Carefree Boat Club

Would you like to spend quality time with your loved ones?

Tue, 6 Jul 2010 15:32:03 -0400

Your family looks to you for their growth and development. Take the time to share yourself with them. Be the husband, father, brother, sister, or grand parents that makes the time to share life with them. They will always remember you did. Your kids may not remember what they got for Christmas that year, but they will remember the first time you took them boating. For sure!

And, what better, healthier entertainment than to be enjoying the thrills of growing up with you on the water. It’s just the natural thing to do. Make the dreams while you can, tomorrow is promised to no man.

Is Teaching your Kids how to Fish on your List

Thu, 1 Jul 2010 15:45:55 -0400

Do you know what you want to do on/in/with a boat? Is teaching your kids to fish on your list? Do you enjoy fishing?
Many of our members enjoy taking a boat out at sun up, or late after work, to test their prowess against the denizens of the deep! Regardless of the size of the catch, it’s the sense of challenge, the relaxing ambiance of being on the water as it calms to a stillness and peacefulness that occurs each day, morning and evening. A calmness interrupted every so often with the joyous and emotionally charged feeling of fish-on.” And the fun begins!
Our members have access to a variety of fishing boats. The Grady Whites and the Triumph Center Consoles are the most popular, but we have other boats, too like the Sea Ray 250 Amberjacks and pontoon boats for families that want to just enjoy the river and help the kids learn how to fish and enjoy boating.

Dreams are Whispers from the Heart

Sun, 6 Jun 2010 07:33:19 -0400

The power of a dream.
Carl Sandburg said it this way, “Nothing happens but first the dream!”
Marcia Wieder has written a beautiful book about how you can make your dreams come true; the title: Dreams are Whispers from the Soul.

I read the excerpt, “The Impossible Dream” from her book and thought it really hits home for so many of us.Maybe you are one of those whose soul is whispering to you. If you are not sure, read on.

Marcia writes: “I was speaking at a church near Portland, Oregon, when I met Wilson, a bright-eyed 18 year old. He confided in me that he was a Masai warrior from Kenya, Africa and this was his first time away from his tribe.

I asked what he was doing in Oregon and he told me his story.”

“When I was young, I became ill and my mother took me to a medical clinic. From that day forward, my dream was to become a doctor. But it was impossible since there is no training available and no one ever left the tribe. It just wasn’t done.”

“As I grew up, I shared my dream with anyone who would listen. Everyone, including my own family, told me it was fantasy and to forget about it. But, I never did.

Recently, a writer came from your country to visit my tribe. He interviewed me and published my story. Perhaps you know the paper, The Washington Post?”

I smiled and nodded.

He continued, “A couple from Portland, Oregon read my story and within a matter of weeks I was invited to apply for undergraduate work at the University of Oregon. A few months later, I was accepted.”

I took a deep breath and said, “You must have been so happy.” His response startled me. “Actually, it was extremely painful. My family didn’t have the money or any other resources to send me off to America on what they considered to be a whim. I knew there was only one thing to do. I prayed for a miracle. And, Marcia,” he paused. “That’s what I got.”

“Four families each came forward to generously extend their hearts and hands. Each agreed to house me, to feed me, to buy my books and be my family, while I was so far from home.”

I swallowed hard as my eyes welled up. But, what he said next, rocked my world. “After hearing you speak so passionately about dreams, I now know what I must do. I must become a doctor of course, that is my dream. Then I must return to my village as an example that no dream is impossible and extraordinary things happen when we gather together as a tribe.”

That’s a great lesson in life!

At the Boat Show and over the past several years, I have met so many folks who have told me about their dreams of boating, owning a boat, going places on boats, enjoying other circumstances of the boating lifestyle and still just talking about the dream.
If you have talked with me, you know that I talk, (perhaps incessantly) about the boating lifestyle, a truly life changing event – more than that a sea change in your lifestyle.

I hear excuses like I don’t have the time, my work is too demanding, the kids have too many sports, etc. These are excuses. They are not reasons why you do not want to live your dream. They are, however, ways for you to turn off the whispers from your soul.

You have to hear the whisper, you need to develop the passion, and you can have your dream. If your whispers are about boating, if you are passionate about the dream, Carefree Boat Club may actually be the absolute best solution for you.

In most cases, like owning a boat, partnering, fractional ownership or time sharing in a boat, the term “carefree boating” is an oxymoron! In the Carefree Boat Club, carefree boating is real. It is your dream realized! Even in these tough economic times.

Try me. You will find that we are in tune with the times, a better way than any other way to have that dream come true.

“How can that be?” You might ask. And I say,” Because Carefree Boat Club” provides only the dream!” That’s the part where you are cruising with your loved ones, or tubing with your children, or fishing with your friends, everything in fine working order, boats are clean, they are ready to go when you arrive, they are new or near new, perfectly geared to whatever sport or activity you have chosen. You see, whatever you dream, the club provides you. You live the dream, we do the rest.

