2009 Boat Shows

The Freedom Boat Club will be exhibitor's at both the Rockingham Fishing & Hunting Exhibition and the 2009 New England Boat Show this winter. We will have boats from our fleet on display at each show as well as our 20th Anniversary special pricing available. This pricing will only be available through the end of February so try to make it to one of these shows or contact us directly to take advantage of this offer.

The Rockingham Expo is being held on January 10th-11th at the Rockingham Park Racetrack in Salem, NH (across the street from the Mall at Rockingham Park). We will have our Sailfish 2360 on display for the fishing enthusiasts and our crew will be on hand to answer any questions you may have. You can find more information about this show at www.rockinghamexpo.com

The New England Boat Show will run from February 14th-22nd at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. We will be in booth #3300 this year and will have two boats from our fleet on display. This is truly an event that the boating enthusiast will not want to miss! The New England Boat Show also has over 350 exhibits of marine accessories for your boating needs. You can visit www.naexpo.com/boatshow for more information about this show.

These are two great shows and we hope to see you there.

Article on FBC in the Portsmouth Herald

This was an article that was written about our club earlier this summer. I wanted to post it here for those who missed it.

Rocking the Boat
New business changes Seacoast pasttime

By Adam Leech

aleech@seacoastonline.com

June 23, 2008 6:00 AM

PORTSMOUTH — The Port City's working waterfront is working a little differently on Sagamore Avenue.

Sea lovers who love to boat but hate the hassle of maintenance, can't afford mooring fees or can't find a marina slip now have another option. For a $5,900 entry fee and $299 per month, Freedom Boat Club offers unlimited use of its boats in Portsmouth and Newburyport, Mass., and four visits at 42 other locations in the United States.

After finding success with the franchise in Newburyport, Mike Goodridge and his son, Jake, opened the 44th Freedom Boat Club at 955 Sagamore Ave. — formerly the Sagamore Creek General Store & Lobster Pound — two weeks ago.

"We had no intention of being here this quick and open, but when this piece of property became available, we couldn't resist," said Mike.

Members must get their safe-boating certificate and complete six hours of training. Then all they have to do is call the club, tell it when they need a vessel, and the boat is ready to go whenever they want.

Because the Goodridges own the Newburyport club, Portsmouth members get full use of that fleet as well. The membership also comes with four visits per location in other clubs in Michigan and on the East Coast, from New Hampshire south. One could spend a year going from location to location, paying only the monthly fee.

"It's a concept that's growing very rapidly," said Mike. "I think it's catching on now because the cost of boating and maintenance is getting to the point where people are saying, 'I can't be bothered.' This is a practical, affordable way to go boating — especially in an area like this with a limited amount of marinas and moorings."

So far there are five members in Portsmouth, most of whom signed up prior to the club opening or even before the new pier was installed. There are 20 members in Newburyport, which has been open for a little over a year.

All the vessels are top of the line, and members have the option of taking out the cruiser boat or the center console fishing boats. For some people, Mike said, the convenience just works.

"For people who own boats, it's very hard for them to go for a two-hour ride because of all the time it takes to put the canvas down, open up the boat, go ride, come back, wash down, clean it up," said Mike. "We do all that, so their actual time boating is boating. ... The headache is gone."

Copyright © 2008 Seacoast Media Group, a subsidiary of Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. All Rights Reserved.