How much does a Marina cost to buy?

A typical Marina sells for 3.5x to 6.5x annual revenue. With average revenue of $1.4M, expect to pay $4.9M to $9.1M.

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

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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Avg Revenue

$1.4M

Profit Margin

26%

Acquisition Multiple

3.5x - 6.5x

Startup Cost

$500K - $10.0M

Difficulty

5/5

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

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.