American Boat Club

[jonfinn]

I hope American Boat Club flies. It's a good idea for certain kinds of boaters. From what I've seen on this forum, Lakes Region local boaters are always helpful and courteous to guests of the lake, until the "guests" disrespect the lake in some way (usually out of ignorance, arrogance or inexperience).

My concern is how ABC will handle training it's members.

I've got a little 17' bowrider that lives on a trailer. I've taken out on Winni and Boston Harbor (other places too). Even though Winnipesaukee can be unforgiving at times, there are parts of Boston Harbor that can be downright scary if you don't know what you're doing. On the right day, in the right conditions, in the right area, it's an amazing place to take a boat ride.

My point is this: An inexperienced FBC member goes out on the Harbor on a breezy day and routinely encounters the wakes of boats 50', 100' and up. Maybe even a 400' freighter or a commuter boat. They get the be-jeezuz scared out of them right away. When that happened to me, I learned very quickly that this can be really dangerous, and that I need to proceed with caution all the time.

Winnipesaukee, by comparison can "seem" easier. After all it's only a lake right?

I don't think that about Winni, but some people could.

[brk-lnt]

Originally Posted by jonfinn

Winnipesaukee, by comparison can "seem" easier. After all it's only a lake right?

I don't think that about Winni, but some people could.

I think you're spot on with this observation. That is part of my frustration with boating on the lake, you have people with no clue about what they're doing making the overall experience less enjoyable at times (IMO).

I haven't boated in Boston Harbor or the ocean, but I grew up on the Great Lakes, and used to take my dad's 30' cruiser out when I was 16. The 'Lakes are basically freshwater oceans, you have storms with 10' + seas, freighters, routine 3' swells, etc. Pretty much everything but tides. You didn't encounter too many boaters that were operating without some basic knowledge because doing so for very long was literally deadly.

The boating certificate program has helped a little bit, but not to the extent that it should have.

[Nauset]

Originally Posted by jonfinn

My concern is how ABC will handle training it's members.

I wouldn't think that ABC would be taking on the task of training boaters beyond some basic Winni advice. That would be the boater's responsibility. Hopefully this service would attract a more knowledgeable boater rather than the type who is a one time renter out for a joy ride. As a past boat owner on the lake I would be interested in a boat service like this.

[SAMIAM]

I would think this would be a good venture for a marina with a big floor plan and a lot of used boats......If i'm spending $3,600 a year,I want a decent boat at my disposal.

[laddheath]

Personally I think this is a great business plan. Yes there are limitations to its members and they do have to "schedule" there time without knowing the weather but how much is that worth? I would never put myself through the exersise but I spend WAY more than $3,600 a year on boating. GOOD LUCK with the business

[Nauset]

It may not be that hard to schedule a boat as there may be those who join and actually use the boats very little. How often do you see boats go unused most of the season as people are too busy to go out?
On another note if this does get off the ground I wonder what Akwa Marina amenities might be thrown in with the deal.

[Nauset]

I live fairly close to Cape Cod and have been considered FBC. I was doing some research today and found the following thread on another site with lots of differing views.
http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-...ad-2009-a.html

[Happy Gourmand]

Searay 240 Cruiser
Searay 210 SLX Bowrider
Berkshire 22 foot Pontoon
AlumiCraft Navigator Fishing Boat

I'm still on the fence. Any former boaters out there who, like me, love boating but got fed up with all the cr@p that goes along with ownership?
How about just plain renting..... do any of the marinas rent decent boats without advertising banners all over them? I doubt that I'd be interested in anything under 23'.

[Nauset]

Originally Posted by The Phantom Gourmand

How about just plain renting..... do any of the marinas rent decent boats without advertising banners all over them? I doubt that I'd be interested in anything under 23'.

Goodhue & Hawkins has a 26' Cobalt to rent for $800 per day.

[Happy Gourmand]

Originally Posted by Nauset

Goodhue & Hawkins has a 26' Cobalt to rent for $800 per day.

Maybe not quite THAT decent!!

[winnisummergal]

Goodhue & Hawkins has a 26' Cobalt to rent for $800 per day.

Their 20' at $360 works for me!

[robmac]

Shep Browns just added new boats to the rental fleet. I haven't seen any of them with signage on them. Took a quick look at prices,a 235 bowrider w/11 passenger capability was 395.00 a day. Hope that helps.

