I am a founding member of the Suntex Boat Club at Lake Don Pedro, CA, and I love it…read more
My membership makes me a partial owner of 5 boats right now. Because we are new chapter, it is totally easy to make reservations on the weekend and brain-dead easy during the week. I want enough but not too many people to join so we can grow the fleet but still be able to book.
They have 3 new boats arriving in May 2021, so we will get a nice upgrade from regular marina rental fare.
I was considering buying a boat for my empty-nest life, but do not want to deal with: buying, insurance, maintenance, trailer, storage, cleaning, towing, launching, and I don't even have a truck, so boat club is perfect for us.
I used a boat last weekend, and everything was super-smooth. Because I am club, they treated me a bit better, and most of the paperwork was done when I arrived. I also have a reservation for Mother's Day in a few weeks.
At Don Pedro, we get the boat all day, which is 10 to 4. The full-day rental makes it easy to get to the other side of the lake and stop, swim, play, and chill without feeling that the meter is running at $100 an hour.
The boat club has the same impact as a ski pass; it makes you more integrated with your hobby and takes away the pain of paying for the rental on the day you use it, so you don't really notice. It's a buffet; the more often you go, the more value you get.
I bought the Captain's membership for $3000 with a $500 discount and pay $375 a month, so the breakeven is 7 days on the water in the first year and 5 days each year after. Also, the skis, boards, and tube rentals are free, which cost $65 a day each without club.
For Northern California, you can use the club at Lake Don Pedro and Lake Berryessa. I heard they will open a location in Southern California, maybe at Marina Del Rey. You can also use all the other locations throughout the US.