Freedom Boat ClubFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Freedom Boat Club franchise requires a total initial investment of $264K – $623K, including a $50K franchise fee. The 2026 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 32 loans[1]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $264K – $623K
- 21st pct Recreation & …
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 23rd pct Recreation & …
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 437
- 43rd pct Recreation & …
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Recreation & Entertainment · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Recreation & Entertainment avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Only 0.0% of 32 SBA loans charged off, well below the 16% franchise average.
Franchised units fell from 288 to 266 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $264K – $623K including a $50K franchise fee.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 25/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 32 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- No Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Freedom Franchise Systems, LLC
- Parent company
- Brunswick Corporation
- Predecessor
- Freedom Franchise Sales LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- Incorporated in
- FL
- HQ
- 10975 Hughey Kimal Drive, Venice, FL 34292
- Auditor
- Robinson, Gruters & Roberts, P.A.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $10.0M
- vs $10.2M prior year
Affiliated brands
- Name Pr
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Franchisees operate membership-based boat club locations, managing boat access, maintenance, scheduling, and member services. Day-to-day operations include fleet management, member acquisition/retention, scheduling coordination, and ensuring regulatory compliance for watercraft operations.
- CEO
- Cecil Cohn
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 2011
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 31
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing · 12 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $50K | $50K | |
| Training Expenses | $2K | $4K | |
| Real Estate | $3K | $9K | |
| Improvements (including Signage) | $2K | $5K | |
| Furniture, Equipment | $2K | $4K | |
| Boat Inventory | $150K | $400K | |
| Professional Fees | $2K | $7K | |
| Insurance | $7K | $15K | |
| Start-up Advertising | $15K | $60K | |
| Deposits, Licenses/Permits | $1K | $4K | |
| Sales and Marketing Support Fee | $0 | $15K | |
| Additional Funds - Three Months | $30K | $50K | |
| Total initial investment | $264K | $623K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $264K – $623K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $30K – $50K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K – $50K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- The greater of 6% of Gross Revenues or the Minimum Royalty
- Ad fund
- 0.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | greater of 6% of Gross Revenues or $1,000/month after first year, $2,000/month after second year |
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.5% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $1K |
| Training fee | $150 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $13K |
| Inventory (initial) | $120K – $300K |
| Total fee load | 6.5% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Recreation & Entertainment averages
How Freedom Boat Club Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 437
- Opened
- 33
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 12
- Turnover rate
- 2.7%
- Company-owned
- 149
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 66%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +7.1%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +8.3%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 26
- Closed (3yr)
- 10
- Terminated (3yr)
- 3
- Transfers (3yr)
- 4
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 22
- Franchisor bought back
- Transfer rate
- 0.9%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Termination rate
- 0.7%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 2.3%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 14 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Michigan
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 32
- Loan volume
- $20.7M
- Median loan
- $286K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 11
- Defaults
- 0
Vintage analysis
Freedom Boat Club charge-off rate by loan vintage
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Freedom Boat Club's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 8 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 9-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 32 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Freedom Boat Club presents meaningful litigation risk, opaque unit economics, and modest growth—warranting deep validation before investment.
Litigation (Item 3)
Three cases involving former franchisees: (1) FBC Marine Group, LLC v. Freedom Franchise Systems, LLC - settled January 3, 2019 for $700,000 total; (2) Baja Marine, LLC et al. v. Freedom Franchise Systems, LLC - previously dismissed without prejudice, included in MSA; (3) Freedom Franchise Systems, LLC v. FBC Marine Group, LLC & William Gates - voluntarily dismissed March 13, 2018. Claims included deceptive/unfair trade practices, Florida Franchise Act violations, fraudulent inducement, and negligent misrepresentation.
Largest disclosed settlement: $700,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Robinson, Gruters & Roberts, P.A.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 25 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHSettled litigation involving fraudulent inducement and negligent misrepresentation regarding termination of franchise agreements—indicates systemic disputes over contract enforcement
- 02MEDNo Item 19 (Average Unit Volume) disclosure—inability to assess actual profitability; combined with undisclosed net income, prevents ROI validation
- 03MINORModest unit growth of 7.1% YoY against high initial investment ($263.5K–$622.5K) suggests marginal unit economics and potential market saturation
- 04MED6% minimum royalty floor on undisclosed revenue base creates cash flow risk; royalty burden is unknown without average unit volumes
- 05MINORCollective settlement agreement indicates multiple franchisees had termination grievances—suggests franchisor enforcement practices or performance expectations may be problematic
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Population-based |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory radius | 5 mi |
| Territory population | 50,000 |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Not allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Sarasota, Florida |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Florida |
| Litigation count | 3 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Three cases involving former franchisees: (1) FBC Marine Group, LLC v. Freedom Franchise Systems, LLC - settled January 3, 2019 for $700,000 total; (2) Baja Marine, LLC et al. v. Freedom Franchise Systems, LLC - previously dismissed without prejudice, included in MSA; (3) Freedom Franchise Systems, LLC v. FBC Marine Group, LLC & William Gates - voluntarily dismissed March 13, 2018. Claims included deceptive/unfair trade practices, Florida Franchise Act violations, fraudulent inducement, and negligent misrepresentation.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 37 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 12 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Time to open
- 3 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisor
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- QuickBooks and Microsoft Office 365
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: QuickBooks and Microsoft Office 365
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
18 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Freedom Boat Club · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Freedom Boat Club franchise?
The total investment to open a Freedom Boat Club franchise ranges from $264K – $623K, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Freedom Boat Club franchise owners earn?
Freedom Boat Club does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Freedom Boat Club's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Freedom Boat Club has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 32 loans, meaning 0.0% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Freedom Boat Club franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Freedom Boat Club has 437 total units in the United States, including 288 franchised units and 149 company-owned units. 33 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Freedom Boat Club a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Freedom Boat Club as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 25 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.