[Happy Gourmand]

Originally Posted by robmac

Shep Browns just added new boats to the rental fleet. I haven't seen any of them with signage on them. Took a quick look at prices,a 235 bowrider w/11 passenger capability was 395.00 a day. Hope that helps.

Yup...that will work perfectly for me. As for the American Boat Club...that won't work for me this year....just this weekend we went out and bought a hottub...seats 6 so now we just have to find 4 friends ...and of course we need a new deck for it. If this cold weather keeps up, we'll be able to use it this season!!

[AmericanBoatClub]

If anyone would like to ask me any questions, I would be happy to answer them. We are very excited for the up coming boatings season. You can see the boats at our website. http://www.americanboatclubnh.com/ or for more photos facebook http://www.facebook.com/AmericanBoatClub

Kurt
603-231-6002

[jbess]

Originally Posted by AmericanBoatClub

If anyone would like to ask me any questions, I would be happy to answer them.

Kurt
603-231-6002

Here's one for you Kurt.

Have you considered a partial membership? Like a limited number of reservations for a reduced fee?

I ask this because I am very interested in ABC, but the cost and my time at the lake (usualy avg. 2 weeks a summer) just don't make it feasable for me. I have trailerd a boat back and forth from Ct. to Winni and have even sliped at Akwa for a week one year (before renovations) and loved the convienience.

I like the "club" aspect over just a rental deal...

Thanks, Joe B.

[AmericanBoatClub]

Originally Posted by jbess

Here's one for you Kurt.

Have you considered a partial membership? Like a limited number of reservations for a reduced fee?

I ask this because I am very interested in ABC, but the cost and my time at the lake (usualy avg. 2 weeks a summer) just don't make it feasable for me. I have trailerd a boat back and forth from Ct. to Winni and have even sliped at Akwa for a week one year (before renovations) and loved the convienience.

I like the "club" aspect over just a rental deal...

Thanks, Joe B.

Thank you for asking. We have given it a lot of thought. It is something we would prefer to avoid and keep one simple program. Two weeks is too short to join.
If you have an idea or proposal I would love to hear it.

[kauriel]

Originally Posted by AmericanBoatClub

Thank you for asking. We have given it a lot of thought. It is something we would prefer to avoid and keep one simple program. Two weeks is too short to join.
If you have an idea or proposal I would love to hear it.

What about allowing a limited registration with a much lower fee (say $500) that includes one prime rental per year and then only allow these members to make pay-per-use off-peak reservations (say no more than 7 days in advance and charge $100 for half day or $300 for whole day) or pay-per-use peak reservations for the day of use.

That would prioritize higher level member reservations while helping fill voids that the boats might otherwise not be used. (Think about the concept of hotwire.com where hotels sell empty rooms as discounts because $50 is better than $0.) You could also limit total rentals to x per week or x per year to further encourage customers in better financial positions to buy the more expensive package. Given these difficult times I would think it might be easier to sell 20 $500 memberships than 3 $3,300 memberships.

We are at Village at Winnipesaukee and would love to participate but we work and can't be up every single weekend all summer so it would be cheaper for us to rent a boat every visit than to participate and build a relationship with you. I would really love to see a better relationship with our organizations and I see a great potential to work together as neighbors!

[AmericanBoatClub]

Originally Posted by kauriel

What about allowing a limited registration with a much lower fee (say $500) that includes one prime rental per year and then only allow these members to make pay-per-use off-peak reservations (say no more than 7 days in advance and charge $100 for half day or $300 for whole day) or pay-per-use peak reservations for the day of use.

That would prioritize higher level member reservations while helping fill voids that the boats might otherwise not be used. (Think about the concept of hotwire.com where hotels sell empty rooms as discounts because $50 is better than $0.) You could also limit total rentals to x per week or x per year to further encourage customers in better financial positions to buy the more expensive package. Given these difficult times I would think it might be easier to sell 20 $500 memberships than 3 $3,300 memberships.

We are at Village at Winnipesaukee and would love to participate but we work and can't be up every single weekend all summer so it would be cheaper for us to rent a boat every visit than to participate and build a relationship with you. I would really love to see a better relationship with our organizations and I see a great potential to work together as neighbors!

