About Us

Celebrating Community, Boating, and Tradition Since 1955

Our History

The Sara­so­ta Out­board Club (SOC) is a pri­vate, members‑only boat­ing club with deep roots in Sarasota’s water­front his­to­ry. Found­ed in 1955 and incor­po­rat­ed in 1958, SOC was the first orga­ni­za­tion to call Ken Thomp­son Park home.

 

Dur­ing World War II, the land now occu­pied by the Sara­so­ta Yacht Club served as a U.S. Army train­ing sta­tion. After the war, the land was deed­ed to the City of Sara­so­ta. Around that time, a group of pas­sion­ate powerboaters -

many of them mil­i­tary vet­er­ans — began gath­er­ing reg­u­lar­ly, beach­ing their boats on a small island just south of the old Sies­ta Key Bridge. For years, they fer­ried friends and fam­i­ly to the island, meet­ing and social­iz­ing on its shores.

As their group grew in size and spir­it, they decid­ed to form an offi­cial club. In 1955, the Sara­so­ta Out­board Club was born, and on May 13, 1958, it became incor­po­rat­ed. Ear­ly meet­ings were held in down­town Sara­so­ta, first in the old Sara­so­ta Bank Build­ing on Orange Avenue and lat­er in the Nation­al Bank Build­ing on Sies­ta Drive.

By 1962, the need for a per­ma­nent home became clear. The SOC nego­ti­at­ed a lease with the City of Sara­so­ta for the cur­rent prop­er­ty on City Island. Through team­work and ded­i­ca­tion, mem­bers built the club­house, installed a con­crete sea­wall, laid a boat ramp, and con­struct­ed docks — all by hand. These facil­i­ties have been lov­ing­ly main­tained and expand­ed over the decades and con­tin­ue to be enjoyed by mem­bers and their guests to this day.

Community Involvement

The Sara­so­ta Out­board Club is more than a boat­ing club — its mem­bers are proud com­mu­ni­ty part­ners. Over the years, the Club has sup­port­ed a vari­ety of community‑related and char­i­ta­ble activ­i­ties that reflect the inter­ests and val­ues of its members

SOC’s com­mu­ni­ty involve­ment includes:

  • Fire, Police, and Sher­iff Depart­ment train­ing exercises
  • Fish­ing tour­na­ments sup­port­ing caus­es like Juve­nile Diabetes
  • Events for chil­dren and adults with spe­cial needs, such as the Friend­liest Catch Fish­ing Tournament
  • Out­ings for orga­ni­za­tions like the Sheriff’s Youth Ranch and The Pines of Sara­so­ta, the Boys & Girls Club, and Man­a­so­ta Oper­a­tion Troop Support
  • Sup­port of marine sci­ence and envi­ron­men­tal efforts, includ­ing assis­tance to Mote Marine Lab­o­ra­to­ry with red tide research initiatives

Through these efforts, the SOC and its mem­bers seek to con­tribute pos­i­tive­ly to pub­lic safe­ty, envi­ron­men­tal research, and com­mu­ni­ty ser­vice through­out the Sara­so­ta area.

Facilities & Access

Locat­ed on City Island near Mote Marine Lab­o­ra­to­ry, the Sara­so­ta Out­board Club pro­vides mem­bers with access to boat­ing facil­i­ties in a coop­er­a­tive, member‑supported envi­ron­ment.

Ameni­ties include a pri­vate boat ramp, docks with pow­er and water, and a club­house used for gath­er­ings, meet­ings, and social events,

These resources sup­port a wide range of boat­ing and com­mu­ni­ty activ­i­ties and reflect the Club’s long tra­di­tion of hands‑on involvement.

Membership Overview

The Club is com­posed of a close‑knit group of fam­i­lies who share a pas­sion for boat­ing and com­mu­ni­ty ser­vice. Mem­bers enjoy access to the facil­i­ties, par­tic­i­pa­tion in Club activ­i­ties, and oppor­tu­ni­ties to engage in social and boating‑related events through­out the year.

Mem­ber­ship eli­gi­bil­i­ty and par­tic­i­pa­tion expec­ta­tions are guid­ed by the Club’s long­stand­ing by‑laws and tra­di­tions, which empha­size active involve­ment and shared stew­ard­ship of the prop­er­ty and facilities.

Stewardship & Support

As a prop­er­ty leased from the City of Sara­so­ta, the Club relies on the involve­ment of its mem­bers for main­te­nance, upkeep, and ongo­ing oper­a­tions. SOC is sup­port­ed through mem­ber­ship dues, vol­un­teer efforts, and fundrais­ing events that help pre­serve the facil­i­ties and ensure the Club con­tin­ues to thrive for future generations.

Mem­bers reg­u­lar­ly come togeth­er for work­days, improve­ments, and com­mu­ni­ty projects. These efforts strength­en the Club’s sense of cama­raderie and reflect the hands‑on spir­it that has defined the SOC for generations.

Commitment to Community & Tradition

The Sara­so­ta Out­board Club remains com­mit­ted to hon­or­ing the tra­di­tions, val­ues, and com­mu­ni­ty spir­it that have shaped the orga­ni­za­tion since 1955. Through respon­si­ble oper­a­tion, vol­un­teer par­tic­i­pa­tion, and con­tin­ued part­ner­ship with the City of Sara­so­ta, the Club strives to serve both its mem­bers and the broad­er community.