BY LORI ANNE OLIWA
Correspondent
PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Steve and Theresa Clark own Freedom Boat Club which offers seasonal boat rentals. MONMOUTH BEACH – Summer has arrived and so have the boaters. The cascade of sails rising and falling with the tides and the humming of boat engines are common sights and sounds along the Shrewsbury and Navesink Rivers. Any boater, whether into sailboats or powerboats, can relate to the old saying about boats being holes in the water. The high cost of maintenance can be prohibitive.
While Steve Clark, owner of Freedom Boat Club, strongly agrees with those statements, he has a solution for both experienced and aspiring boaters alike.
“The concept of boat rental through membership is the driving force behind Freedom Boat Club. Membership provides all the benefits of the boating lifestyle without the hassles and high costs,” he said.
Clarke was quick to add that membership “runs roughly 50 percent of boat ownership, and is all fun and no work whatsoever.”
According to Clarke, the average annual cost of membership is $4,000 to $5,800 depending on how the member chooses to pay and the length of membership selected.
Being a life-long boating aficionado himself, Clark joked that “the best days of a boat owners’ life are the day when the boat is purchased, and the day when the boat is sold.”
Clark co-owns the Monmouth Beach-based franchise with his wife, Theresa, and says the process of joining is very easy.
“The club owns the boats, maintains the boats, and cares for the boats. People join, and all they have to do is have fun with the boats,” he said.
Theresa added, “Boating is a great family activity. When people come back from an outing on the river, they are always happy. The best part is that they have no cleaning-up to do after the outing.”
However, this fun is tempered with the need for safety, rules and education. Members are limited to outings on the Shrewsbury and Navesink Rivers and cannot go beyond Sandy Hook Bay without advanced training, which the club will provide at no extra cost.
Clark explained that the club requires all members to undergo N.J. Boat Safety Certification Training as a minimum requirement.
“The club actually picks up the cost of the training and will take members out with licensed captains for four hours,” he said.
He added that all safety equipment is provided. “There is also a dock master available at any time that members are present and using the boats. When the boats are out, the master is here. During busy times, we have two dock masters,” Clark said.
Freedom Boat Club is based at Oceanport Landing Marina and currently has 30 members.
“There are several types of membership, but there is never any pressure involved whatsoever,” stated Theresa Clark, who is in charge of member relations.
Steve Clark said that the current ratio of members to boats is about 8 to 10 people per boat, and the club will be buying more boats soon to meet demand.
The club currently owns five boats including: a 22-foot and a 24-foot Hurricane Sundeck; a 12-foot Polar center console fishing boat; a 22-foot Stingray Cuddy Cabin; and a 25-foot Stingray Cruiser.
Reservations can be booked through the company’s Web site, www.NJ.FreedomBoatClub.com.
“Even spur-of-the-moment reservations can be accommodated, and most of the time, there is a boat available,” Steve Clark stated.
Another membership benefit, according to Clark, is the reciprocal privileges that exist throughout the country.
“The company is a franchise with 51 locations throughout the United States. Members are entitled to reciprocal privileges at any location for a total of four times per year per location. This is a great perk for those who travel,” he said.
Clark also mentioned that he has plans to expand the company and purchase additional locations.
“My plan is to have multiple locations, as nobody else is doing this in N.J. yet. With my strong background in business and love of boating, I have melded the two together in what will be a lucrative business,” he said, adding, “I absolutely love the boating lifestyle and want to bring it to others without the hassles.”