The Freedom Boat Club, the world’s oldest and largest boat sharing club with 150+ locations across 30 states in the USA and Canada, has just signed an alliance agreement with French boat builder Jeanneau to cooperatively develop Freedom Boat Club franchises among its European dealer network.
The Freedom Boat Club franchise model is now being offered to Jeanneau retailers in Europe who will have the opportunity to develop boat sharing locations in their local market using Jeanneau outboard-powered boats.
In the USA the club has a strong relationship with the Groupe Beneteau brands with a growing number of franchisees using Jeanneau, Four Winns and Glaston outboard boats in their fleets.
When Freedom Boat Club launched, it presented an exciting new alternative to boat ownership that opened the waterways to newcomers as well as lapsed boaters.
It was first founded in 1989 in Sarasota, Florida. Its vision and purpose in establishing the boat club model was simple and straightforward providing affordable options to boat ownership while delivering a maintenance-free recreational boating experience for its members.
At the time, the concept was considered revolutionary and break-through. Boaters were either traditional boat owners, or friends of boat owners. The “Sharing Economy” was not taken seriously, there were no boat clubs, fractional boating, boating timeshare, or even many boat rental facilities.
Based on current interest and development activity, the club expects to announce multiple Freedom Boat Clubs operational in France this spring, with additional expansion elsewhere throughout Europe to follow.
A group of Jeanneau dealers attending the Miami International Boat Show next week are confirmed to meet with Freedom Boat Club executives to tour a large Florida-based Freedom Boat Club franchise operation.
Created in 1956, Jeanneau designs, produces and sells a wide range of outboard and inboard powerboats, sailboats and yachts ranging from 5 to 25 metres in nearly 70 countries via its network of 350 dealerships.
Not only will the new international expansion be good for business, but it is also very good for the more than 30,000 Freedom Boat Club members throughout North America and those who will join abroad.
Freedom Boat Club members around the world will be able to enjoy full access to our fleet of boats wherever clubs exist in North America, and that will now include international ports of call.”