Freedom Boat Club of Greater Boston

Partnering up with Boston Scuba!

2012-01-27T08:09:00.000-08:00

We are proud to announce that we have partnered up with Boston Scuba! As a Freedom Boat Club member you will be able to take advantage of special discounts and events. Next time your fueling up at the Boston Harbor Shipyard and Marina, head up and check them out!

Boston SCUBA is a PADI dive center located at the Boston Harbor Shipyard & Marina in East Boston.
The dive shop offers SCUBA classes, dive charters, air fills & dive equipment sales, rentals, and service.
The shop is accessible by car, “T” or even by boat! Boaters will be allowed to tie up at the fuel dock to visit the dive shop.
Show your Freedom Boat Club ID, and receive a 10% discount on equipment purchases at the dive shop.

Find Boston SCUBA on the Web at: www.bostonscuba.com

Hard at Work!

2012-01-18T14:07:00.000-08:00

What did you do today? Go Skiing? Spend the day at Work? Call in "Sick"? I can say that you were not working on your boat! That's what we do! Today we finished up two boats and swapped them out for two more boats that need some routine maintenance!

We have been busy moving about 2 boats a week in and out of the shop working on things like; complete engine tune ups to fixing faulty gauges and everything in-between!

Cruise ship runs aground off Italy's coast - Boston.com

2012-01-15T14:21:00.000-08:00

Cruise ship runs aground off Italy's coast - Boston.com

Yesterday a cruise ship ran unground in the med close to gigleo an Italian island. Check out the story on Boston.com. It's always important to be paying close attention when at the helm, even with the most advanced electronics things can go bad quiclkly.

Freedom will now be offering Winter Series of boating Classes for its members!

2012-01-09T14:08:00.000-08:00

Source: http://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2011/05/eagle-75-to-know-the-ropes/

In an effort to provide top notch service for our Membership, we are proud to announce that we are now offering a series of boating classes over the next few months! The classes range from The Basics and Theory of Docking to VHF and GPS basics. The classes will be taught by one of our Club Managers Lauren Simpson a USCG Captain and will be held at Marina Bay in Quincy. Marina Bay is one of our largest locations and has been quite gracious in allowing us to operate our winter series out of their conference room.

Below is a list of the classes and dates they will be held on. Please email Matt O'Connor at moconnor@freedomboatclub.com if you are interested in attending one of the classes!

January 19th - Charting Basics

February 3rd - Ship Systems

February 16th - The Basics and Theory of Docking

March 2nd - VHF and GPS Usage

March 15th - The Basics of your Boat!

We look forward to seeing you at our Winter series! Please Remember to sign up as soon as possible!

Here Comes 2012!

2011-12-30T07:36:00.000-08:00

We hope that everyone has had an enjoyable and safe holiday season! 2012 is just around the corner and we have a few announcements.

We are proud to announce that this December was one of the best we have every seen with new membership sales! In the office, we have been brainstorming how we can make your boating with Freedom a more exciting and rewarding experience.

We will now be offering a series of seven classes for all of our members to brush up on their boating skills this winter. We will soon be sending out an email to members listing the dates and curriculum for these classes. If you would like to take any of the classes that we will be offering please respond accordingly.

We hope everyone has a Fun and safe New Year!

Freedom Boat Club Business Retreat was a Great Sucess!

2011-12-08T06:33:00.000-08:00

Every year Freedom Boat Club holds a business retreat program designed to gather all 62 clubs in the United States to discuss the past, present and future of the company as a whole, as well as allow individual clubs to share their successes and failures with each other. Over the few days, and speaking to almost every club owner from New Hampshire to West Palm Beach to Galveston, Texas, hundreds of ideas where shared and we are excited to incorporate new ideas into our clubs. In the coming months these ideas will be solidified to strengthen and improve our member experience as a whole.

Make a request to boat down south! Email: reserveaboat@freedomboatclub.com with you Request, including, Date, type of boat, number of people, time, and we will do our best to get you out on the water!

Not sure where we are? Click here for our most up-to-date map!

Do not forget to Like Us on Facebook!!!!

