How to price boat slips.

The common ways to price a slip

• A flat price per slip, by size. The most common approach for seasonal and yearly slips on lakes we looked at. Marina @ Rowena on Lake Cumberland, for example, lists each slip size with its own yearly price.
• By the foot. Common for visiting boaters and end ties, where boats vary in length. Hurst Harbor Marina on Lake Travis posts end ties at $18 a foot a month, with an $800 minimum.
• Covered and open at different prices. At Marina @ Rowena a covered 12 by 32 foot slip is $3,650 a year and an open slip is $1,975.
• Utilities included or metered. Some marinas include power and water in the slip price; others charge metered electricity on top, which keeps the base price lower and fair for boats that use a lot of power.

Monthly, seasonal or yearly

Billing periods vary by region and by marina. Some bill by the month, some by the season or quarter, and some by the year. Many offer a discount for paying the year up front: Northshore Marina on Lake Travis, for example, takes 5% off for paying the full year when the lease is signed. A yearly prepay discount brings cash in before the season and saves the office a year of follow-up.

Extras worth pricing separately

• Boat lifts in the slip (Northshore lists lifts from $150 to $330 a month by capacity)
• Personal watercraft ports and a second boat in the same slip
• End slips or premium locations, like front-row houseboat slips
• Launch passes, parking or storage lockers

Signs your prices may be too low

• A waitlist that never shrinks, especially for one slip size
• Almost everyone renews, every year, without a question
• Your prices haven’t changed in several seasons while your costs have
• Similar slips at nearby marinas cost noticeably more

Raising prices without losing good tenants

• Raise at renewal, not in the middle of a lease, and tell tenants well before the renewal notice arrives. Check your lease and local rules on how much notice you need to give.
• Use a percentage with a dollar limit, so the biggest slips don’t jump by an amount that feels unfair.
• Treat slip types differently if demand is different: the covered slips with a waitlist may justify more than open slips with vacancies.
• Decide who you’ll leave alone, like your longest tenants, before you send anything.
• Look at every tenant’s new price before it goes out, so there are no surprises for them or for you.

Check what your neighbors charge

Many lake marinas publish their slip prices on their websites. Look at three or four on your lake or nearby lakes, compare slips of the same size with the same features, and note whether power is included. Our boat slip cost article lists a few real examples.