Are boat clubs the answer to boost African boating?

Shared access to boats bolsters participation

SOUTH AFRICA: Boat clubs offer an elegant solution that provides non-boatowners with access to a boating lifestyle through a membership that allows them to book out a boat in multiple destinations around the world – and now a global player is looking to bring the concept to South Africa.  

Speaking at last week’s African Boating Conference, Arturo Guiterrez, General Manager: Freedom Boat Club introduced the concept to delegates as a creative way to expand the interest in boating across Africa.

The Freedom Boat Club is nothing like the boat clubs most of the South African boating fraternity is familiar with. It offers a monthly membership that provides members with access to boats in over 400 locations across the world.

The idea is that the club owns a fleet of boats and covers all the maintenance costs including cleaning, repairs, mooring as well as insurance, providing members with access to enjoy unlimited boating at any of their club’s locations.

The club also provides coaching and training that meets the needs of the members to allow them to boat safely and confidently.

According to Gutierrez, boat clubs act as an effective gateway that can ultimately lead to ownership as members become more involved in boating. While the vast majority of boat club members initially have no interest in owning a boat, he says that up to 20% eventually do graduate to purchasing their own vessels as their interest in boating deepens.

Presenting statistics showcasing an overview of how the demographics have shifted over the last five years, he also highlighted how the percentage of women, the younger generation as well as historically under-represented groups have grown since 2020.

“Boat clubs maximise the use of boats with a minimal footprint,” he said explaining how, in Spain, a fleet of 45 boats translated into 15,000 trips for 500 members over the first nine months of this year. This means that, on average, each member has taken 30 boat trips during this period.

Comparing this to the 16 – 20 trips taken by the average boatowner in a year, he underscored how boat clubs can provide unequalled access by providing convenience to their members.

Explaining the business model, Gutierrez noted that South Africa, and Cape Town in particular, presented itself as an ideal location for Freedom Boat Club to consider as their first step onto the continent.

Currently operational in the United States of America, Canada, across Europe, the Middle East and Australia, he believes that a South African destination would appeal to existing members and attract new membership.

Citing the local climate and infrastructure, he noted that the South African boating industry already has a positive reputation that would underpin investment.

Proposing the model as a franchise opportunity, it will be interesting to see whether the international trend will find traction locally. The fees floated in his presentation for joining and monthly membership may need some tweaking to attract South Africans to make it more palatable, but the concept is not completely foreign to those who are already gym members.

The monthly fees of between $300 and $500 translate into a sizeable amount locally and any partner will have to massage these numbers for the investment to make sense.

PHOTO: The percentage of women has increased to 35% membership of the Freedom Boat Club over the last five years. (Source: Licence Adobe Photo Stock)

Unlocking Africa’s domestic boating potential