Getting Ready For Winter...

2011-11-11T07:23:00.000-08:00

This week the Freedom Boat Club team was very busy! We were all working very hard to get the boats ready for the harsh New England winter. Lauren was in the boatyard working diligently to frame all of our boats in order to properly prepare them for shrinkwrapping. Tuesday was a beautiful day that offered calm seas and fair winds, which provided the perfect opportunity for Chris and Matt to head up to our Danversport club and tow the houseboat back to Boston Harbor for the winter. Overall, the trip took about six hours, but they made it to Boston Harbor safely without any incident. We are also thrilled to announce Eric Bliss as the newest member of the Freedom team. Eric comes to Freedom from New England Tech where he was certified as a marine mechanic. He will be based out of our Marina Bay location and will be tasked with maintaining our fleet. We are very excited to have Eric and his abilities here at FBC.

Freedom Boat Club Fishing Team does it again....and again...

2010-06-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

Another set of fishing tournaments this week means another set of trophies for the Freedom Boat Club sponsored fishing team.

Of the 3 tournaments thus far, FBC Fishing has placed 1st in all 3 tournaments. The next tournament will be held July 17th and 18th where the team will seek it's 4th consecutive win and try and keep it's undefeated streak alive.

Freedom Boat Club Fishing Team 1 for 1

2010-06-14T07:04:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the Freedom Boat Club sponsored Fishing Team as they took home 1st prize at the Fox Hill Yacht Club annual striper tournament this weekend aboard our 25' Blue Fin Center Console.

There are 6 more tournaments this summer that our sponsored team will be partaking in - best of luck!

The winning fish - weighing in at 42lbs and over 40 inches, taking first place by 4 lbs.

Hingham Shipyard In-Water Boat Show

2010-04-29T16:00:00.000-07:00

We will be over at the Hingham Shipyard and Marina this weekend for the annual South Shore In-Water Boat Show.

Please feel free to stop by on Saturday or Sunday from 10a - 5p to check out some of our fleet and see some of the other exhibitors at the show.

The development in Hingham continues to grow rapidly. It is an incredible project with some great retail stores, restaurants, and of course a five-star marina.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Tom

Office Boat moves to Boston

2010-04-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

Although it wasn't the nicest day of the year, on Friday we towed our 42' House Boat over to our Boston location for the season. This will serve as our "floating office" and help us operate our Boston club and meet with prospective new members. It was an interesting trip to say the least...

As you can see, it lives up to it's name "House Boat" - and it likes being out on the open water about as much as a regular house. The flat bottom made it difficult to tow in any type of sea or chop. Thankfully, the commuter boats that regularly pass through this area were very accommodating and slowed down to no-wake speed in order to help us prevent the house boat from rolling over.

Stop by for a tour of our office boat and our club! We're looking forward to a great 2010 at all of our clubs.

Special thanks to Jake and Mike Goodridge from FBC Newburyport/Portsmouth for allowing us to use their Tow Boat U.S. boat for the morning.

Red Sox Promo Announced!

2010-04-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

Join Freedom Boat Club between now and April 17th to receive 2 complimentary tickets to the Boston Red Sox game on April 17th.

The best part? The seats are in a private Luxury Suite!

18 tickets are left, so join now to take advantage!

Capt. Tom

Open House this weekend!

2010-04-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

Come to our Open House this weekend, April 17th and 18th, at our Danversport, Boston, Quincy, Hingham, or Falmouth locations. We will be available from approximately 12pm - 4pm each day or by appointment otherwise.

Click over to our website www.freedomboatclub.com for more information and directions to your specific club.

RSVP HERE for the Open House.

Welcome Capt. Chris Scott

2010-04-13T05:34:00.000-07:00

We are excited to welcome Capt. Chris Scott to our staff. Chris will be taking over the day-to-day managerial role at our Boston, Quincy, and Hingham locations. He will be responsible for the upkeep of the fleet and the dock staff at each of these locations.

Chris brings to Freedom Boat Club a wide array of experience including time as Dock Master for Marina Bay, the largest marina north of New York City, and Asst. Harbormaster in Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard.

