We spent about a year doing research into the cost of boating here in Austin and had to make a decision between buying, renting, or joining a boat club. Depending on your needs, any of the three options could work best. If you’re only going to go out a handful times in the summer, then renting is most likely your best bet. If you want to trailer your boat around, use it wherever/whenever, and don’t mind the maintenance and responsibility that goes along with it, buying might be for you. Now if you’re in the same boat (pun intended) as us… you plan to use the boat year round, don’t mind scheduling your days, want a variety of boats to choose from, want to have access to boats across the US, don’t want to worry about things breaking down, just want to get on the boat and enjoy the lake and not have any responsibility once you’ve pulled back into the slip.. the boat club is definitely your best option. Then you have the choice between 4-5 clubs in the Austin area. We had conversations and got pricing from all the clubs and hands down Carefree was the obvious choice. I honestly thought it was too good to be true after seeing the cost sheet. They have the lowest boat to member ratio, the cost is significantly lower, Troy and the whole staff are super friendly and go out of their way to provide the best experience for you and your guests, the boats are super clean and I’m proud to take people out on them, and the location is perfect! It was the only club that made financial sense to us, and we felt even better after meeting Troy and the staff. I can’t say if they would be a good fit for you, but I can definitely say that we are so happy we joined, we’ve been taking boats out 1-2 times a week and it still blows my mind how epic lake Travis really is, and how we are able to experience it with a relaxing cruise on the tritoons or ripping around in the surf/wakeboard boat.. and they even have a boat that allows fishing and dogs! I was hesitant to write this review at first because I selfishly didn’t want to have it get too overcrowded, but the nice part about carefree is that they have to keep their member to boat ratio so the more people that join, the more brand new boats we get. Anyways, all that to say 5 stars with no reservations. I’ll update this review if anything changes in the future.

1000% recommend to anyone considering the boat life. Carefree gives us access to a fleet of boats including a two story pontoon with a slide! We don't have to worry about maintenance, slip fees, storage/trailers, etc. We just show up to the dock and Troy and his team have our boat ready to go complete with lily pad or tube upon request. Carefree gives us access to not only Lake Travis but locations nationwide so we can explore and experience lake life all over the U.S. Today, we were lucky enough to have a float plane land next to us! We watched as a gentleman got out and met a group of ladies that had landed on a peninsula via helicopter and witnessed him propose! These are the kinds of experiences we will remember and look back on as we remember our #lakelife made possible by Carefree Boat Club. ❤

Everything was great. Boat was clean and looked and ran like new. We didn't have any issues. Troy and his staff were great. They made us feel like a true member of a club. Took care all our belongings to & from the boat, gave us lots of great advice & tips for the lake, they had everything we could possibly need for a great time on the water, and sent us out on our way. Thank you very much guys... We really enjoy our time here.

I’m a member of the Carefree Boat Club in DC, but visited the Lake Travis location when visiting Austin. Our experience with the Lake Travis Carefree club was excellent. Both of the Carefree team we dealt with were friendly and helpful. The boat that we took out was great and came well equipped (including some floats) which added to the experience. Overall, we had a first class experience with this club and will definitely return when we’re next in Austin.

Carefree Boat Club is hands down the best decision we made when it comes to boating! We have neighborhood access to the lake and a marina but after looking into the cost of a boat, insurance, maintenance, etc. we found our best option was to join Carefree. We have a variety of boats at our fingertips to book and never have a challenge booking the times or dates we’d like to use them. The fleet is top notch and Troy and his crew keep all the boats pristine! If your contemplating joining the Carefree family it should hands down be a YES!!

The best boats on Lake Travis! Better than owning and way better than renting a random boat. My wife and I love taking our friends out on the lake! The double decker is the best boat there is!

I've been a member of Carefree Boat Club for years. It started when I was looking to buy a boat and found the club instead for a similar price and a lot less hassle! Plus I get access to the variety of boats they offer. The boats are always new, in good condition and I love that I don't have to worry about the slips, maintenance, cleaning or anything else. I just show up and the team has the boat ready for me. I've also enjoyed take out boats when I travel to visit family in Chicago and Washington DC. I couldn't be happier with the choice to go Carefree!

My family has been a member for a few years now. We absolutely love how easy it is to enjoy the boats without having to worry about a thing. We pay about what a boat payment and insurance would cost, BUT we do not worry about maintenance or weather or anything else. Plus, rather than having one boat, we have a choice of the entire fleet of high end boats, which are usually so new they still have paper tags. The owner is super nice and the staff are helpful, usually even carrying our things from the car to the boat.

We had a really fun day on Lake Travis. The Carefree marina is in an ideal spot on the lake. The crew made the launch easy and took good care of us. The Chaparral 250 we got is a sweet boat. I recommend Carefree to anyone who wants a hassle free day on the lake.

Boating without owning, It really doesn't get any better out here on Beautiful Lake Travis.

The Carefree Boat Club on Lake Travis-Austin provides the best customer service we have ever experienced on the water. Troy the owner/manager of the West Beach location went above and beyond our expectations. He met us in the parking area to escort us to the boat. Went over all the checkout procedure and completed it for us. Gave us great tips on the lay of the lake, lunch locations and ask us to text him with any questions we may have throughout our stay. Enjoyed a beautiful day on Lake Travis and when we returned to the dock, Troy was there to check us out and secure the boat. It was true walk on and walk off Carefree Boating. We highly recommend the West Beach Carefree Boat Program. Thanks again, Troy for your superior customer service, knowledge of the lake and providing sound clean boats.

Earl and the team did such a great job with our day on the lake. We are members of Carefree in Michigan. We love the club concept and we’re impressed with the Lake Travis location. Great job!

I can't recommend them enough!! Troy and Earl are the absolute best! I love taking the family out on the water and I can't wait for more summer days.