Freedom Boat Club Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $264K – $623K
- Disclosed sales
- not disclosed
- SBA charge-off
- Limited · 32 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Freedom Boat Club is a membership-based boating franchise giving members shared access to a fleet of boats without ownership. Franchisees run club locations at marinas managing the fleet, maintenance, reservations, and member services.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Freedom Boat Club franchise requires a total initial investment of $264K – $623K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: low - issued within the last 12 months
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✓ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored4 of 5 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing; the rest are marked “Not cited” beside the figure.
Overview
- Investment
- $264K – $623K
- 21st pct Recreation & …
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 9th pct Recreation & …
- Units
- 437
- 52nd pct Recreation & …
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Recreation & Entertainment · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Recreation & Entertainment median · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $264K – $623K including a $50K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 74/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHPositive: net +19 franchised outlets in the latest year (33 opened, 14 closed); 6 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- DATAThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Freedom Franchise Systems, LLC
- Parent company
- Brunswick Corporation
- FDD Item 1, page 8 of the 2026 FDD
- Predecessor
- Freedom Franchise Sales LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President
- Cecil Cohn
- Incorporated in
- FL
- HQ
- 10975 Hughey Kimal Drive, Venice, FL 34292
- Auditor
- Robinson, Gruters & Roberts, P.A.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $10.0M
- vs $9.0M prior year
Affiliated brands
- Name Pr
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Cecil Cohn
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 2011
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 31
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 21% below the typical recreation & entertainment franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown12 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
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $30K – $50K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Set by a formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 0.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.5% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $13K |
| Inventory (initial) | $150K – $400K |
| Total fee load | 6.5% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Freedom Boat Club makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Freedom Boat Club unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
No financial performance representation
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 6.5% — below the Recreation & Entertainment median of 8.0%.
Disclosure
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator retention
System expanding at 8.3% CAGR over 3 years across 437 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Recreation & Entertainment medians
How Freedom Boat Club Compares
Category median of published Recreation & Entertainment brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 437
- Opened
- 33
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 14
- Terminated
- 2
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 3.2%
- Company-owned
- 149
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 66%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +8.3%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +8.3%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 2
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 4
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 6
- 0.01 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 17
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- 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 12 · 31 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
31
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
2 current owners across 1 state.
- FL 2
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20; 3 entries carry no state. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
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
- Limited · 32 loans
- Limited SBA coverage: 32 loans, rate hidden until 10 have resolved and loans reach 2% of franchised units
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Limited · 32 loans
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 11
- Defaults
- 0
- Typical loan rate
- 6.4%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- 0.0%
- NAICS 713930
- Jobs supported
- 452
- 3.4 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 46%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 14% went to startups / new businesses, 86% to established operators
Vintage analysis
Freedom Boat Club charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Freedom Boat Club franchisees
Showing 3 of 11 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for Freedom Boat Club from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 0.0%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 76%
- Avg interest rate
- 6.42%
- Lender concentration
- 45.8%
- Job velocity
- 3.4 per $100K
- NAICS benchmark
- 0.0%
- NAICS 713930
- Jobs supported
- 452
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 46% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paradise Bank | 11 | $8.1M | 0.0% |
| 2 | Wells Fargo Bank National Association | 3 | $931K | 0.0% |
| 3 | Trustmark Bank | 3 | $512K | 0.0% |
| 4 | iTHINK Financial CU | 1 | $650K | 0.0% |
| 5 | Rockland Trust Company | 1 | $250K | 0.0% |
| 6 | The Central Trust Bank | 1 | $127K | 0.0% |
| 7 | CDC Small Business Finance Corp. | 1 | $80K | 0.0% |
| 8 | First National Bank of Pennsylvania | 1 | $263K | 0.0% |
| 9 | Live Oak Banking Company | 1 | $515K | N/A |
| 10 | First Business Bank | 1 | $2.0M | N/A |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FLFlorida | 12 | 0 | 0.0% |
| TXTexas | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| CACalifornia | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| MOMissouri | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| SCSouth Carolina | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| MAMassachusetts | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| NCNorth Carolina | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| NYNew York | 1 | 0 | -- |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Borrower profile
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Freedom Boat Club presents meaningful litigation risk, opaque unit economics, and modest growth—warranting deep validation before investment.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (defendant).
FBC Marine Group v. FFS (2018): former franchisee alleged deceptive trade, Florida Franchise Act violations, fraudulent inducement. Settled in January 2019 for $700,000 total ($52,000 litigation-related, $648,000 for buyout of purchase option rights). All cases including two related prior suits dismissed with prejudice.
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)
Total revenue for FY ended Dec 31, 2024 comprised Royalties $9,471,629, Franchise fees $549,793, and Other $13,301 (Statement of Operations, Item 21 audited financials).
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 74 / 100 verdict
- 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
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 6.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Exclusive territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory radius | 5 mi |
| Territory population | 50,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | 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 | 10 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 4 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Sarasota, Florida |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | FL |
| Litigation count | 3 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
FBC Marine Group v. FFS (2018): former franchisee alleged deceptive trade, Florida Franchise Act violations, fraudulent inducement. Settled in January 2019 for $700,000 total ($52,000 litigation-related, $648,000 for buyout of purchase option rights). All cases including two related prior suits dismissed with prejudice.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 37 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 12 hrs
- Training location
- Venice, Florida or other location designated by franchisor
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 2 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee with franchisor approval
- 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
5 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
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 makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Freedom Boat Club?
Freedom Boat Club is franchised by Freedom Franchise Systems, LLC. Its parent company is Brunswick Corporation. Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Freedom Boat Club FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Freedom Boat Club FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Freedom Boat Club's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Freedom Boat Club (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
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 verdict score of 74 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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.