Best in Boating Marinas

What Best in Boating Marinas does

Best in Boating Marinas (operating under the dba "Best in Boating," legal name Best in Boating Marina) is a privately held, multi-location marine hospitality platform founded circa 1985 and headquartered in Lake Park, Georgia. It operates six marinas and six Park Marine dealership storefronts across three recreational lakes in two states — Lake Lanier (Gainesville, GA), Lake Allatoona (Acworth/Woodstock/White, GA), and Lake Monroe (Bloomington, IN) — plus an affiliated property, The Dock at Crayton Cove, in Naples, Florida. The company serves individual boat owners and recreational boaters with a full-stack service offering that includes wet-slip, dry-stack, and shed storage; boat rentals (pontoons, runabouts, waverunners, deck boats, double-deckers) under the Paradise Rental Boats brand; new and pre-owned boat sales across 15+ OEM brands including Yamaha, Harris, Sun Tracker, Bayliner, Sea Ray, and Chaparral; master-technician service and parts; and three on-site restaurants (Pelican Pete's, Sunset Grille, Windjammer Grill) plus the Fourwinds Lakeside Inn.

The underlying "technology" of the platform is primarily physical infrastructure (modern wet slips, dry-stack storage, haul-out capability on three lakes) combined with upstream OEM systems that Best in Boating is authorized to sell and service — including Yamaha's Connext touchscreen and RiDE dual-throttle control, Harris's RPM pontoon platform, and Mercury/MerCruiser and Volvo Penta propulsion. The company's own digital stack is modest: a WordPress corporate website, an integrated boat-sales e-commerce storefront with credit pre-approval and online deposit flows, three dedicated self-serve rental booking portals, and a Paylocity-hosted careers portal. Distribution is anchored by the physical marinas themselves, which double as showrooms, service centers, storage facilities, and dining destinations, supported by a "Lake Life Club" newsletter that ties prospects across all five service lines.

The business model blends recurring and transactional revenue streams: monthly subscription storage (wet slips, dry stack, shed) across six marinas; transactional boat rentals with accessory and safety-training upsells; one-time hardware sales of new and used boats with financing, extended service plans, trade-in, and consignment; managed-service revenue from master-technician repair, engine service, and parts; and food-and-beverage revenue from the on-site restaurants and hotel. Go-to-market is omnichannel but physical-first: direct-to-consumer through marinas and dealerships, enterprise field sales supported by an experienced sales staff at Park Marine showrooms, and channel partnerships with major boat OEMs that position Best in Boating as the "#1 dealer" for multiple flagship brands. The company has 51–100 employees and self-describes as the "#1" provider for storage, rentals, and several OEM dealer categories across its three operating lakes.

Name

Best in Boating Marinas

Legal name

Best in Boating Marina

Website

https://bestinboating.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Best in Boating Marinas is a privately held, multi-location marine hospitality operator running six marinas, six dealerships, and three lakeside restaurants across Lake Lanier, Lake Allatoona, and Lake Monroe, serving individual boat owners with integrated storage, rental, sales, service, and dining.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marina and Boat Dealership Services

NAICS

Marinas (713930), Boat Dealers (441222), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (487210)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400), Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Marina & Waterfront Full-Service Hotels (THAGAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Houseboats & Floating Stays (THAMADAG), Sightseeing & Scenic Boat Tours (Harbor, Sunset, Dolphin/Whale Watching) (THAJAJAA), Cabin Charters & Shared Yacht Trips (THAEADAH)

Keywords

• Boat storage marinas
• Boat dealership sales
• Boat rental services
• Marine repair services
• Lakeside hospitality dining

Headquarters

HQ city

Lake Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Boat Storage (wet slips, dry stack, shed): Recurring slip and storage rental revenue across 4 marinas on Lake Allatoona (GA), 1 marina on Lake Lanier (GA), and 1 marina/hotel on Lake Monroe (IN). Marketed as "#1 provider for wet slips, dry stack, and shed storage with modern, upgraded infrastructure". Competitive rates with access to community events and gatherings.
2. Paradise Rental Boats: Transactional boat rental revenue — described as "#1 boat rental company on Lake Lanier (GA), Lake Allatoona (GA) and Lake Monroe (IN) with the largest fleet of pontoons, runabouts, waverunners/jetskis, deck boats, and double decker boats". Customers book through dedicated rental websites (rentals.portroyalerental.com, rentals.parkmarinerental.com, rentals.fourwindsrental.com). Accessories (wakeboards, tubes, skis, paddleboards) and safety training upsell the core rental.
3. Boat Sales (new and used): One-time hardware sales of new and pre-owned boats through Park Marine Boating Centers in Gainesville, Kennesaw, and Acworth, GA. Authorized dealer for Yamaha Jet Boats, Yamaha Waverunners, Sun Tracker Pontoons, Tracker Fishing Boats, Bayliner Boats, G3 Boats, Harris Pontoons, Tahoe, Manitou, Sylvan, Veranda, Sea Ray, Cobalt, Bennington, Chaparral, SunCatcher, Sea-Doo, Tracker Offroad Vehicles. Includes financing, extended service plans, value-my-trade, and consignment.
4. Boat Service & Repair: Service revenue from master-technician maintenance, engine repair (Mercury/Mercruiser outboards, stern drives, Volvo, Yamaha, generators, waverunners/jetskis), haul outs, parts sales, and routine maintenance across all three lakes. Customers can pay service bills online.
5. Lakeside Restaurants & Hospitality: Food and beverage revenue from three on-site restaurants — Pelican Pete's Floating Tiki Hut Bar & Grill (Lake Lanier), Sunset Grille (Lake Allatoona), and Windjammer Grill (Lake Monroe) — plus the Fourwinds Lakeside Inn & Marina on Lake Monroe, IN.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Best in Boating Marinas operates six marinas across Lake Lanier (GA), Lake Allatoona (GA), and Lake Monroe (IN) offering wet slips, dry stack, and shed boat storage. Through its Park Marine Boating Centers dealership arm and Paradise Rental Boats sub-brand, the company sells new and used boats from manufacturers including Yamaha, Harris, Sun Tracker, G3, and Tracker, rents pontoons, runabouts, and waverunners, and provides certified marine service and parts. Three on-site lakeside restaurants (Pelican Pete's, Sunset Grille, Windjammer Grill) and the Fourwinds Lakeside Inn round out the integrated boating-lifestyle offering.

