FB
Freedom Boat Club - Richmond
Experience hassle-free boating on the James River with expert guidance and premium vessels.
4.8
Business
$$$
Experience hassle-free boating on the James River with expert guidance and premium vessels.
Freedom Boat Club - Richmond offers a convenient and safe boating membership, eliminating the hassles of boat ownership. Located on Old Main Street, this marina provides access to well-maintained runabouts and pontoons for exploring the scenic James River. Customer reviews highlight the helpful and safety-focused dock staff, seamless reservation process, and comprehensive new member orientation. With a high Google rating, it's a trusted choice for recreational boating without the maintenance burdens.
No photos available
Access to a fleet of runabouts, pontoons, and other boats through a monthly or annual membership, eliminating ownership costs.
Comprehensive training and safety briefing to ensure confident and responsible boating on the James River.
Professional assistance with boat check-in/out, safety protocols, and weather-related guidance for a secure experience.
Easy online booking for boats, with advance scheduling for weekends, holidays, and peak times.
Opportunity to use boats at other Freedom Boat Club locations, expanding your boating horizons beyond Richmond.
Guided or self-directed trips on the James River, ideal for relaxation, sightseeing, and casual recreation.
Claim Freedom Boat Club - Richmond to update business info, respond to reviews, and access analytics.
Overall rating
Bob Donovan
The Jamas River is surprisingly beautiful this time of the year. Rory at FBC is tops. She helps makes boating fun! The runabout boat is sporty and easy to pilot!
Rick Watson
The dock staff were helpful when we arrived but they really shined during our return. A severe storm hit that was unexpected and they stayed in constant communication to help facilitate our return to the dock with the focus on our safety because visibility was close to zero. They helped grab our stuff and bring it to the top of the hill and even waited for us to come back after we had left an item behind. Kudos to the both of them!
Thomas Franck
This was our first boat outing with Freedom Boat Club after having just completed the new member orientation earlier that day. We called last minute and were able to get the boat of our choice. Ricky had everything ready to go and did an outstanding job explaining everything for us on the checklist as well as giving us a few tips for our trip.
John Daggit
It's really nice to be able to get out on the James without having to maintain a boat. Is it a little pricey? Yes, but so is buying and maintaining a recent model year boat (Break Out Another Thousand - B.O.A.T.). I guess I have a few 'complaints', but they aren't deal breakers (for me), just annoyances. I still think it's a 5 star operation, just things to think about if you're considering. 1. You need to schedule well in advance if you want to be on a boat during a holiday weekend. That's not a surprise, but it does eat away at your allowed reservation count, which may leave you having a hard time scheduling other reservations on non-holiday/weekday/weekend dates. Counting holidays separately from weekday/weekend reservations would be a nice improvement. 2. I'm not sure about other locations, as I have definitely not taken advantage of the other 'home' clubs, or reciprocals, but Richmond is fairly cautious about weather and river conditions. I know it's for member/guest safety, and to protect their investments and keep insurance down, but there's been a couple of times I was surprised to hear they weren't letting anyone go out because of potential weather or high water. Sure, the boater needs to be aware of these things and be extra cautious, but they also should trust their members to be responsible. There's enough verbiage in the contracts to put the blame on the member anyway. Not saying they want to, or even would, do that. But they could. If you've passed the required training for the vessel you want to take out, then you should be allowed to roll the dice. 3. No overnights. If you are wanting to take a boat out for a two day trip, Richmond doesn't have those types of boats. One of the northern 'home' locations does, but it requires additional training. That's okay, it is a larger boat than what you are usually taking out. And I believe they are starting to allow other types of boats to be kept overnight, but you can't drive it at night. You shouldn't want to, but sometimes the moon is pretty bright and you want to :) Again, this is not a negative review. Just things to think about if you are considering. FBC or any other.
William Lee
I do wish you would allow fishing on more of the boats. I am a casual fisherman these days, which is to say I take a small amount of gear and it's not a cumbersome situation. I do understand that the runabouts and pontoons have more soft surfaces, however, I believe I could fish quite handily off of either and not damage the equipment. Yesterday's outing would have been a bit better if I could have dropped a line in the water for a bit. Let's face it, there are many ways one can damage the boats. I don't think fishing is any more hazardous than certain other activities or behaviors. It comes down to the individual.