Thank you for the idea. It is something we have considered. The problem is it gets away from our core biz model. We would prefer 3 full time members over 20 part time members, all other things being equal. Keep in mind that we do not plan to have that many members. Maybe we will consider it in years to come but for this year we are going to stick to the basic model.
With that said we hope to get the boats in the water soon! I hope to see a lot of you out on the water. If you see me at the town docks with a big American Flag sitting on a boat, please come say hello.

[ushaggerb]

Originally Posted by kauriel

What about allowing a limited registration with a much lower fee (say $500) that includes one prime rental per year and then only allow these members to make pay-per-use off-peak reservations (say no more than 7 days in advance and charge $100 for half day or $300 for whole day) or pay-per-use peak reservations for the day of use.

That would prioritize higher level member reservations while helping fill voids that the boats might otherwise not be used. (Think about the concept of hotwire.com where hotels sell empty rooms as discounts because $50 is better than $0.) You could also limit total rentals to x per week or x per year to further encourage customers in better financial positions to buy the more expensive package. Given these difficult times I would think it might be easier to sell 20 $500 memberships than 3 $3,300 memberships.

We are at Village at Winnipesaukee and would love to participate but we work and can't be up every single weekend all summer so it would be cheaper for us to rent a boat every visit than to participate and build a relationship with you. I would really love to see a better relationship with our organizations and I see a great potential to work together as neighbors!

Had one more thought on this. Could you have a "marry up" program, in which could split a membership?

[Steve Di.]

Originally Posted by robmac

Shep Browns just added new boats to the rental fleet. I haven't seen any of them with signage on them. Took a quick look at prices,a 235 bowrider w/11 passenger capability was 395.00 a day. Hope that helps.

At 10 rentals you will be over the price of the ABC club fee.

[robmac]

But and that is the issue,I can get a boat when I want one!

[AmericanBoatClub]

Hello all,
This seems to be the question every one is very concered with and I understand why. Can I get a boat when I want? Or, If I am a member can you guarrantee I can get a boat?
The short answer is I can't, but you the member can. If you reserve your boats and slot, the boats will be there ready for you to go enjoy them. We also will have a very low member to boat ratio, this will make reserving the boat you want when you want very easy.
Hope this help
Kurt
603.231.6002

[SIKSUKR]

Originally Posted by Steve Di.

At 10 rentals you will be over the price of the ABC club fee.

And you have the boat for the whole day.

[AmericanBoatClub]

Originally Posted by SIKSUKR

And you have the boat for the whole day.

I hope it is okay to keep posting, I do not want to over step the forum rules, but...

We strongly encourage members to take/reserve the boat for the whole day. Even take it over night. I think you maybe viewing our breaking the day up into two from the wrong light. We did not intend to do that to limit people it was to create more choices. If our reservation were for the whole day and someone only want it to go fishing in the morning the system would show it check out all day and other members would not know it was sitting in the marina. So the way we have it set up you can take it when you want but if you only want it for a breakfast cruise someone else can take it out for a dinner cruise. And of course we always encourage calling us and checking for missed reservation.
Our member to boat ratio will allow you to use the boats you want when you want them.
Also the club and boats are an entirely different animal than a rental fleet.
Kurt

[NoBozo]

Originally Posted by AmericanBoatClub

Also the club and boats are an entirely different animal than a rental fleet.
Kurt

Could you elaborate further..? How are the boats different..? Just wondering. NB

[AmericanBoatClub]

Originally Posted by NoBozo

Could you elaborate further..? How are the boats different..? Just wondering. NB

I am glad you asked.

First off we have no decals on the boats. Member will be able to make unlimited reservations for a flat rate all summer and will not be subject to price changes to due to bike week, holidays, etc... Since we have fewer people using the boats, than a rental fleet, the boats will be in better condition. These are just the first 4 boats and two of them (Sea Ray 240 and Sea Ray 210 Select) are not part of any rental fleet I know of, the next one will most likely be a 260-280 Sea Ray, from there we will be adding boats that you will be hard pressed to find for rent on the lake. We want to give people access to very nice boats at the price of a boat slip.

I think the rental companies around the lake do a great job, we are just serving a different type of boater.

[AmericanBoatClub]

This video may help to explain a little bit of the confusion on how the system works. It walks through the basic steps to reserving boats.
Hope it helps and please go easy on me and my dialog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Fe0L...el_video_title

This video is no longer applicable as the reservation system has gone threw several years of changes and upgrades.