Freedom Boat Club Expands to New Haven, Offering Shared Boating in Connecticut

Memorial Day is just around the corner, and over the holiday weekend one company is expanding in Connecticut.

Freedom Boat Club offers people a chance to get out on New England’s waterways, and it is getting a brand new location in New Haven.

Those who love open air and adventure don’t need a boat of their own to float into summer. Freedom Boat Club is making waves with a boat-sharing membership model.

“The idea is for novice boaters or people who may have owned a boat before to join the club,” Leanne Kosinski, Northeast marketing manager, said.

The club’s newest location opens Memorial Day weekend at Quinnipiac River Marina in New Haven.

“It's a full-service marina,” Kosinski said. “So you have a restaurant, Fair Haven Oyster Company, that's right on- roperty. You have a bait shop, there's an Airbnb here, and then you have Freedom Boat Club.”

The new spot in Connecticut aims to highlight the iconic beauty of New England’s waterways.

“If you take a look around here, it's just you know, some quintessential beautiful homes,” Steve Makadok, Connecticut director of operations, said. “This is the Grand Avenue Bridge on the Quinnipiac River. It would be the first bridge that our members have the pleasure of going past as they're heading out towards Long Island Sound.”

Makadok is also a member of Freedom Boat Club and hit the water 55 times last year.

“I love going out of Stamford, we have 35 boats in Stamford,” he said. “One of my favorite places to go is straight across Long Island to Cold Spring Harbor. There are some just beautiful homes, they’re Great Gatsby-style old mansions and beautiful places to tuck into.”

The logistics of joining the club?

New members pay a one-time entry fee of $5,750 to join as a family. Then monthly dues range from $300 to $600. Since the boats the club uses are all new members can expect to be at the helm of a vessel worth about $65,000.

“These pontoon boats are great,” Makadok said. “Plenty of room for a dozen or so people on here. Lots of cup holders. These boats have amazing stereo systems so they're really great to go out with family and friends for an afternoon, have a great lunch, or a picnic on the boat.”

Roughly 900 people in Connecticut are taking advantage of the Freedom Boat Club. Members in Connecticut get unlimited access to eight locations across the state, as well as another six in Rhode Island.

On top of that, they can utilize 380 locations across the world.

“As soon as the colder weather comes here, everybody kind of heads down to Florida,” Kosinski said. “We have locations in Canada, which is really exciting, United Kingdom. We're just open in Australia, Spain and France.”

Skippers are not sent to salty situations either. All members get included one-on-one training with a certified captain, like Scott Brown.

“They can take training as much as they want, they can redo training, or they can take refreshers,” Brown, Connecticut lead captain and training instructor, said. “We also have a fun little training called ‘Local Knowledge.’ ... We can give them a short training on the local waters in a local area.”

One highlight for boaters navigating Connecticut waters: catching sight of oyster boats harvesting. That fresh seafood is served at the marina’s Fair Haven Oyster Company.

“One of the great things about this location here in Quinnipiac is that there's active harvesting of oysters all the time, and you can see right over here, looks like the Mary Coleman ship is a big pile of oysters right there,” Makadok said.

Heading into summer, the club lives by Jimmy Buffet’s motto: “Shells sink, dreams float, life’s good on a boat.”

Freedom Boat Club members are also invited to socials and events throughout the year, like Quinnipiac Riverfest which will happen at the marina on Saturday, June 3.

The club is having a “Welcome Back to the Season” party this upcoming Saturday, May 20 at Quinnipiac River Marina at 307 Front St. in New Haven from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be an ice cream truck, food, and a celebration of the beginning of the season.