TEMPLE, Texas (KXXV) — A new boat club is attracting first-time boaters to Belton Lake.
- Freedom Boat Club provides the boats and leaves the maintenance out at the Lake Belton Marina
- The club hosted a Meet the Fleet event on Saturday to give tours and boat rides to potential members
- The option to boat without the hassle of owning a boat is attracting new boaters and ones with experience.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"What do you do around here? We know there is plenty of food to eat, but other than that, well we got the lake," Derek Drawhorn said.
Derek Drawhorn tells me after moving to the area a couple months ago, he fell in love with Belton Lake while kayaking. He says the kayak trip ignited a spark to spend more time on the water. With no previous boating experience, he toured the Freedom Boat Club at the Lake Belton Marina.
"We're in a process of discovery. What do we do in central Texas coming from south Texas? On the lake seemed like a good thing so it peaked my interest for something new to try without necessarily all the additional cost and expense of having to own a boat."
The Freedom Boat Club offers members the opportunity to go boating on Belton Lake whenever they want, without maintaining the vessel themselves.
Derek tells me he wants to pass on his future boating skills to the next generation of his family.
"I'm at a period of my life where we have grown adults, but we might be having grandchildren come along soon and we're building a nice house here in the area and I can see where boating would be a part of the new experience for our kids and grand kids."
Cindy Falbo opened the Belton Lake franchise of the boat club with her husband after she tells me he was thinking of buying a boat.
"I had always grown up hearing the two favorite days in a mans life are the day he buys a boat and the day he sells a boat."
She tells me the goal is to get people of all levels of boating expertise to enjoy the lake.
"There's a lot of recreational activities out here on the lake, but it's also a relatively quiet lake and there is so much to do. It encourages family time and just enjoying each other."
