Has anyone ever been a member of a boating club?
 

I have been seeing more and more news about these "boating clubs", now i know they do not provide go fast boats like we all love, however i spend a couple weekends with my family on the east coast in the Maryland area and there seems to be a lot of them there. I was hoping maybe there could be some people that have some input good/bad. I know this is not an "off shore" subject however i am just looking for some advice.
Blake

do you mean like a social gathering type club or actual brick and mortar clubs at marinas (that often owns the marina as well)?

Yes one that owns the marina as well. The type of boat club that you can go to the marina when you please and use one of the boats at your leisure. You pay a membership fee and usually can go from location to location depending where you want to boat. I understand the boats are usually under powered and beat up however I am looking to just be able to get out on the water. I love going 100mph just as much as anyone else but just being out on the water is all I want visiting family.

I think he means those clubs that let you use/rent boats from. http://freedomboatclub.com/

At least 10 yrs now Been in both general family focused boating club (brick and mortar) which offers good activities, the best launch ramp and transient docking on the river and also a offshore focused club (no brick and mortar) and love both.

I have been a member of a boat club for years now. The one I belong to, we as members own the club and it was the best move I ever made in boating. We have our own facility that includes a travel lift capable of pulling and shoring up to a fifty footer. We have our own restraunt and gas docks that as members we pay about ten cents over cost per gallon to cover owning and staffing the pump. On site year around gated storage with live in secutity (whos actually a member on here with a 30 sleekcraft) my dock will hold up to a fifty and has water, electric and wi-fi. oh heres the best part . . . . my member ship is about $250 a year (yes I said a year) and my dock is $235 a year (yes I said a year) great facility with great members. At our bar im not sure you can spend more then a buck and a half on any drink and the restraunt is pretty good to (not fine dining but pretty damn good) only other thing is as a member your required to do like twenty work hours but they are very liberal with the hour sheet. I did my whole twenty hours last year in a day . . . . in about three hours lol. We also have one of the areas biggest regattas each year and there are several other similar clubs along the river where its at and they have regattas as well (not hard to find somethin to do in the summer lol)

yes i apologize for the confusion. this should explain it pretty well. it is off the site Dave M gave thanks!
https://youtu.be/1dQMsR-0bXg

but glassdave your facility sounds like a great time and super affordable

Nevermind. I see you're talking about something completely different.

Why pay dues and monthly membership to a club when you could just rent a boat anywhere and have the same experience for less? Unless you were using the boat every weekend.

I rash Glass daves club, (though as a member of TIYC, we are affiliated with AYC which gives guest privileges at RVYC (Dave's club), though I am also a proud member of SBYC (which is more of an informal association of jackazzes)..So how is that for alphabet soup?? Also honarary member of CBBC...

I rented a house for a short time in a water front community. I figured it would be nice to put my boat in the water right there at the neighborhood ramp. I was then informed that you had to be in the yacht club to use the ramp, and then they told me sail boats only could join the club. So no form of "power boat" could use the ramp at all. No wonder that nice neighborhood was going to crap. That's when my hate started for blow boaters.