Captaining a boat has never been easier.

No purchase necessary, no post-cruise cleaning, no tuning, no tweaking and absolutely no hassles, and yet you can still enjoy the splendors of coursing through the waters of St. Tammany thanks to what seems to be the first and only boat renting facilities opening in the parish.

Ocean Boat Rentals, L.L.C., a pay-as-you-go establishment, and Freedom Boat Club, a member-only franchise, are both opening their hatches at Marina Del Ray in Madisonville just in time for the Memorial Day weekend. With a simple initiation fee followed by monthly dues, the Freedom Boat Club of Madisonville can position you before the tiller of any vessel in their fleet, allowing you to take on whatever waters you choose.

“We’re in business to make the boating experience something special,” owner Keith D’Aunoy said. “Everything people don’t like about boating, we do for them.”

Freedom Boat Club is a national organization with nearly 50 locations across the U.S. that any member of any franchise can utilize.

The Madisonville location was recently opened after D’Aunoy’s first attempt of establishing the boat club in Slidell went awry due to Katrina.

“After opening a freedom boat franchise in Slidell, we moved it to Florida,” D’Aunoy said. “But we decided to come back because we wanted to be part of the re-stimulation of New Orleans.”

The response has been overwhelming so far, D’Aunoy said.

Sales and Operations Manager Andy Ballinger said the fees are very affordable to average citizens and will save you thousands when compared to the maintenance and purchase of a boat.

“You don’t have to own or buy a boat,” Ballinger said. “Anyone getting ready to buy a boat should definitely look at this option.”

He said the process is easy.

After becoming a member, just call any time to make reservations for a particular boat and day. When it’s time, you simply arrive at the facility, and your boat will be fueled, cleaned and ready to go. Ballinger said boaters have free reign over the open seas, but the boat has to be returned before dark, in which case the staff will be waiting to receive the craft, leaving you with nothing to do but plan for the next boating excursion.

Ballinger said members have a variety of boats to choose from, including pontoons and bow riders.

Not a boater, not a problem.

“Every member that joins, whether a novice or experienced boater, gets taken through training classes,” Ballinger said.

The classes include different aspects of boating, such as boating etiquette and navigation. Ballinger said members are allowed to participate in the classes until they feel comfortable manning a ship alone.

For D’Aunoy, it comes down to one thing.

“Boating should be an escape from the ordinary rather than a nuisance,” he said.

For more information on the club, call 792-5115 or visit www.freedomboatclub.com.

Now imagine yourself slipping through the water on a one of a kind CraigCat, the feature vessel used at Blue Ocean Rentals, which also will provide training on their crafts.

The CraigCat is a craft of the future featuring one to two bucket seats positioned on two one-piece foam boards, similar to surf boards, with a powerful outboard engine in the rear and a CD player between the two seats, but its most valuable asset is the extreme maneuverability it boasts.

Owner Mike Candella said the vessels can be rented by the hour at $89, for half a day at $199 or the whole day for $299.

As with Feedom Boat Club, reserving a boat is as simple as calling in advance and then showing up without the hassles of prep work or hauling it to the dock.

Candella said he fell in love with Madisonville after moving there nearly eight years ago.

“This is a phenomenal boating community, and I hope to settle down here,” he said.

For more information on Blue Ocean Rentals, call 888-330-COOL.