(Click here for more information about Carefree Boat Club. http://leo.historicoccoquan.com )

Are you listening to the whispers from your soul? Isn’t it about time you turned your passion into action. I will do my best to help you live the dream. Let’s discuss your next step to getting to live your dream of carefree boating.

Call me at 703-217-6699. Do it now. Ignite the passion, the dream will happen.

Getting away from it all!

Tue, 1 Jun 2010 21:02:08 -0400

How about just getting away from it all? How has your day been? Have you had a stressful day recently. Missed a deadline, lost an opportunity, or just had those afternoon conjested traffic blues? Had enough yet?

Wouldn’t this be better. Right now, anytime? Any day?

Members in the club have a way to really kick the stress. We call it the carefree way of boating. You just show up and the boats are ready. Just go boating and the rest is up to us. You bring the boats back, hand me the keys and leave and we clean up and put the boats away.

You are now familiar with what we mean by the carefree way of boating. Think of it as the natural way to get a break, on the water, away form the yellow lines and the signs, signs, signs!

Here is space, room to spread out, no boundaries! Yes…. That’s it… Just relax, enjoy! It’s exhilirating, it’s living large, it’s just another reason to be boating.

Bring the family. Bring a friend. Bring a soul mate. In the Carefree Boat Club you can enjoy the boating lifestyle.

Where were you when someone stole your dreams?

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:45:57 -0500

Ever since I was a kid of 9 years old, the dreams of boating on the Chesapeake Bay were indelibly imprinted in my mind.

My father worked hard and was hardly ever at home when I was awake. He worked two jobs. One as a plumber working for a Plumbing Company and then after his first job ended, he would do odd jobs for others who, over the years, became dependent on his skills and trade. But, on occasion, he and my uncle Howard would take me fishing.

Generally, it was on a Sunday morning, so we would have to go to St. Vincent de Paul’s midnight mass in downtown Baltimore. I remember trying to get some sleep before he woke me for mass. Then, after mass, with a donut, on the way to the boat rental place, I would fall asleep in the truck. (my father’s boss let him drive the truck even when he was not working for the shop.)

After seining for little fish, the bait for the day, we would go through a ritual of trying to get the engine mounted on the boats and connected to the fuel, and started. We had a 1.5 hp, “Wizard” outboard made or sold by Western Auto. Mounted on a 12 ft wooden rowboat and pointed to the deeper water, we were on our way.

I guess I failed to mention some of the supplies we had to take. Lunch almost always was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and sometimes American cheese sandwiches. Dad sometimes would fry up some chicken on Saturday night and this along with a jug of lemonade for me (and a six pack of beer for them) was our “picnic” lunch.

It’s a little nostalgic, now, but I seem to remember rally enjoying having my lunch on the boat with my dad. I will probably never forget the feeling of being “with my dad.” Being on the water made it special for me. I had the feeling that I owned him for this time. He wasn’t going to go to work. He was there with me. That made it special.

As I grew up, I seem to have inherited some of the traits that my father had. He was a workaholic and so that’s what I became. I was never able to break the habit, either. But, I could not pass a marina, visit a restaurant at the water’s edge. Or see movies like “On Golden Pond” without remembering what it was like to be on the water with my dad.

The dream of being on the water with my own kids was always there. Something I wanted to do with them. A dream I had that I could share with them. And, you would not believe the number of times I made that commitment to me and them. I will do this, I said, over and over, time and again. But time just passed me by.

I always said I would have a boat and we would have the best times, swimming, fishing, and just cruising. A Sunday afternoon on a rowboat at Lake Roland (when I was younger and the kids were too). Alas, Lake Roland became a casualty to the construction and housing developments of the 50‘s and the 60’s. No more rental boats. No more fishing. No more digging for worms on the old dirt path to the dam. Another dream lost.

When I got married, I had the dreams of a family, a wife who would love to do the things I love to do and we would teach the kids all the fun things to do and give them memories to last a life. We really believed we could do that. I am sure we could have. I let work rule my every waking hour. My dreams were always put on the back burner. It is what it is!

The dreams are always overtaken by events. And there you have it.

Looking back on the past 45 years, and mostly on the time when the kids were growing up, I see that I spent too much time dreaming and too little time “enjoying. “

Now, as a grand dad, I am a member of the Carefree Boat Club in Occoquan (and 19 other locations from Maryland to Florida.) I have grand kids in Florida and now when I go there I take my grand kids and half the neighborhood with me out on the boats the Carefree way. I love it. Never have to worry about the boats. The club takes care of them and I don’t even have to clean them when I am done. I just spend my time with the kids on the water in someone else’s boat.

