Issue link: http://southshoremagazine.uberflip.com/i/353654
Ahhhh. Summer's here, and after an unusually long winter, thoughts turn to lazy days spent on the water. Maybe it's time to live the dream and buy a boat. You can just picture it, you and your family will spend every weekend and even some weekdays on the water—cruising down the coast, waterskiing, tubing, fishing, or just anchoring and relaxing with other boating friends. A lifetime of carefree summer memories unfolds before you. So you take the next step and check out what it costs to buy that dream. To start, it will cost about $40,000 or so for a 22 foot power boat. Then, you need to find a slip, which may not be as easy as you think if you're choosy about where you want to dock. In a recovering economy, slips in local South Shore marinas are increasingly hard to find. Slip fees on the South Shore average about $185 per foot, and if you add average town mooring permit fees, that brings the slip and permit bill up over $4,200. Insurance, maintenance, spring commissioning, winterization, shrink wrapping and storage—all necessary to protect that investment—tack on another estimated $4,200. The total annual estimate is about $8,400, and you haven't even bought safety gear or fuel yet. All of a sudden, your carefree summer fantasy is looking more like The Impossible Dream. Do you have to give up on your dream, or is there another way to enjoy boating? Enter Freedom Boat Club, a private, members-only club that provides an affordable, convenient, hassle free way to enjoy boating. With about 75 franchises in the United States, they are the largest boat membership program in the country. On Freedom Boat Club's main website (www.freedomboatclub.com), the mission statement says it all. "We believe that days do not have to be ordinary and boating should be an escape rather than a nuisance. To us, boating is a way for people to relax, connect with friends and create powerful memories with family." Locally, Duxbury native Matt O'Connor and Dennis native Matt Carrick own 8 franchises in Massachusetts, including those in Boston, Quincy, Hingham and Scituate. Although he grew up on Cape Cod, Carrick said he'd never been much of a boater. In 2008, the Babson graduate was looking for a career change after working in the financial industry. After looking into becoming a member of Freedom Boat Club, he decided he liked the business model enough to start a franchise on the Cape. That franchise, in West Dennis, grew quickly and expanded to Sesuit Harbor in East Dennis the following year. This meant club members "doubled their boating pleasure with the ability to boat on both sides of the Cape," Carrick said. Last fall, the opportunity came up to merge or purchase other franchises. Now, in addition to the Dennis, Boston, and South Shore franchises, O'Connor and Carrick also own the Freedom Boat Clubs of Falmouth and Danvers. Combined, they recently surpassed the 500 member mark. After the purchase, Carrick said they quickly invested in all aspects of the clubs. They bought all new boats, invested in marketing, new signage, service and club managers in all locations. Relax on the Water with Freedom Boat Club by Maryellen Dever, photography by Mindi Sokoloski 16