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FRANCHISE RESALES

Buy a Freedom Boat Club Franchise

Freedom Boat Club is the world’s first and largest boat club, founded in 1989 in Sarasota, Florida. It runs a membership model that gives members access to a fleet of well-maintained boats without the cost and effort of ownership: the club buys, stores, cleans, fuels, insures and maintains the boats, while members simply reserve them for day use. Franchising began in 2000.

The network spans more than 400 locations across 35 U.S. states, Canada, and several European and Asia-Pacific markets, serving over 100,000 members. A reciprocal usage program lets full-time members boat at other clubs across the system when travelling, and individual clubs operate with minimal staff on a recurring, membership-driven revenue base.

Since May 2019, Freedom Boat Club has been a business of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), the marine group behind Mercury Marine, Boston Whaler, Bayliner, Lund and Sea Ray. That ownership gives franchisees wholesale boat purchasing, group insurance programs and direct access to Brunswick’s marine brands and services.

Latest Resales

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Why buy a Freedom Boat Club Franchise?

To buy a Freedom Boat Club franchise is to step into the largest and longest-established brand in a recreational boating category that has proved resilient across economic cycles. The shared-access model spreads the cost of boats across a membership base, producing recurring revenue rather than relying on one-off sales, and the lean staffing requirement keeps clubs comparatively simple to run.

Backing from Brunswick Corporation is a meaningful differentiator: franchisees gain wholesale volume boat purchasing, exclusive financing programs and competitive group insurance, plus access to Brunswick boat and engine brands. The reciprocal usage program, which lets members boat at clubs worldwide, strengthens the membership proposition that drives local sign-ups.

Freedom Boat Club Franchise Costs & Information

Based on 2025 data reported in the 2026 FDD

  • Brand Profile

    • Year Founded

      1989

    • Franchising Since

      2000

    • New Startup Cost

      $263,500 – $622,500

    • Avg. Resale Price

      Contact us for details

  • Franchise Fees

    • Initial franchise Fee

      $50,000

      for new territories

    • Transfer Fee

      $15,000

    • Royalty Fee

      6%

      of Gross Revenue

    • Marketing Fee

      0.5%

      of Gross Revenue

  • Unit Performance

    • Total Units *

      437

    • New Units Opened *

      33

    • Units Transferred *

      4

    • Avg. Unit revenue *

      Not Disclosed

    * Based on 2025 data reported in the 2026 FDD

Freedom Boat Club – Additional  Information

  1. Training & Support

    Franchisees train through Freedom University, the brand's structured education program, and gather annually at the Freedom Forum conference, which pairs operator sessions with a large partner-and-vendor expo of boat builders and marine suppliers. Ongoing support covers operations, marketing, technology systems and reservation tools, alongside Brunswick-enabled wholesale boat purchasing, group insurance and the reciprocal usage network. Resale buyers should confirm with Freedom Boat Club what Freedom University onboarding and system access transfers to incoming ownership and any new staff when a club changes hands.

  2. Ideal Owner

    The model suits an active owner-operator with a genuine passion for boating and access to a sizeable body of fresh or saltwater with a local population of boating enthusiasts. Strong customer-service instincts, community-building and general business acumen matter more than marine experience, since no prior boating background is required. Owners run lean operations with minimal staff, so comfort coordinating a small team, managing a fleet and reservations, and selling memberships locally is key. It fits hands-on operators who want a lifestyle-driven, recurring-revenue business.

  3. Recognition & Awards

    Freedom Boat Club ranks annually in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500, where it has placed for several consecutive years and topped the Boat Clubs category (most recently #499 in 2025), and appears on Entrepreneur's Top Global Franchises list (#152 in 2025). It has been named a Franchise Business Review Top 200 Franchise (2026) and featured among Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies. As a business of Brunswick Corporation, it carries the credibility of the world's largest recreational marine company. Resale buyers should weigh brand recognition alongside the specific club's local reputation and member reviews.

  4. Industry / Market

    Recreational boating is a substantial U.S. leisure category: the National Marine Manufacturers Association estimates Americans spend roughly $230 billion a year on boating, with around 100 million participating annually. Shared-access and club models have grown as an affordable alternative to full ownership, appealing to people who want time on the water without the cost, storage and upkeep of a boat. Demand concentrates around coastal regions, lakes and waterways, making local access to water and an active boating population central to a club's performance.

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