Freedom Boat Club (FBC) is a members-only boat club in North America, Europe and Asia. Freedom is considered the largest marine franchisor in the US.[1]
History
The company, founded in Sarasota Florida, has been in business since 1989. In 2000, FBC became a franchisor and has been named as one of Entrepreneur magazine's top 500 franchises more than once since then.[2] Through franchising, the club has grown to about 430 locations, 6000 boats and almost 100,000 members.[1]
Freedom Boat Club is based on the concept of a shared asset model, which is similar but very different from fractional ownership. Buying a membership gains access to a fleet of boats that are shared among the members of the club. The fleet consists of a variety of boats such as bow riders, cruisers, deck boats and fishing boats.[3]