A boat is a hole in the water into which you throw money. Most of us have either heard that expression or live it first hand. Once you shell out the initial bucks for buying the boat of your choice, you then have to pay insurance annually, slip fees, and maintenance at a bare minimum. It all adds up quickly. Then of course there is the time aspect. The only thing that disappears faster than boat bucks are maintenance minutes. You know how for every project you tackle to get your boat ready, two more somehow pop up; and each one requires at least three trips to the chandlery to get the proper bits and pieces. It can be exhausting and expensive. But we do it because the end game of getting out there on the Bay is so worth it. But is there a better way? Chesapeake Boating Club members may choose between Albin 28s and an Express Trawler among other powerboat and sailboat options. Boat sharing clubs are popping up in more and more locations not just on the Chesapeake, but all over the country. The concept is simple. Buy membership into a club of your choice for a year at a flat fee. The club pays for the dockage, insurance, cleaning, and maintenance. All members have to do is call ahead to book a time, show up, step on to a boat that’s ready to go in every way, and head out on to the Bay to have some fun. On the way back you top off the fuel, bring the boat back, step off, and go home and forget all about that boat. Somebody else takes care of getting it ready for the next trip on the Bay. “You can’t go boating any cheaper than this,” says Dan Somerville of Freedom Boat Club. “There are so many boats around here that just sit all year long, but the meter is still running on them. Somebody is still paying and paying while the boat just sits and sits.” Somerville runs the base at Port Annapolis Marina on Back Creek in Annapolis, but Freedom Boat Club is a franchise with bases all over the country. Membership with their club, like many others around the Bay, offers reciprocal rights at other bases making it perfect for snowbirds or other boaters who like to travel. Freedom Boat Club members head out for a day on the Bay. Paul Lambdin splits his time between Hilton Head, SC, and Annapolis following the sun. He and his wife have been boaters for years and just sold their SeaRay Sundancer 300 four years ago. “We were getting antsy to get back out on the water again. We started looking around, talking about it, pricing it out. and then a friend told me about Freedom Boat Club,” says Paul. “Not only are the boats a fraction of the cost, they are all new boats and incredibly well maintained and well equipped. From GPS and radio right down to the fenders, I don’t have to bring anything with me but food.” The Lambdins ended up getting a joint membership to the club that allowed them to have full usage for the three months they spend in Annapolis each summer and full usage the rest of the year down in Hilton Head. “We even use club boats down in Florida when we visit friends there during the really cold snaps of winter,” Paul says. “There are two reasons most people join a club like this,” remarks Kevin Ryman of Chesapeake Boating Club which has bases in Annapolis and Baltimore. “There are those who are new to boating, and this is an easy way to try without the huge commitment of buying their own boat. And there are those who have owned boats and are sick of the amount of work and time spent keeping them up and want to be able to just spend their time actually going boating instead of always maintaining a boat.” Many clubs offer members some instruction or refresher courses. Photo by Freedom Boat Club Members of boating clubs around the Bay seem to span a wide spectrum of ages and boating experience. There are retirees who are looking to buy a forever cruising boat but want to test the waters before making a plunge into the lifestyle. There are families with kids who just don’t want the hassle of having to take care of a boat on top of everything else. And there are young folks just starting out who want to learn more about boating before committing to buying a boat of their own. “An unexpected perk of membership is that we also offer the training on using our fleet of boats,” says Somerville. “We always encourage people to do an online boating class, but we go the extra mile with both classroom training and on the water training. For seasoned boaters it’s just a refresher, but for new boaters it’s a fabulous resource to get started. We want members to have confidence and competence.” Once members are up to speed, they just have to book a time, pick a boat, and go out and have some fun. You are responsible for your own fuel consumption, but many clubs will even take over the job of filling the tank for you. “We have a very accurate fuel flow meter that measures what is burned to 1/10 of a gallon. So they can bring back the boat as is, and we’ll fill the tank and just bill them for it at the regular fuel price,” says Ryman. There are plenty of boat sharing clubs that offer strictly powerboats and those that offer strictly sail, but more and more are what Somerville calls “binautical.” Chesapeake Boating Club offers runabouts and cruisers in the powerboat fleet, but they also offer daysailing boats and larger cruising sailboats. “We have quite a few members who do both,” says Ryman. “They can pick from many levels of membership and à la cart items to get the most of their time on the water sailing or motoring.” Chesapeake Boating Club, where the office floats and the members are bi-nautical. Different clubs around the Bay offer a variety of fun social events too from potlucks to raft-ups and flotillas. “When I tell my other boating friends that I have access to these boats and all the benefits whenever I want and I only have to worry about fueling up and nothing else, their eyes widen and their wheels start turning,” remarks Paul Lambdin. It’s pretty much all the picture perfect fun of boating on the Bay without all the dirty work. Most members join and then wonder why they didn’t try it sooner. by Cindy Wallach Learn More: Here's a sampling of clubs to check out! Carefree Boat Club: carefreeboats.com Chesapeake Boating Club: chesapeakeboatingclub.com Freedom Boat Club: freedomboatclub.com Getaway Sailing Baltimore: getawaysailing.com