How much does a Marina cost to buy?

A typical Marina sells for 3.5x to 6.5x seller's discretionary earnings. With estimated SDE of $364K, expect to pay roughly $1.3M to $2.4M before adjustments for assets, debt, growth, and local market quality.

How much does it cost to start a Marina?

Startup costs range from $500K to $10.0M depending on location, equipment, and scale.

Physical

Marina

Q: What are the profit margins for a Marina?

The average profit margin for a Marina is around 26%. Major costs include dock maintenance, dredging, fuel systems, payroll, insurance, utilities, environmental compliance, and debt service. Margins improve with high occupancy, waitlists, service work, and dry storage expansion.

Boat slips behave a lot like waterfront self-storage

Bottom line

Worth studying, but do not buy without strong local proof.

Marinas rent boat slips, dry storage, winterization services, fuel, repairs, and convenience items to boat owners. The surprising angle is how sticky slip revenue can be in constrained waterfront markets: once a customer has a desirable slip and nearby storage, they often stay for years and buy multiple ancillary services from the same operator.

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Acquisition score

Fair

Avg Revenue

$1.4M

Profit Margin

26%

Acquisition Multiple

3.5x - 6.5x

Startup Cost

$500K - $10.0M

How It Works

Revenue starts with seasonal or annual slip rentals, then expands through dry storage, haul-outs, winterization, repairs, fuel docks, retail, and boat club memberships. Good marinas optimize occupancy, waitlists, service revenue per boat, and waterfront real estate use. Scarce permits and waterfront access create moats that are hard to duplicate.

Revenue Range

Low End

$300K

Typical

$1.4M

High End

$6.0M

Real Acquisitions in This Category

SBA 7(a) change-of-ownership loans · NAICS 713930 · Marinas

Deals tracked

3 in last 24 mo

Median loan

$2.1M

$450K–$3.4M p25/p75

Implied deal size

$2.5M

median · ~85% LTV

Charge-off rate

—

not enough resolved loans

Deal Size Distribution

<$150K

$150K–500K

$500K–1M

$1M–2M

>$2M

Financing Profile

Median rate

8.50%

0% fixed · last 24 mo

Median term

202 mo

real-estate heavy

Collateralized

of loans secured

Median jobs

supported per deal

Top lenders in this space

The Huntington National Bank4

FNBC Bank2

Live Oak Banking Company2

Great Southern Bank1

Lake City Bank1

Where deals happen

MI3

AR2

OR2

KS1

IN1

GA1

FL1

MO1

TN1

WA1

Recent Comparable Deals

Closed	State	Loan	Implied deal	Jobs	Franchise
Feb 2025	OK	$2.0M	$2.4M	9	—
Jan 2025	NY	$450K	$529K	4	—
Dec 2024	OH	$466K	$549K	11	—
Apr 2023	NC	$3.0M	$3.5M	6	—
Jul 2022	WA	$982K	$1.2M	23	—
May 2022	TN	$3.6M	$4.3M	26	—
May 2022	MO	$4.8M	$5.7M	23	—
Sep 2021	VA	$2.6M	$3.0M	20	—
Jun 2021	OR	$3.5M	$4.2M	2	—
Jun 2021	OR	$200K	$235K	2	—

Volume rank #258/544Deal-size rank #14/544p90 loan: $4.2MData as of Mar 2026

Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA dataset, filtered to acquisitions (loans where business age is "Change of Ownership"). Implied deal size assumes an 85% loan-to-purchase ratio, a common SBA change-of-ownership structure. Charge-off rate shown only when 10+ loans have resolved (paid in full or charged off). Interest rates reflect last 24 months only. Actual deal values vary with equity injections, seller financing, and working capital terms.

Pros

+Scarce waterfront supply creates real pricing power in strong markets
+Multiple ancillary revenue streams per customer
+Customers can stay for years once they secure a good slip
+Real estate and operating business upside in one asset

Cons

-Extremely capital intensive to acquire or develop
-Weather, seasonality, and storm exposure affect results
-Environmental compliance and insurance can be painful

Best For

Investors who want an asset-heavy business with real estate scarcity, ancillary services, and long-duration customer relationships

Operating Costs

Major costs include dock maintenance, dredging, fuel systems, payroll, insurance, utilities, environmental compliance, and debt service. Margins improve with high occupancy, waitlists, service work, and dry storage expansion.

SBA Financing Estimator

Adjust the deal — see if it cash flows after debt service

$-2807/mo

after debt service

Deal price — $4.2M

Range: $4.2M (3.5×) to $10.5M (6.5×+)

Down payment — 15% ($630K)

SBA minimum equity injection is 10% for change-of-ownership

Interest rate — 8.50%

SBA median for this category: 8.5%

Loan term — 17 years (204 mo)

SBA median for this category: 202 months

Down payment

$630K

15% equity injection

Loan amount

$3.6M

85% SBA-financed

Monthly payment

$33K/mo

$3.2M total interest

Monthly profit

$30K/mo

at 26% margin

Monthly cash flow after debt service

$-2807/mo

Margin does not cover debt service at these terms. Lower the deal price, increase the down payment, or extend the loan term.

Estimates only. Excludes owner compensation, capex, working capital draws, and taxes. Margin assumes average occupancy and volume. Actual SBA terms vary by lender and borrower profile.