Why WETYR buys marina and boat storage businesss. Marina & Boat Storages currently transact at 4-7x EBITDA. Tier B — Service Establishment: slip-contract recurring, waterfront real estate moat, boating demand. Boomer ownership runs 55%+, which means a sustained owner-exit wave. WETYR acquires marina and boat storage businesss directly as an operator-buyer and also runs sell-side advisory.
The Marina & Boat Storage Investment Thesis
Marina & Boat Storages sit in Tier B — Service Establishment of the WETYR acquisition map. The thesis is structural: slip-contract recurring, waterfront real estate moat, boating demand. Net margins run 20-35% NOI margin, the revenue base is built on annual slip and dry-storage contracts, and the category is resistant to AI displacement because the value proposition is physical, licensed, relationship-driven, or land-based. Boomer ownership at 55%+ guarantees a multi-year supply of motivated, retirement-driven sellers — the "silver tsunami" that defines this acquisition window.
What WETYR Looks For In A Marina & Boat Storage
- EBITDA / SDE range: $300K-$5M for direct acquisition; up to $20M for sell-side advisory engagements.
- Recurring or repeat revenue: annual slip and dry-storage contracts — higher percentages command premium multiples.
- Owner-independence path: a second-in-command in place, or a clear transition window.
- Clean financials: 3 years of tax returns, outside CPA review, minimal commingling.
- Geographic density: single-metro or contiguous operations preferred.
- Licensing / regulatory standing: current, transferable, no pending issues.
Marina & Boat Storage Multiples & Acquirers
Marina & Boat Storages transact at 4-7x EBITDA. Active acquirers include Suntex, Safe Harbor Marinas, marina REITs, plus operator-buyers like WETYR. The position within the multiple band is set by five drivers: recurring revenue percentage, owner dependency, customer concentration, team retention, and growth rate. Owners who optimize these before going to market routinely capture 30-50% more than owners who go to market unprepared.
Two Paths For Marina & Boat Storage Owners
Direct sale to WETYR — operator-buyer acquisition, no broker commission, 60-120 day close, certainty over auction. Submit the 5-field intake. Sell-side advisory — structured competitive process to Suntex, Safe Harbor Marinas, marina REITs and other acquirers, 6-12 months, typically maximizes gross consideration. The qualifying call sorts which fits your situation.
Sell Your Marina & Boat Storage To WETYR
Confidential 30-minute call. Indicative valuation within 14 days. LOI within 30 days when there is a fit.
Authoritative Sources & Further Reading
WETYR works alongside primary sources, regulators, and industry data providers when advising owners and operators. The references below are the same sources our advisory team uses when modeling deals, benchmarking multiples, and stress-testing assumptions. We encourage every owner, buyer, and operator to verify any data point that materially affects their decision against the underlying primary source.
Primary Federal Sources
- U.S. SBA — 7(a) Loan Program for acquisition financing eligibility, terms, and lender list.
- SEC EDGAR for public-company comparables, 10-K disclosures, and recent strategic acquirer filings.
- IRS — Sale of a Business on Section 1060 asset-allocation reporting and tax treatment of asset vs stock sales.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Industries at a Glance for wage, employment, and growth data by NAICS code.
- U.S. Census Economic Census for industry size, firm counts, and revenue distributions.
- Federal Reserve Economic Data for prevailing rate environment underwriting.
Standards & Reference Bodies
- AICPA for Quality of Earnings methodology and CPA standards governing transaction-related financial work.
- FINRA Rules and Guidance for understanding when a transaction crosses into broker-dealer territory.
- NACVA business valuation credentialing body and standards (CVA designation).
- USPAP — Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice for valuation engagement standards.
- Investopedia — EBITDA reference page for definitional alignment with our glossary.
- Harvard Business Review — Mergers and Acquisitions archive on integration and post-close value creation.
For deeper transaction-specific data, the GF Data and PitchBook private-company transaction databases publish quarterly multiple ranges by industry size band that we cross-reference against our own pipeline benchmarks. Owners considering a sale should also review the Pepperdine Private Capital Markets Report (free, annual) for current cost-of-capital and lender appetite data across the lower middle market. Buyers underwriting search-fund or holdco theses commonly pair Stanford GSB's Search Fund Study with the IBBA Market Pulse report, which tracks multiples for sub-$50M transactions quarterly. None of these sources replace deal-specific advisory, but they give owners and operators the same reference points professional acquirers are using on the other side of the table.
Related WETYR Resources
Every WETYR resource ladders into a structured engagement framework. Whether you are diagnosing readiness, modeling a number, or preparing for a specific transaction phase, the resources below cover the most common owner and operator workflows. All tools are free; all guides are operator-written; all engagements start with a confidential conversation.
Engagement Pillars
Decision Tools
Operator-Written
Glossary & FAQ
Checklists & Templates
Niche Coverage
If you are not sure where to start, the Exit Readiness Score takes about four minutes and produces a one-page diagnostic on the value drivers most likely to compress your multiple. From there the natural next step is either a long-form guide covering your specific situation, a focused glossary term lookup, or a confidential introductory call with our team to discuss whether WETYR's advisory or operator-buyer engagement is a fit. Our team responds to every inbound inquiry within one business day.