With many would-be boaters minding their budgets, Port Harbor Marine saw this season as an opportunity to launch their new boat and yacht club in Maine, a timely alternative to boat ownership that maximizes the benefits of the boating experience while eliminating many of the responsibilities of yacht ownership.

Port Harbor's President, Rob Soucy, said the concept grew out of the company's successful rental campaign at all 5 of their locations across Maine. "We figured the boat club concept would be well received and appeal to a more local crowd," said Soucy. "The membership allows people who have been thinking about owning a boat / yacht, but who are not quite ready to make the full commitment and purchase, an opportunity to get into the sport at a fraction of the cost."

Soucy sees the boat club as perfect way to expose a new members base to the rewards of Maine boating, partly as a means to get better traffic to their dealership in the long haul. Though the Boat Club concept is not a new one, Port Harbor Marine will be the first Maine marina to offer this type of service in both fresh water, at their Sebago Lake facility in Raymond and salt water at their Spring Point Marina in South Portland. "As Maine's largest boat broker," he added, "we have the ability to provide a wide variety of boats / yachts --and the ability to use them on either lake or ocean."