Capt. Chris Scott

Manager, Boston, Quincy, and Hingham locations.

Hyannis Home Show

2010-03-29T06:30:00.000-07:00

We had a great turn out at the Hyannis Home Show this weekend. A few new members joined the club and at least a hundred more learned all about Freedom Boat Club's affordable and hassle-free way to enjoy boating.

We teamed up with FBC of Dennis to continue getting the word out there about FBC's three locations on Cape Cod: Falmouth, East Dennis and West Dennis.

If you couldn't make it to the show this weekend, stop by any of our clubs to learn more or pick up an information packet.

Capt. Jack Tompkins mans the booth!

2010 TV Commercial

2010-03-17T07:49:00.000-07:00

Have a "sneak peek" at our 2010 TV Commercial before it airs this spring and summer.

http://vimeo.com/10209559

Details on our Open House schedule coming soon!

Capt. Tom

The club staff works all year so you don't have to!

2010-03-11T15:29:00.000-08:00

We're often asked, "So what do you do all winter? You must have all sorts of vaca time..." HA!

With a fleet of over 50 boats across our 6 locations, we have PLENTY to do all winter to get things ready for the season. From oil changes, to engine tune ups, to cleaning, waxing and bottom painting, our staff stays busy dealing with the hassles of boat ownership. Our members show up at the club, go boating, and leave the rest to us.

We hope you will come and join our growing membership and enjoy our ever-growing fleet!

Pictured below are two snap shots that show only a couple of the pain-in-the-neck chores that we take care of so our members don't have to.

A couple of dings in the hull get re-fiberglassed at our repair facility in Falmouth.

Ahhhh the smell of fresh bottom paint - spring is in the air. Easy for me to say as I sit behind this keyboard.

Not pictured is Capt. Luke Barron who refused to be photographed due to the fact he was covered in paint speckles.

Tuna Tuesday!

2010-03-04T09:59:00.000-08:00

As we gear up for another great boating season, we will continue our weekly "Tuna Tuesday" trip from our Danversport location this year. Depending on demand, we'll take one or two boats out early in the morning on Tuesdays and head offshore to catch the allusive tuna.

As you can see, Matt O'Connor our Danversport manager, had some luck with the members during a trip to Stellwagen Bank (about 20-30 miles offshore).

This beautiful fish weighed in at approximately 250 lbs. There is nothing more delicious than fresh tuna steak hours after it's come out of the ocean.

Come and join the fun!

Capt. Tom

Another reason not to own a boat!

2010-03-02T10:35:00.000-08:00

As if there weren't enough reasons to join Freedom Boat Club - here's yet another:

During the storms last week, high winds caused multiple boats on the north and south shores to tip off their boat stands and crash to the ground. Luckily, there were no reports of injuries but property damage is said to be extensive.

Captains Mike and Jake Goodridge of Freedom Boat Club Newburyport and Portsmouth, NH also own and operate Tow Boat U.S. and Marine Services Inc. They were called in to get these boats off the ground and back on the stands.

While the owners of these boats have an insurance nightmare on their hands, members of Freedom Boat Club never have to worry about winter storage, shrink wrapping, or having their boats blown over onto the concrete. At the end of the season, members walk away from the headaches and wait for the warm weather to come back.

On top of the stress-free boating lifestyle that Freedom Boat Club allows, members can also escape the cold weather and head south where they have access to every Freedom Boat Club location in Florida for no additional cost! We've set up over 127 Florida reservations so far this off-season for our members. What's better than that?

Capt. Tom

Live from the New England Boat Show!

2010-02-24T09:38:00.000-08:00

Over 10,000 visitors have already passed through the doors of the 2010 New England Boat Show so far this week!

It's been an exciting show with a lot to see. We are thrilled to be adding new members and new boats to our fleet throughout this week (details on our newest acquisition coming soon!). Our club continues to turn heads and add members as folks really start seeing the value of membership, both monetarily and in time saved (no cleaning, no maintenance, just fun!).

Below are a couple of pictures of our booth (sorry for the mediocre quality - cell phone camera!). As you can see we have two of our boats right here for folks to walk on and check out.

