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Another forum member suggested I relate my experiences in the boat club, in case anyone is interested. Hopefully, someone is!
I joined The Yacht Club in Deerfield Beach, FL about a year ago. I've taken out a boat just about every 2 weeks (24 times or so). They have a fleet of 27-28 foot boats, mostly by Chaparral. They have a couple of bowriders, a couple of cruisers with a cabin, and a fishing boat (Southport).
We can make up to 6 reservations, but cannot reserve on back-to-back weekend days. The hours are 8-5, but after you've been out a while and they trust you, you can sign it out to return it after hours, which I now do routinely.
The two greatest aspects of the club are the cost and the ease of use. The cost is $5000 / year, all inclusive except gas, which is based on hours of use. This gas cost is probably overpriced, as they charge around $20 / hr depending on which model, yet most of the time is often spent at idle speed in no wake zones. I usually end up spending about $80 for gas for the day.
The biggest advantage of the club is the convenience. When I pick up the boat, it is clean, there is ice in the cooler, it is gassed up and ready to go. I do a brief check, turn on the blowers my son takes care of the lines, and we're off. When I return it, I take out my belongings and clean it up a little, tip the dock hands, get in my car and I'm gone. They do the heavier cleaning and take it out of the water.
Another great feature is the variety of boats. I've gone fishing about 5 times; having a center console to use on these occasions is nice. Cruiser when I go out with the family or friends, fishing boat when I go fishing.
Finally, cost is certainly a great advantage. I almost bought a similarly sized boat a year ago; turns out that the cost of storage at this marina is more than the entire annual membership! (Not to mention the cost of the boat, insurance, upkeep, etc.)
The biggest drawback, ironically, is the same as the biggest advantage. That is that the boat is not ours. It is a drawback in that we cannot leave our stuff on board. If it were ours, it would be stocked with some towels, our own life jackets, some cups, waters etc. Instead, we're always lugging this stuff from home. My wife never really feels comfortable; she says she'd be happier if her stuff were in it. Additionally, the boats are just a little smaller than I'd like; it can get tight with two families (we often bring friends). For my purposes, I'd really like something in the 33-35 foot range (preowned Tiara one day?). Additionally, we cannot take it out overnight.
Anyway, it has provided me with a wonderful opportunity to learn a little about boats and boating. I've also learned what my family likes, wants and needs, so that if I do step up one day and get my own boat, I'll be a little more experienced and able to choose one that serves our needs best.
Thanks for posting that. The question comes up from time to time and most people only post the negative parts. It does seem like a good way to get into boating if you're not sure you will enjoy it or not sure what kind of boat is best for you.
I suppose there are some operations not as good as yours so it would still be advisable to check before you join.
Thanks for posting that. The question comes up from time to time and most people only post the negative parts. It does seem like a good way to get into boating if you're not sure you will enjoy it or not sure what kind of boat is best for you.
I suppose there are some operations not as good as yours so it would still be advisable to check before you join.
No problem, hope it helps some folks. That's as unbiased of a review as I could give - expresses the benefits and drawbacks as I see them.
CMB- Thanks for posting. At least it gives you a chance to get out on the weater without spending too much money or too much trouble. Do you have to pay insurance costs or is that included in the membership fee?
Insurance is included, but the deductible is high ($2000 I think). You can buy it down, though. I once scraped bottom coming by the intracoastal and Hillsboro, on the NE side; broke a skeg and scraped the prop. Cost about $850 I think, but don't remember for sure.
Thats where I purchased and stored my Formula years back. They just opened the new storage site across Federal. It is a great facility with great people. You can get seriously spoiled in a place like that.
It's a little more than $20 / hr. How many gph do you burn at idle in a 27' cruiser? I can't find the stat, but I thought it was only 1-2 gph at idle, and in this area 85% of the time is spent at idle speed in no wake zones in this area. I may be wrong.
If I were to consider something like this - it would be primarily for fishing on the Southport.
What is the availability of that boat? Is it hard to get?
Is the fuel strictly by the hour, and not just pay for what you burn? That would make it prohibitive and unreasonable, as a 6 hour trip with trolling would be outrageous on fuel versus what is actually burned.
If I were to consider something like this - it would be primarily for fishing on the Southport.
What is the availability of that boat? Is it hard to get?
Is the fuel strictly by the hour, and not just pay for what you burn? That would make it prohibitive and unreasonable, as a 6 hour trip with trolling would be outrageous on fuel versus what is actually burned.
Availability, in actuality, has become a problem recently. Some members book out way in advance, just to get a spot, then cancel. This creates a waiting list and it is worse than it was a year ago. The fishing boat is actually harder than the others, b/c there was only one, but I just got a letter announcing they were adding a second one.
The fuel is calculated by engine hour. As a matter of fact, it does come into play; last time I fished, I drifted rather than trolled b/c it would have been way more expensive to troll. Didn't get much, probably should have just antied up (spelled right?) and trolled.
If I were to consider something like this - it would be primarily for fishing on the Southport.
What is the availability of that boat? Is it hard to get?
Is the fuel strictly by the hour, and not just pay for what you burn? That would make it prohibitive and unreasonable, as a 6 hour trip with trolling would be outrageous on fuel versus what is actually burned.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cmb13
Availability, in actuality, has become a problem recently. Some members book out way in advance, just to get a spot, then cancel. This creates a waiting list and it is worse than it was a year ago. The fishing boat is actually harder than the others, b/c there was only one, but I just got a letter announcing they were adding a second one.
The fuel is calculated by engine hour. As a matter of fact, it does come into play; last time I fished, I drifted rather than trolled b/c it would have been way more expensive to troll. Didn't get much, probably should have just antied up (spelled right?) and trolled.
Is this at Marina One?
If so, sounds interesting - I may go talk to them, but I would have to work with them on the fuel issue -
Most days fishing down here - is less than 6 miles running each way and then slow trolling/ bumping into the current - The fuel calculations are just not right for that - most of the day you would be burning less than 2 gallons/hour
I also am considering joining this very facility. Very nice location and amenities. A few things to note: You will not be allowed out if there are small craft warnings posted, even if that means the wind is from the west or northwest and the seas are flat calm. Also no night trips or runs to Bimini. As far as trolling, I suppose you could alternate motors on the fishing boat and cut that down a bit.
No option to bring it back with gas. Don't forget the hourly fee is not just for the cost of gas (even though they say that), but it probably also amortizes maintenance and time to overhaul for the power as well. My guess is that if you figure fuel cost plus all the mainenance and the life expectancy of the power, it may not be that unreasonable, at least not from their viewpoint.
I looked into two of these boat clubs locally, the main thing was i love to blow money so i just bought a boat haha. But seriously they are a great alternative, even though i didn't do one i see the benefits. Much cheaper, variety of boats, no maintenance, etc... My big issues were the availability, the one close to me has 175 members and 26 boats i believe, those numbers kinda scared me. I thought some of the conditions of the boats were pretty shotty, nothing functional but cosmetic stuff like torn up cushions and bolsters that i knew would bug me if i was out on them. In the end i felt that if i was gonna dump thousands of dollars into a glorified rental, I would rather dump a few more thousand into something that was mine, that i could take care of and use how and whenever i like. Hopefully this will help any of you make ur decision.
Yacht Club - South Florida
