Freedom has a full selection of new boats to fill your needs and desires.
Up until now, the best option to end the hassle of
boat ownership was to rent a boat, if you could find
what you wanted at a reasonable price. That is not an
easy thing to do, which is why John Giglio started the
Freedom Boat Club in Sarasota in 1989. He saw that
there was a need to find an affordable and hassle-free
alternative to boat ownership. His concept worked,
which is why Freedom Boat Club has grown so
dramatically over the years. Here in Tampa Bay, we
have its largest franchise partner with 17 locations and
275 boats under the leadership of Glenn Bergoffen.
A team of dock managers, mechanics and membership
executives work daily to provide a hassle-free
boating experience at about 25 percent of the cost of
purchasing a comparable boat. How they do it is easy
to understand, once you see how the club operates.
As a member, you use Freedom’s state-of-the-art
reservation system to reserve boats of your choice at
your location of choice on your day of choice. When
you arrive, you are given the boat you requested,
ready for a fun day on the water. When you return,
you simply swipe your card to pay for your fuel,
and then you are on your way. The entire process
takes only a few minutes. It is that easy, and it works
because the economics make sense since the costs are
shared by the club members. That is why Freedom
can offer members an expansive fleet of clean, wellmaintained
boats at an affordable cost.
You don’t even need to have experience with
130 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | MAY/JUNE 2018
boating because your membership includes free,
unlimited training. Freedom’s U.S. Coast Guard
licensed captains are committed to helping its
members become confident and competent mariners.
Lisa Reho, Freedom’s chief operations officer, says
Freedom offers their members eight different kinds of
boats to choose from, including center-console fishing
boats, deck boats, pontoon boats, shallow water flat
bottom fishing boats and new to the fleet this year, the
Zodiac NZO that is ideal for cruising the Intracoastal
Waterway or island-hopping between our beautiful
barrier islands.
Freedom’s fleet is constantly being renewed. Its 2016
vessels are already heading to auction, while 112 new
boats are arriving for the upcoming season. Freedom
has built its fleet on the basis of market demand, and
89 percent of boating in America takes place on boats
similar to those in Freedom’s fleet. You will find the
exact boat that you would like for any outing and be
able to climb aboard and return it to your starting
point. Freedom’s sharing arrangement provides good,
affordable options for consumers, making it “Boating
for the Next Generation.” You might even call it “Uber
for the Water.” It just makes sense, and it certainly makes
your life easier to do boating the Freedom way. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: To learn more about the Freedom Boat
Club, go to yourboatinglife.com or call (855) FREEDOM
(373-3366).