Blue Fin 24' Wide body (9'8" beam) with Cummins Merc Diesel I/O

The helm of the 24' Blue Fin

Part of our booth with the 22' Nautic Star bow rider

The bow seating section of the 22' Nautic Star

Please stop by our booth and learn more about the intelligent, affordable, hassle-free way to enjoy boating here in the Greater Boston area and all over the country!

Call 888.BOAT.BOS if you'd like to speak with me directly.

The show runs 12-8 today, tomorrow, and Friday; Saturday 10-8, and Sunday 11-5. Please stop by and take advantage of our $1,000 Boat Show Discount!

Best,
Capt. Tom

2010 New England Boat Show starts tomorrow!

2010-02-19T13:28:00.000-08:00

The unofficial kick off to the boating season is less than 24 hours away. Come and see us at booth 2338 - we will have an awesome 24' Blue Fin Diesel I/O and a 22' Nautic Star bowrider on display. These are actual club boats to which Freedom Boat Club members have full access.

Please stop by and see what the smart way to enjoy the boating lifestyle is all about! For directions, click here.

Live updates to come throughout the show!

Danversport Yacht Club

2010-02-15T07:29:00.000-08:00

We are thrilled to announce the relocation of our north shore club to the Danversport Yacht Club! This beautiful facility boasts first class amenities such as an in-ground pool, kiddie pool, volleyball courts, horse shoe pits, an on-site restaurant and bistro, a barbecue and picnic area, private showers, and free parking.

Check out these photos from our new north shore home!

Enjoy your morning on the water, and an afternoon at the yacht club - or vice versa! As always, members of our Danversport club also have unlimited access to our Boston, Quincy, Hingham, and Plymouth fleets. Contact us today to learn more about the hassle free boating experience that is Freedom Boat Club.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

2010-02-10T06:06:00.000-08:00

We have joined the 21st century! Although a little behind the trend (better late than never!), we encourage everyone to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

We will be updating our progress throughout the year as we grow our fleet at each of our locations in the Greater Boston Area.

Check out these photos courtesy of the Boston Herald. The Airbus A380, the largest plane to ever land at Logan Airport, flew over top of Deer Island yesterday.

Check back here frequently - we'll be updating this blog weekly with more news and pictures. The season will be here soon!

More Local Club Locations!

2010-02-03T12:56:00.000-08:00

2010 is here and Freedom Boat Club of Greater Boston is making some big improvements. This blog will be updated much more frequently this year and will highlight all of the great changes that are on the schedule for this year's boating season.

We are thrilled to announce the grand opening of two new locations here in Massachusetts!

Freedom Boat Club of Boston and Hingham will open in April of 2010 as the newest clubs in the Freedom Boat Club network. As always, members of Boston and Hingham will also have unlimited use of the clubs in Danversport, Quincy, and Plymouth along with access to every other FBC location in the country for no additional charge.

We will be located at India Wharf Marina in Boston...

...and the newly developed Hingham Shipyard and Marina on the Back River in Hingham.

Join us in 2010 for affordable boating all over Massachusetts, New England, and the United States!

Early Season Whale Watching!

2009-05-05T08:56:00.000-07:00

2009 is off to a great start. A special thanks to our training captain and member Brad Miller for snapping these incredible pictures out at Stellwagen Bank this past weekend. Yet another benefit to joining Freedom Boat Club - whale watching from the comfort of a Freedom Boat Club vessel!

Around the Harbor

2008-06-16T08:37:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in postings. It's been a busy couple of weeks at the club. I did want to share a couple of photos that I took recently.

Great sunset shot over Marina Bay with "The Pru" in the distance.

Last week a couple of Navy ships rolled into town. It seems as though this one has a barge alongside getting the vessel set up for an extended trip.

Not all good news on the harbor over the past couple of weeks. Below, the Boston Fire Vessel sits on scene at James Hook Lobster Company. Until the fire, Hook shipped over 50,000 lbs. of lobster a day around the world.