I know it took a long time. I know I can’t get the lost dreams back. I do know where I was and I know who stole those dreams. I am not very happy about it.

There is a moral to this story, (and a caboose to this train)…

Tomorrow is promised to no man. The dreams you have today may not fade, but unless you decide to make them come true, now, they will be “stolen” from you by time. You will not even notice that they are gone until it is too late.

For you who have the dreams of boating, of spending quality time with your loved ones, or of helping your children learn and appreciate the greatest things in life, talk to me about how the Carefree way of boating can help you achieve your dreams.

Don’t wait. Procrastination is not an excuse, it is a crime against yourself. Call me now. I will help you achieve that dream.

Message from our President - Changes ahead in 2010!

Wed, 6 Jan 2010 16:20:58 -0500

First of all as always we would very much like to thank you for your support over the past year. Every day we are thankful for our outstanding members who make being involved with the club so much fun.
On the whole the past eight years has been an exciting period for Carefree as we have expanded from one club in Woodbridge, Va to four area clubs and an additional thirteen operated under license. We expect to continue to expand the club to additional reciprocal locations around the country in fact a club on Lake Norman in North Carolina and in Key West are due to open soon and several more are on the way.

And, while 2009 was a challenging year for the economy and the boating industry as a whole, it was a bit of a milestone for the MD/DC area Carefree Boat Club. The goal of every club location is to reach a full membership position. It took us eight years but as of October 2009 we capped our membership. We have decided that we have reached our maximum capacity in Occoquan, DC, Edgewater and Pasadena. So congratulations, you got in early on what may become the hottest ticket in the area.

While we could continue to buy boats and add positions we think that the current size of the clubs are such that we can ensure sufficient demand to replace expiring members, continue to keep our boats in great condition, be secure against potential slip shortage and create the best possible experience for our members.

Memberships will become available as existing memberships expire, so new prospective members will have to apply for membership and if accepted will likely have to join a waiting list to become a member. If you know of anyone who may be interested in joining the club in 2010 or beyond please provide them with a referral card. Having a referral from a current member will help a prospective members chance of getting in to the club quickly and if they present a referral card from you, both of you will receive a gift from the club.

You may wonder what this means for current members. In short it will mean better service, better availability and overall more value for your membership. In order to get the club to this point we have spent a good deal of time and energy marketing and advertising the club. That is time and energy that we can now focus on making the club experience even better for our members.

While we have never exceeded our membership ratio of 10 active members per boat we know that there is more to availability than a ratio. We understand that not all of our members want to plan their boating activities two weeks ahead. There is more than one way to operate a boat club and our strategy is to offer a premium product where members can truly boat when they want and where they want. It is our hope that adding some boats will result in better availability and less need to cancel and reschedule outings.

We have a couple boats leaving the fleet that will be replaced with similar boats and in addition to that we will be adding one or two boats at each club. In DC we will have a Sailboat and a fishing boat next year. In Occoquan we will add a Deckboat and a second pontoon. In Pasadena we will add a Deckboat and in Edgewater we will add a cruiser, and we will have a bigger sailboat. That means we will have at least six more boats than we have today with the same number of members.

While we do not currently foresee increasing the size of the fleet beyond 50 boats. We are always evaluating the fleet and anticipating turning over those that need to be and renewing the others. We all know the economy has been poor and it has put a real pinch on the boating industry, fewer and fewer people are buying boats. Many are choosing to join a boat club instead but a lot of folks are just putting off recreational spending. The only real impact this has on the club is that we cannot sell our old boats. We currently have 12 boats for sale that are no longer in the boat club fleet because they do not meet our standards. Once we can sell those boats we will continue to turn over our older boats and replace them with new ones.

Wishing Everyone a Prosperous New Year, Doug Zimmerman

Hydrilla & Friends: Always be careful when you see floating debris. Read on.

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 17:47:43 -0400

Special Holiday Event and Membership Package
Think of the fun, the days on the water, tubing on Belmont Bay or cruising to Colonial Beach.

What fun you can have with the whole family!

Isn’t it better to spend time with the kids and their friends now, before they get to the age when they will prefer you not be along? Enjoy life with them now while you can.

Carefree Boat Club wants you to experience the boating, the club environment, the great Chesapeake Bay estuary, and learn how to be a better boater.

Come join the club for Christmas and the whole family can have a whole year to “test the waters” for less than the cost of 2 Starbuck's Chocolate Mocha Grande’s a day.

To learn more about the plan and the pricing, click here http://leo.historicoccoquan.com/

Call me today – 703-217-6699

Leo Smith
Membership Director
Carefree Boat Club at Occoquan
201 Mill Street, Occoquan, VA 22125
703-217-6699

Shared Boating Opportunities: The Carefree Boat Club is one way. Check out the other ways, too.

