For members of Freedom Boat Club, actually owning a boat does not matter because the coastal company provides the boats for them.

Founded in Sarasota, Florida in 1989, Freedom Boat Club offers members the opportunity to take out a boat for either half a day or a whole day and enjoy the sea with only the stipulation that the members refuel the boat.

The company has franchise locations nationwide, and Chris Speckman said he plans to expand his operations to Wilmington in the coming year.

After he originally thought of joining Freedom Boat Club, Speckman decided to not just join but purchase his own franchise along with his brother.

“I looked into being a member first, and loved the concept and decided that it would be something I could really believe in,” Speckman said about taking on his first franchise in North Myrtle Beach six years ago. “It was kind of struggling when we bought it, but as of two years ago we were the fastest-growing Freedom Boat Club.”

The Speckmans now own four franchises of the boating club: in Southport, North Myrtle Beach, Murrells Inlet and Pawleys Island. They are currently searching for a location in the Wilmington area.

“The goal all along was to cover what we view as the Grand Strand, from Georgetown, South Carolina to Wilmington,” Speckman said.

Speckman said they have not found the right location yet, but they are looking in the Wrightsville Beach area and hope to find a place by the fall.

“We are looking to open in Wilmington possibly this fall, but we will be there at the latest in spring 2015,” Speckman said.

Latane Forester is the director of the Southport franchise of the Freedom Boat Club, and she believes it offers members an easy and hassle-free way to enjoy boating.

“All you do is show up here, and we toss you the keys,” Forester said. “Then you go and have fun. When you get back, you refuel the boat and toss us back the keys. That’s it.”

The Southport franchise of the company offers three different plans for members: a Monday-through-Friday plan, a friends-and-family plan and the Freedom plan, which is an unlimited, seven-days-a-week plan.

The average cost for the Freedom plan includes a $5,900 one-time entry fee and a $249 monthly fee. Even though these costs seem high, Forester insists they are more than reasonable.

“You just can’t own a boat for $249 a month,” Forester said, “especially since that fee includes all the maintenance, slip fees and insurance costs.”