Estimates show that around 142 million Americans enjoyed boating in 2016. Maybe you did as well, and now you want a boat of your own. Fantasies of sun-drenched afternoons on the water, tubing, fishing trips with old friends, and water skiing fill your head. The smell of salt on the breeze—it’s all so intoxicating. However, a boat is an investment full of costs that sap the happiness out of ownership. You can avoid them with a boat membership.
A boat membership is probably something you’ve never thought of, but you should. Read on to learn the five major benefits of joining a boating club.
1. No Insurance Premiums
A boat requires insurance like any other vehicle you own.
In some cases, your homeowner’s insurance covers your boat. Yet, most homeowner’s insurance only covers boats like canoes, small engine boats, or other small, inexpensive boats.
If your boat travels over 25 miles per hour or is larger like a sailboat or yacht, you will need to obtain an insurance policy and pay monthly premiums.
These premiums can get quite pricey and take a chunk out of your monthly budget. You need to consider how often you will use your boat to figure if these premium payments are worth it.
With a boating membership, you don’t have to worry about monthly insurance premiums, what your liability insurance covers, and the rules of your policy.
Your access to a boat is covered with one, easy-to-budget, monthly fee.
2. Free From Maintenance
Think about a boat like a car. No matter what, something will go wrong. Even when things don’t go wrong, you will have to perform regular maintenance to keep your boat working properly.
Boat ownership means you are on the hook for oil changes and engine work, fuel system cleaning and repair, all the electronics, as well as vessel systems.
While owning a boat seems like a good idea, most people with a hectic life do not have the time to do all this work. Many people do not have the know-how. More still do not have the option to pay for this maintenance work.
One of the major boat club benefits is that you do not have to pay for any of it. The cost of maintaining the fleet is built into your membership fees.
There is also a time-cost reduction as well. You won’t have to spend the time doing the work on your boat. Every time you reserve a boat in your boat club, it’s guaranteed to be maintained, clean, and water-ready.
3. I’m Your Captain
Want to take a fishing trip into unfamiliar waters? Do you want to have a boat party where you can relax and not worry about steering the ship? Or how about a relaxing day with your best friends with a few beers or some wine?
One of the great benefits of boat membership is that there are licensed captains on duty always willing and able to steer your ship.
A licensed boat captain can turn a normal fishing trip into an adventure with their expertise. There is no need to worry about sandbars, rocks, dropping anchor, or rough weather.
A boat is like any other vehicle. You cannot operate it intoxicated. Free yourself from worry about having too many drinks or strange waters by chartering a boat with an expert captain.
With a boat club membership, you are always one phone call away from a safe day out on the water.
4. Learn How to Be Your Own Captain
Are you thinking about buying a boat but don’t know the first thing about operating one? One big perk of joining a boating club is the availability of lessons.
For your monthly membership fee, you have access to licensed captains who will teach you the ins and outs of boat stewardship.
With their lessons, you can branch out by renting a boat from the fleet to steer yourself. Once you get comfortable on your own, you can eventually buy a boat of your own.
A boat club membership is a great way to stick your toe in the water of boating without the initial start-up investment. There is always so much to learn, and a boating club membership is the safest way to learn it.
5. Flexible Fleets
A huge reason to join a boating club is the fleet available for rent.
With boats, one size does not fit all. A two-person fishing boat will not meet the needs of a family excursion out on the water. Nor will it suit the next nautical party you’re planning.
With boat ownership, you own one boat. While you may dream of margaritas on the ocean, your two-seat bass boat won’t cut it.
When weighing the pros and cons, the ability to rent boats of different sizes to meet your needs is definitely a pro in the boat club column.
Discover More Benefits of Boat Membership
Owning a boat sounds like a great idea, but consider all that goes along with it. You’ve got insurance premiums, the cost and time spent maintaining your vessel, and repair costs.
Then you have to pay to dock it somewhere or haul it on a trailer. You might not even have the right car for a trailer hitch.
Further still, the boat you buy may not meet all your needs. For these and many other reasons, you should consider a boat membership.
To get out on the water, contact us for more information.