A shot of the damage from Freedom Boat Club's 21' Center Console G-Boat "Rock Lobster." We changed the name to "Cajun Lobster" during this photo shoot. What? Too soon?

On a lighter note, Mike and I, along with Marina Bay's Assistant GM Brian Ferrara, stopped by to see Wally and both Red Sox World Series Trophies. The "Trophy Tour" stopped by a local store just down the street from Marina Bay.

More frequent updates to come!

Capt. Tom

Freedom Striper Club

2008-05-30T06:59:00.000-07:00

Well I've held off this long - barely a word about stripers until this post. But I can't stop myself. Especially after yesterday. As part of our service to members, we try and arrange a fishing trip once a week for those folks that enjoy heading out early in search of the Mighty Striper. This week Capt. Mike Feenan went out with veteran member Matt Padulo and one of our newest members Tim Higgins. Capt. Mike has been fishing Boston Harbor since his childhood and is a human Fish-Finder - as you can see from the pictures below. They are officially here - let the season begin.

Capt. Mike with Matt and Tim holding their catch. Mike pulled in a 37 incher on his first cast of the day while Matt and Tim hold up a couple 29" keepers.

Always an awesome fishing boat, the custom-made G-Boat "Rock Lobster" helped find the fish right off Boston's famous Castle Island - a 5 minute ride from the dock!

Up close and personal with Mike's big catch of the day. If you look closely you'll see the tape-measure showing 37 1/2" !

Nothing like a summer BBQ with some fresh striper meat. Just another perk (and one of my favorites) of being a Freedom Boat Club Member - free food!

As always, there is a lot going on in the harbor this weekend. Plenty more to come as the season rolls along.

Capt. Tom

Member Event @ Boston Public

2008-05-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we held our 2008 Season Kick-Off event for FBC members at Boston Public Restaurant on Newbury Street in Boston. Dozens of hot and cold appetizers, combined with an open bar, made for a great time!

These get-togethers are a great way for members to meet other boating partners that enjoy similar activities; whether it's fishing, cruising, beaching, swimming, snorkeling, or SCUBA diving that occupies your time on the water - there are a bunch of FBC members who enjoy the same thing! Check out the pictures below, and if you couldn't make this event, please come to our next one!

Mike Walsh and I enjoying a drink with some of the newest members of FBC Quincy: (from left to right) Anil Kumar, Scott & Shanna O'Reilly.

Here's Mike hanging out with some of our veteran members, Jackie Mulgrew and Mary Sandro.

We will be having many more of these events in the future and hope that everyone can make it to the next one. Stay tuned to the blog and your email for upcoming information!

Wishing everyone a safe and fun season,
Capt. Tom

Naples and Marco Island

2008-05-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

Last week I took a "business" trip down to the Naples, FL area. Because I am so steadfast in my commitment to FBC Boston, I make it my personal goal, regardless of the sacrifice necessary, to check out other clubs whenever possible and report back.

This is definitely one of the best perks of membership - being able to boat out of any other club in the country. The dockmaster at the Naples club was great - he went over the local chart and showed me exactly where the good fishing grounds were, where to hang out and see some great scenery, where to eat, and of course, where to see some dolphins! I grabbed a slip at this tiki bar and had lunch overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.

On the way back, 4 dolphins come and swim with the boat as I was moving along at clutched-in-speed. Check out the video!

More fun in the sun from Boston to come soon - stay tuned!

Capt. Tom

2008 Season Kick Off!

2008-05-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

Today marked the opening of the 4th season for FBC Boston! We splashed two more boats today, bringing the Quincy fleet to a total of nine vessels here at Marina Bay - the self-proclaimed epicenter of the boating universe.

We took a quick ride around the harbor to see if any fish and/or birds were working in the area. So far, not much to report. There are some rumors that things are starting to boil a few miles south at the mouth of the Cape Cod Canal. Just a few more days and a few more degrees and the Stripers will be in!

Today provided a chilly start to the season, with winds out of the east. But as always, Boston Harbor was busy with cruise ships, tugs working various projects, and flights to and from Logan airport over top.

We are excited for our best season yet and look forward to fair winds and calm seas!

More to come,

Capt. Tom