This is How Freedom Boat Club Reservations Work

Freedom Boat Club reservation system is very straightforward. It’s done all online either from your phone or a computer.

Reservations Portal

The Freedom Boat Club’s reservation portal is a convenient online reservations portal that members can use to book their boat rentals. This portal allows you to search for available boats at your desired location and time. You can also filter the details of each boat, making it easier to choose the right one for your outing.

After you have logged in, it will bring you to your homepage. From here you can update your location, date, and filter options. To get started with reserving a boat, click on the top right +Reserve.

The Freedom Boat Club logo and navigation bar on a website. The blue navigation bar includes options for changing the language, viewing reservations (showing 2 out of 4 reservations), and a button to make a new reservation. The club's logo is positioned on the left side of the bar, while the "Reserve" button is highlighted in light blue on the right side, creating a clear and user-friendly interface.

After you hit reserve, scroll up if it is auto brings you to a list. This is what the homepage of the Reserve page looks like. You can change your location here (top left), change your date (bottom left), or filter out some options (bottom left next to the date). Click on Change location

A screenshot of the Freedom Boat Club reservation system for the St. Augustine - Camachee location. The page displays two information boxes regarding location rules. The first box explains that members can have up to four active reservations at a time, which roll off once used. The second box highlights that only two of the four reservations can be weekend bookings, with limits on full and half-day weekend reservations. The page includes options to reserve or waitlist a boat, along with a date selection tool and a filter button for choosing a time frame. There are also buttons for sorting the results.

Change your location to match what location you want to leave from. When you hit the location drop. down menu, you’ll see all the locations Freedom Boat Club offers. Your home locations will have a house icon next to them.

A location selection screen from the Freedom Boat Club website, showing options to choose a country, state, and location. The current selection is "FBC of Northeast Florida: St. Augustine - Camachee, US." Below the location information, there are dropdown menus to select the country (set to United States), state (set to Florida), and location (set to St. Augustine - Camachee). A green "Go" button is located at the bottom of the screen to confirm the selection. At the top, a "Home" button allows the user to return to the main page.

Change your date to match the date you want to go, after you select your date it will auto-update the list. It will be today’s date by default, just double-click on which day you are planning on boating. If it’s less than 24 hours you will have to call that Mariana. We have called the same day a couple of times now and every time they found us a boat. However it will not always be the type of boat you want.

A calendar view for November 2023 showing the dates arranged from Sunday to Saturday. The 28th is highlighted in blue, indicating a selected date. The days of the week are listed along the top, with each day represented as a number. The arrow at the top right allows navigation to the next month. The calendar layout is simple and clear, showing all the days of the month.

Filter options, I would use this when I want to go fishing. This will filter out the boats you can either fish from, take offshore, etc. Just make sure Fishing Only is not selected, there are no boats that only you can fish from. I would pick Cruising/Fishing only. We tried to fish from a hurricane boat and they didn’t want us to.

A screenshot of the Advanced Vessel Filter options on the Freedom Boat Club website. The filter allows users to select vessel capacity, with options for 1-5 passengers, 6-10 passengers, and 11-12 passengers. Vessel type options include categories like Captained Vessel, Cruising/Fishing only, Pontoon Only, Twin Outboard Engine, Wake Sports, and more. There is also a checkbox for selecting "Pet Friendly" vessels. At the bottom, there are two buttons labeled "Cancel" and "Apply" for finalizing the filter choices.

When you have selected your options you should have a list that looks like this below. It should start with the date you selected. It will show the boats that have availability first. From the example below, the hurricane has all three-time slots available. The 239 Bowrider is only available in the morning, and the 203CC is not available. You can tell this by looking at the +Reserve option. You can be put on the Waitlist for a boat you want as well in case they cancel. When you find the right boat on your date, click +Reserve.

A screenshot of the Freedom Boat Club reservation system displaying available boats. Three boats are listed:

"Splash Pad III - Deck," a 2021 Hurricane Deck Boat with 150 HP, 12-passenger capacity, and 20 feet in length. Options to reserve or waitlist are available for various time slots.
"Reel Life - 239 Bowrider," a 2022 Key West Bowrider with 250 HP, 9-passenger capacity, and 23 feet in length. The boat has reservation or waitlist options for different times, but some slots are unavailable.
"Alotaluck II - CC 203," a 2023 Key West Center Console with 150 HP, 8-passenger capacity, and 20 feet in length. The boat is mostly unavailable, but waitlist options are shown.
Each listing includes an option to "View More Details," along with information on horsepower, capacity, and boat length.

A confirmation box will show up, double check your time/location/boat. There will be a drop-down for Arriving at the dock and Returning. There is also a Notes section, I’ve used it before to make sure the boat is topped off for fuel if we plan a long trip. You should know that reservations are subject to availability, so booking in advance is best to ensure you get the boat you want.

Cancellation Policy

The Freedom Boat Club has a flexible cancellation policy, allowing members to cancel or reschedule their reservations up to 24 hours before the scheduled rental time. This gives members the freedom to change their plans without incurring any penalties. However, if a reservation is canceled within 24 hours of the rental time, a fee may be charged. Though we’ve never been charged and I have canceled 30 mins before my time. Weather is a big one, you’ll get those rainy days you have to cancel.

Tips for Making Reservations

To make the most of your Freedom Boat Club membership, here are some tips for making reservations:

  • Book in advance: As mentioned earlier, reservations are subject to availability, so it’s best to book in advance to secure the boat you want.
  • Be flexible: If your desired boat is not available, try to be flexible with your dates and times. This will increase your chances of finding an available boat.
  • Check the weather: Before making a reservation, be sure to check the weather forecast for your desired location. If the weather is not suitable for boating, it’s best to reschedule your reservation.