Freedom Boat Club Acquires CT Franchise

Freedom Boat Club, a division of Brunswick Corporation has acquired its Freedom Boat Club of Connecticut franchise operation and territory from the current owners. The acquisition includes all current Connecticut-based locations, as well as the rights to expand and build new club locations in the territory. There are seven Freedom Boat Club locations across the Connecticut coastline from Stamford to Mystic, with plans for continued expansion ahead of the 2022 boating season.   

Freedom Boat Club entered the Connecticut market in 2016 and has attracted new boaters to its shared-access participation model under the leadership of marine industry veterans, Richard Cromwell and Peter DeVilbiss.  Membership at the Connecticut club locations has consistently grown at a double-digit percentage annual rate over the past six years, a testament to the owners and staff, all of whom are intended to be retained during the transition.  

This announcement marks the fourth boat club acquisition made by Brunswick Corporation in 2021, following the purchase of Fanautic Club and its 23 Spanish locations in July, the New York territory in early April, and the Chicago territory in early March.  Freedom Boat Club now operates corporate-owned clubs in nine territories that span Connecticut; Southwest Florida; Southeast Florida; Raleigh, North Carolina; Charleston, South Carolina; Chicago, Illinois; Long Island, New York; Milwaukee; and the United Kingdom.