by Colin Kiley, CEO of Alliance Marine
We are one month into 2026, and like you, I’ve been paying attention to the news, reports, and data to understand what marina industry ownership looks like now. It’s clear that the marina industry is at a crossroads, not just in terms of asset value, but in how ownership itself is understood.
After years of pandemic-driven growth and pandemic-era demand, the industry is settling into a “new normal,” where stability, structural risk, and strategic investment are the dominant themes. Recent industry reports suggest the global marinas market will grow from roughly $19 billion in 2025 to more than $20 billion in 2026; this is a sign of resilience, but also of measured expectations.
What’s Changed for Marina Owners in 2026
1. Capital & Consolidation Are Accelerating
2025 marked a decade-defining shift in how capital interacts with marinas. Major acquisitions, including large portfolio transactions by institutional buyers, reshaped the competitive landscape and underscored how strategic consolidation has become central to market dynamics.
In other words, the industry is continuing to move away from the traditional collection of independent owners. It is becoming a structured asset class, and that matters for owners considering the timing, terms, and partners involved in any transition.
2. Risk Is Now Structural
Insurance markets, particularly in catastrophe (CAT) zones, remain constrained. Underwriting is tightening, capacity has shrunk, and carriers are focusing on risk profiles more than ever before, not just revenue. This isn’t hypothetical; it is a documented shift in 2025 and carries into 2026.
What this means for owners is simple: risk management is valuation management. Carriers are pricing risks upfront, and buyers are doing the same.
3. Demand Has Stabilized
After years of historically high boat sales and occupancy rates, the market has leveled out. A 2026 industry forecast reports that new powerboat sales softened through 2025, reflecting broader economic pressures, yet enthusiasm for life on the water remains resilient, especially through rentals, shared ownership, and continued participation.
Marinas that adapt, especially with diversified revenue streams, are the ones that will hold value.
What Hasn’t Changed for Marina Owners in 2026
Despite all this change:
- Marinas are still deeply personal businesses. They are community anchors and often family legacies. This is the core of what makes marinas so unique, connecting our vast waterways to the communities they serve.
- Good operators still outperform. Strong fundamentals, including maintenance discipline, guest experience, and staffing stability, still separate great marinas from average ones. The marina owners that are forward-thinking, adopting technology at a rapid rate, are positioned for higher rates of success and security in the future.
- Waterfront scarcity still supports long-term value. There are only so many places a viable marina can be built, making existing properties inherently valuable.
Those fundamentals still matter, perhaps now even more than price alone.
So What Should Marina Owners Focus On?
Doing nothing is no longer a neutral strategy.
The industry may not be in crisis, but it is in transition. Owners who wait until a storm, a regulatory shift, an insurance renewal, or a financial trigger forces their hand are almost always at a disadvantage. Preparation early, through clarity on operational risk, governance, and optionality, is where control lives.
An informed owner does this by:
- Understanding how buyers now evaluate risk and value
- Aligning your business with those expectations
- Structuring optionality before it becomes a necessity
A Smarter Way to Think About Ownership
Marina ownership has always been about water, weather, and people. Today, it also requires clarity on capital, risk, and operational rigor.
We believe the most successful owners in the next decade will be those who plan early, ask better questions, and control outcomes on their own terms instead of reacting under pressure.
Some of these owners will eventually sell.
Some will bring in partners.
Some will simply operate better and sleep more easily.
All of them will benefit from knowing what’s happening now because the waters ahead look very different from what they did five years ago.