Boating season is getting a new option in Erie as Freedom Boat Club expands into the region with a fleet of brand-new boats now docked at Perry’s Landing.
According to the regional president of Freedom Boat Club, Zach Lutz, the club offers members access to several different types of boats without the responsibilities that come with ownership.
“We are starting with two center consoles, 24-foot Key Wests, a Crown line deck boat — kind of like a bow rider deck boat — and a 23-foot Harris triton with a ski tow.”
The boats are available for members to reserve and use throughout the season.
Club leaders say the service is designed for people who enjoy being on the water but no longer want the maintenance, storage and other expenses that come with owning a boat.
“A lot of folks who’ve had boats no longer want to take care of them, maybe can’t anymore, or just don’t want to deal with the headache and hassle of ownership,” said Dylan Brawn, vice president and operations lead with the local chapter of Freedom Boat Club. “They’re able to walk down the dock, go out, have a good time, and when they’re done, they come straight back to us. We fill the boat later for them, they hand us the keys, and they go home and have a good night.”
Freedom Boat Club already operates in the Buffalo area and is now expanding to both Erie and Bemus Point on Chautauqua Lake. Lutz says the combination of locations gives members access to very different boating experiences. “We always thought the combination of having Erie and Chautauqua as your home bases that utilize both of those lakes would be great. Because you know there’s a lot you can do on a Great Lake and a lot of options you can have on an inland lake — so that complement in your home base is pretty unique,” Lutz said.
Members pay a onetime membership fee along with a monthly dues, which allows them to access boats not only in Erie, but also at other Freedom Boat Club locations while traveling.
“And the Freedom Boat Club model is all our boats are four years and newer,” Zach said. “We replace those boats cyclically at the two-, four-, five-year mark depending on the make and model, so we’ll always have a brand-new boat for you — and you use it when you want it.”
The club says its goal is to make boating more accessible while removing many of the challenges associated with ownership. You can learn more about the club this weekend on the Insider public affairs program with Lisa Adams, or you can check out their website, by clicking here.