a couple months for sure

[@owens417]

Thank you for the info

[@richardb4787]

I'm interested in central Florida lakes.

[@TampaforLife]

Nice! We actually never really hit the lakes but I know some people that love them.

[@donakin8562]

There is a club specifically for the Harris chain of Lakes

[@ec11229]

How many months do you pay the membership for? Is it for 12 months?

[@TampaforLife]

It's generally around a 4-6k fee up front then $400 per month until you decide to stop

[@ec11229]

@@TampaforLife thanks for the info

[@Bonsai-Miata2020]

@@TampaforLife i can buy a nice boat for that price

[@KelseyMetzmeier]

If you stop and then rejoin do you have to pay the $4-$6k again?

[@TampaforLife]

I'm pretty sure you can pause the membership for a period of time, but yup if you leave you have to pay the 4-6k again.

[@MrRalphy2005]

You can pause for a yr.. you never pay the 5 k again it's life time ..

[@joeburke9680]

When you make vids like this, going through a list, it helps if you "bookmark" each item on the list that you are going through. Just makes it easier to nav your video. BTW, thanks and nice job otherwise.

[@chadleo21]

Thanks! We'll add some chapters👍

[@rnkblch]

I've been tossing this idea around for a long time. We live in Pensacola so we would have 14 locations in our home base area, 7 within an hour of our house. Can you tell me anything about the larger boats that some locations have? I know you have to pay extra to use them but I can't find a list of locations that even have them. Thanks for the great video!

[@TampaforLife]

Glad you liked the video! I'm not sure about Pensacola, but I know tampa bay includes up to 24 ft boats in their price. They did try a "luxury" program for a while for an additional $100 a month and you got access to a 26 ft twin engine sea fox, and double decker pontoons with a slide, but they scraped that program. Each location has different pricing even though you get the reciprocal benefits.

[@mnbigdawg9476]

Damn you bought all that equipment for 300 views, lmao

[@vampiresquid]

I don't understand the reciprocals. Is it 4x a year, total. Or 4x per location. And if the latter, what constitutes a location?

[@TampaforLife]

So it's four times per location and it's literally any single location. For example in Tarpon Springs, there are three different locations, so you could go four times per location which means 12 times out of Tarpon Springs👍

[@vampiresquid]

@@TampaforLife cool! I think I'm in. Thanks! They should give you a sales commission.

[@chadleo21]

@@vampiresquid Awesome!! Hope you enjoy!

[@KelseyMetzmeier]

If you stop and then rejoin do you have to pay the $4-$6k again?

[@TampaforLife]

I'm pretty sure you can pause the membership for a period of time, but yup if you leave you have to pay the 4-6k again.