Why We Joined Jax Boat Club Instead of Buying a Boat

We traded unsure plans every weekend for knowing exactly what we'll be doing.

by Jennifer Heller

Tracy and I talked about getting a boat for about two years. Not because we'd wandered the docks at a boat show dreaming about it, but because every summer we'd ride along with friends and come home saying the same thing: we need one of these. What finally moved us wasn't a boat at all. It was a spreadsheet.

Going over the numbers - the amount of time we would spend maintaining a boat, cleaning the boat, the cost of dry storage for a boat, and repairs to the boat - I did what any reasonably frugal person would do: I closed the door on the whole idea. Boat, not happening, moving on. Tracy, meanwhile, quietly slipped out that door and toured a few local boat clubs just to see what that option actually looked like for us. Turns out he was onto something. After touring three clubs, Jax Boat Club gave us everything we wanted and skipped every part we were dreading.

The Math That Changed Our Minds

We priced out a used boat we actually liked, then priced out what it would cost to keep it running: dry storage fees, routine maintenance, winter service, cleaning after every trip, and the slow leak of a Saturday morning spent hosing off the hull (whatever that is) instead of being on the water. Membership covered all of it for a fraction of the cost, and it came with a full fleet to choose from instead of just one boat.

What Our Weekends Actually Look Like Now

Finding the boat club was the best thing that has happened. It's completely changed the look of our weekends. We reserve a boat, show up, and go. There's no trailer to back down a ramp, no engine to flush, no cover to wrestle with at the end of the day.

We love getting off the boat, paying for the gas, and walking over to the pool. No clean-up. Membership gives us full access to Palm Cove Marina, which means clean restrooms and showers, a bait shop and ship store when we forget something, and Marker 32 right on site for when we're ready to eat without ever getting back in the car.

I should mention here that I am, by Tracy's own accurate description, the boat princess. I don't drive it, anchor it, or dock it. What I do is keep the sandwiches coming and hand him his beverage as long as my sea legs are sturdy or he slows down a bit. It's a system that works for both of us.

The People Are the Real Membership

The dock crew is absolutely incredible, and Curt, the owner, was amazing to work with. He patiently took the time with me by phone to answer all of my questions (and there were a LOT of questions). By the end of our chat, I knew we were his newest members.

Every time we've reserved a boat, James is there to welcome us with his big smile and helpful hand; the boat is ready, clean, and waiting. That kind of consistency is what actually makes a membership worth it. You're not just paying for a boat. You're paying for a team that treats your weekend like it matters as much to them as it does to you. When we come back down the channel, we can always count on Angi, Elizabeth, and the crew to get us unloaded, gas the boat up, and get us on our way .... to the pool!

Where We've Been by Boat

Have you ever dreamed of owning a Ponte Vedra Beach home on the ICW along Roscoe Boulevard? Me too. Now I just cruise down the ICW and admire them on my way to Palm Valley Outdoors, no mortgage required.

Then there's Shark Tooth Island. Most people don't know where it is. Tracy could probably give you the exact longitude, latitude, and buoy number. The novice in me can only tell you it's across from Sisters Creek and the Mayport shipyard, or what I'm fairly sure is the shipyard. You're better off checking a map than taking my word for it. It's still my favorite spot for shark tooth hunting.

One Saturday, after I'd wrangled every shark tooth I could carry, we decided on a whim to cruise downtown and see Jacksonville from a different angle. It was so much fun passing the Carnival cruise ship as passengers boarded, catching Friendship Fountain from a view I'd never had, and floating by the Riverside Arts Market. The cow murals on the bridge pillars are something else. And after years of driving over the Main Street Bridge without a second thought, I realized it's a lift bridge. It goes up and down. Who knew?

And then there's The Palms Fish Camp. They have a dock and great food. Also a no-brainer.

About Jax Boat Club

Jax Boat Club gives members full access to Palm Cove Marina, set up as a complete boating destination rather than a simple launch point. There you'll find a well-maintained fleet of pleasure and fishing boats, a swimming pool and dressing rooms, picnic areas, a bait shop, a ship store, and Marker 32 right on site. The latest upgrade to membership is that every boat in the fleet is now pet-friendly, so our dog gets just as many weekends on the water as we do.

See What a Weekend on the Water Can Look Like

If you've ever ridden along with friends and come home wishing you had a boat of your own, or done the math on ownership and felt your stomach drop, I understand exactly where you are. Message me at [email protected], and I'll walk you through what membership actually looks like day-to-day, and maybe Jax Boat Club will fit your weekends the way it fits ours.

Anchors away --- and we'll see you on the water!