Sun, 2 Aug 2009 13:26:06 -0400

Hi, my name is Leo Smith and I'm the membership director for Carefree Boat club.

Many folks call about the club and seem to equate the club with a "Time Share" for boats. But that is only a perception and there are significant differences between the "country club" view of the club and a time share. And, it might even be easier to understand the Carefree Boat Club model in the same light as an Airplane Club, or a Health Club. It is another form of shared asset utilization.

There are four forms of shared boating, Partnership, Rental Plans, Fractional Ownership and a Boat Club.

There are pros and cons to all four.
Fractional Ownership:
If you think about it, the definition of fractional ownership is very simple: Fractional means that the asset (whether home or yacht or car) is split into fractions for the purposes of expenses, use, etc. Ownership means just what it says - the individuals who together form part of this fractional scheme actually own an interest in the asset and can benefit (or lose out) from changes in the asset’s value.

Part Owner, also mans part liability.

It may mean that if the boat is down because of what one owner did to it, it is down to all the owners and will stay "down" until it is repaired. Liability issues are important to insure against so that each is not responsible for what the other does.

When all is working well, it is a great way to start your boating experiences; but if the weather is bad on your day to use it, you won't be using it.

Partnership in a Boat:
Like any partnership, you and your partner must get along well. Not just when you jiin the arrangement; but throughout the relationship. As difficult as a marriage is to hold together in many cases, a boating partnership may be far more difficult. One must consider how to handle the situations that occur when one partner has a serious accident with the boat and the expense to repair it is very high. Is it a shared expense, and if so at what percentage by each.
Liability insurance is another item to consider for the protection of each member. Taking a chance in a partnership role is only good until there is a problem. Then someone is to blame and the other may balk at the cost of resolving the issue, or just will not want the blemish on his/her record.

Most financial advisors will tell you that a partnership is the least desirable form of business relationship. And, buying a boat together is a business relationship.

Rental:
There are boat rental organizations, although they are fewer and farther between than they used to be. Boat rental companies have been struck with the changing attitude of the renter over the past years. The care and attention, the integrity and the concern of the renter for the rental equipment is a key problem for rental companies.

The cost of boats, the labor to repair them, the time they are out of commission (meaning no income generated from them), and the repairs and maintenance of the newer boats is exorbitant. The result, rental costs are increasing dramatically, to he extent that one rental boat club I am aware of charges $840.00 per day. And that does not include a cleaning cost if one is necessary.

And since they are scarce, one may have to travel for an hour or two to get to the rental company, which will reduce the time one has to go boating. And when signing for a boat make sure you are insured. If you damage the boat, you may have to pay for it.

There is a better way.

Boat Clubs
Boat Clubs have sprung up over the years. In 1989 a club started in Sarasota Florida, became a very workable solution to shared boating. The Carefree Boat Club derived its existence through the same model that was used in 1989, with a few years of experience generated modifications to make the club a more enjoyable, more members oriented and more effective.

The carefree way of boating is delivering satisfaction to more and more members each month. Growing from one club in Woodbridge, VA, to more than 17 clubs from Maryland to Florida, members enjoy the use of the boats in all the clubs with "no fee: for using them.
Joining the club is like joining a health club and using the boats is a lot like using the clubs and equipment in the health clubs.

Boat clubs generally offer their members a guilt free, usage limited or unlimited plan that will allow them to use a variety of boats from a variety of places. And, if one boat breaks, so what, there are more to choose from. The member is not an owner of any boat and can use all of them.

Boat clubs are the least expensive way to have a boat when you want one without the hassles and costs associated with ownership.

Since the club is based on average costs the member gets to take advantage of the lower membership fee and the more expensive boats.

A great way to enjoy pretty expensive boats at a very low relative cost and, as long as the members to boat ratio is favorable, there is no better way to enjoy shared boating.

For more information call me at 703-217-6699.

Introduction

Leo@carefreeboats.com — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:08:01 -0400

Hi, my name is Leo Smith and this is my blog. Here is a picture of me charting the best membership available to you.

Membership Benefits

leo@carefreeboats.com — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:08:02 -0400

Benefits of membership
A fleet of boats to choose from,
A list of Marinas to choose to boat from,
A Variety of Boats to use (fishing, skiing, pontoons, bow-riders, deck boats, cuddy cabins and cruisers)
Yachts, too, if you so desire.

No hassles: We clean, wax, maintain, change oil, repair and store the boats.
No Weather worries: Like Hurricanes, storms, snow blizzards, or thunder storms
No trailers to buy, or SUVs for towing - just go where the boats are,
No Slips to rent, or storage to pay for,

Boats are always ready when you arrive, no preparation time lost

Training in Included,
Insurance is Included
Reservations are "On-Line" from your home or office

Go Boating ... Go Home! Can't be any easier than that!