What is Erie Community Boating?
Erie Community Boating (ECB) is a monthly membership-based borrow our boats program. ECB program is built to make recreational boating more accessible to our entire community. Your membership gives you access to reserve sailboats, kayaks, and canoes from our fleet for use on Presque Isle Bay. It’s designed to bring people from all backgrounds together to learn, connect, and experience the joy of being on the water.
Owning your own boat means worrying about maintenance, insurance, docking fees, winter storage, and more. With an Erie Community Boating membership, you just show up and get on the water — let us take care of the rest!
How Does It Work?
We have flexible membership options designed to fit your boating needs. From individual youth a adult options to duo or family, see the member levels below to find the best option for your needs.
Reserve Your Boat in Advance!
Ready to get out on the water? Erie Community Boating members can reserve available boats during designated open boating times using our online booking calendar. An active Erie Community Boating Membership is required to reserve vessels. Members are strongly encouraged to include their Member ID with every reservation to ensure faster verification and guarantee their spot in the schedule.
Please note that reservations submitted without a valid Member ID may require manual review by staff and could lose priority to verified members if availability becomes limited.
Members reserving a sailing vessel for the first time must complete a sailing skills check and orientation before independently operating the boat.
If you are new to sailing or unsure about your readiness for a skills check, we encourage you to explore our Learn-to-Sail and refresher courses to build confidence and experience on the water.
All boating activities are weather and safety dependent. The Bayfront Maritime Center reserves the right to modify or cancel reservations due to weather, water conditions, staffing, equipment issues, or other safety concerns.
Membership Options
Adult
Youth
Duo
Family
Ready to Become a Member?
The first step to getting started is to sign up for your Erie Community Boating Membership. Once your membership is active, you will receive a Member ID, which you will use when booking your skills check and future sailing sessions. Along with your membership, you will need to schedule a skills check and orientation with a BMC team member. This step ensures that all members are confident, capable, and prepared to safely operate a sailboat without an instructor. Please note that your membership billing/renewal period does not start until after your skill check.
To schedule your skills check, reserve a time slot during any of our open sail sessions through the booking portal using your Member ID. Please arrive at your scheduled time to complete your skills check with one of our instructors. Once you have successfully completed your skills check, you’ll be cleared to begin reserving boats and sailing independently as an Erie Community Boating member.
Please note, the skills check is best suited for those with prior sailing experience who already feel confident operating a sailboat. If you’re not quite ready, we offer fun and supportive lessons for beginners and those looking for a refresher below so you can build your skills and get out on the water with confidence!