In some cases, groups have grown out of need. The Bristol Owners' Organization, for example, published a website to help owners manage their boats after the manufacturer folded in the 1990s. The site features brochures, specifications, manuals, sail plans, photos and drawings submitted by owners. "This is a website formed so that Bristol owners can share information and support each other in the place of the manufacturer," says the site's home page.VERO BEACH GRADY BUNCHThe Bunch gathers during a recent retreat.

PERSONALITY PLUS

The success or failure of this type of club typically depends on the amount of time and energy the organizers can devote to it – along with the personality of the organizers themselves. Nyla Deputy has operated the Silverton Owners Club, with her late husband and now on her own, since 1996. She administers the club website, which incorporates owners' forums, a chat room, classifieds and a 15-page newsletter. Membership is between 1,200 and 1,400 Silverton owners.

"Basically, I try to be a matchmaking service," Deputy says. "I get people together who have the same boats and something in common, to exchange information and ideas."

Her secret, she says, is that she runs the club as a business, charging members a modest annual fee. "One of the problems with other clubs is they have all these volunteers – every time they sell their boat and go to another brand or leave boating, the club is left floundering." While Deputy does use volunteers, she does not have to rely on them to perform all the club's functions.

"That's the best way to stay on an even keel," she says.

The club currently offers two membership levels, $28 or $43 a year. The less expensive option sends the monthly newsletter electronically, allowing members to print it themselves. The higher price includes a printed newsletter delivered through U.S. mail each month.

Deputy herself is clearly the beating heart of the Silverton Owners Club.

"I've never met the lady, but I like what she does," says Gordon Converse, owner of a Silverton 34 Express in Elk Rapids, Mich. "She tries to match new members up with existing members who have the same boat."

The more experienced member will help the "newbie" with technical issues, he says. "I can't say enough about the gal and the effort she's put into making the Silverton Club a viable situation." Still, Converse admits, "I don't know what's going to happen if anything happens to Nyla."VERO BEACH GRADY BUNCHGrady Bunch members pile-up for a few snapshots.

MANUFACTURER BONUS

Manufacturer-sponsored owners' clubs can be a bit less personal, but their status as an in-house marketing tool sometimes lets them to provide member benefits that the independent groups cannot afford. The Sea Ray Owners Club, for example, not only offers a credit card, a glossy magazine, breaks on insurance and discount coupons for goods and services, but it also has a lucrative customer loyalty program called the Sea Ray Earnings Account. Members accumulate points for purchases made at their local Sea Ray dealership that can be redeemed for a rebate of up to $2,000 on a new Sea Ray.

"It's sort of like a cross between Triple-A and frequent fliers' clubs," says Sea Ray Owners Club Program Director Jen Lamb. Now in its 12th year, the club has 200,000 members.

"We're the biggest owners' loyalty group outside of Harley-Davidson," she says.

Another advantage that the club, which has no membership fee and is open to owners of used as well as new Sea Rays, has is unfettered access to the manufacturer's technical staff and archives. "We will research questions like the gel coat color for an older boat," Lamb says. "We can get them in touch with the plant that manufactured it. If we don't have the answer, we'll figure out how to get it for you."

Of course, the largest boat owners' group is giant BoatU.S., which boasts more than 650,000 members. The group is open to owners of all makes of boat, including power and sailboats, and provides a wide variety of services to its membership, including volume discounts on products and services. It also hosts online forums. One of its most essential roles is acting as the voice of the boat owner in Washington, D.C.

Whether organized by a builder, a dealer or a passionate group of fellow boaters, an owners' club or association should have one clear mission: providing fellowship and shared experience to help make your time on the water the best that it can be.