Product overview

Best in Boating Marinas operates as a multi-location marine hospitality platform unifying several branded marinas (Port Royale Marina, Park Marina, Victoria Harbour, Harbor Town, Wilderness Camp, Fourwinds Lakeside Inn & Marina) and three ancillary service lines: Boat Storage (wet slips, dry stack, and shed storage across all marinas), Paradise Rental Boats (rental fleet on Lake Lanier, Lake Allatoona, and Lake Monroe), Park Marine Boating Centers (boat sales, parts, and service), and on-site Restaurants (Pelican Pete's, Sunset Grille, Windjammer Grill). The platform architecture ties the marina locations, the rental sub-brand, the sales/service sub-brand, and parts inventory together under a single membership/club ("Lake Life Club") and shared customer experience across Lake Lanier (GA), Lake Allatoona (GA), and Lake Monroe (IN).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Port Royale Marina: Marina offering wet slips, dry stack, and shed storage on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia.
• Park Marina
• Victoria Harbour
• Harbor Town
• Wilderness Camp
• Fourwinds Lakeside Inn & Marina
• Paradise Rental Boats
• Park Marine Boating Centers
• Pelican Pete's
• Sunset Grille
• Windjammer
• The Dock at Crayton Cove

Products and services

• Boat Storage Wet slips, dry stack, and shed storage with modern, upgraded infrastructure at competitive rates. Available across six marina facilities on Lake Allatoona (4), Lake Lanier (1), and Lake Monroe (1), with access to community events and amenities for boat owners.
• Paradise Rental Boats Boat rental service offering pontoons, runabouts, waverunners/jetskis, deck boats, and double decker boats on Lake Lanier (GA), Lake Allatoona (GA), and Lake Monroe (IN), with accessories (wakeboards, tubes, skis, kneeboards, paddleboards) and in-depth safety training. For recreational boaters, families, bachelor/bachelorette parties, and corporate outings.
• Park Marine Boating Centers (Boat Sales) New and used boat sales of 15+ manufacturer brands (Yamaha, Harris, Sun Tracker, SunCatcher, G3, Tracker, Tahoe, Sylvan, Manitou, Veranda, Sea Ray, Cobalt, Bennington, Chaparral, Sea-Doo) with financing, credit pre-approval, Value My Trade, and extended service plans. Operates 6 dealership locations: 2 in Kennesaw, GA; 2 in Gainesville, GA; 1 on Lake Lanier; 1 on Lake Allatoona.
• Boat Service & Repair Full-service marine repair staffed by master technicians certified at the highest level for Mercury, MerCruiser, Yamaha, Volvo, and other major brands. Services outboards, stern drives, generators, waverunners/jetskis, and routine maintenance, with access to thousands of boat parts and haul-out capabilities on three lakes.
• Park Marine Boat Parts & Boat Store Retail operation selling a large inventory of boat parts and accessories for major brands, supporting both the service department and retail customers across Kennesaw, Gainesville, Port Royale Marina, Park Marina, Harbor Town, Victoria Harbour, Wilderness Camp, and Fourwinds Marina locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40 years operating marinas, dealerships, rentals, restaurants and service in the southeastern U.S.
• +2 more outcomes

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship / core oem dealer relationship, core pontoon oem dealer, major oem dealer, oem dealer, core engine service partner, engine service partner, affiliated on-lake restaurant, cross-market partner and vendor / minor.

• Yamaha (Yamaha Jet Boats, Yamaha Waverunners, Sea-Doo)flagship / core oem dealer relationshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBest in Boating is the self-described "#1 dealer for Yamaha Jet Boats, Yamaha Waverunners". Park Marine Boating Centers sells new Yamaha boats and personal watercraft and the service department holds the highest level of Yamaha technician certification, supporting Yamaha marine engines including Connext touchscreen and RiDE control systems.
• Harris (pontoons)core pontoon oem dealerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPark Marine is an authorized Harris pontoon dealer carrying Cruiser, Crowne, Grand Mariner, Solstice and Sunliner model lines (2025/2026 model years). Harris pontoons with proprietary RPM Technology are sold and serviced through Best in Boating's Kennesaw and Gainesville locations.
• Sun Tracker (pontoons)core pontoon oem dealerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBest in Boating is the "#1 dealer for Sun Tracker Pontoons". Carries new Sun Tracker Bass Buggy and Party Barge model lines, including the 2026 Party Barge 16/18/20 DLX with STOW MORE storage system and Sun Tracker QuickLift Bimini top.
• G3 Boats (SunCatcher pontoons)major oem dealerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBest in Boating is the "#1 dealer for G3 Boats", with G3 SunCatcher pontoon models (Fusion, V322FC) sold new and used through Park Marine.
• Tracker (fishing boats and offroad vehicles)major oem dealerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBest in Boating is the "#1 dealer for Tracker Fishing Boats and Tracker Offroad Vehicles". Carries Bass Tracker Classic XL pontoon-style fishing boats among its used/new inventory.
• Bayliner Boatsoem dealerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBest in Boating is the "#1 dealer for Bayliner Boats".
• Mercury / MerCruiser (engine brand)core engine service partnerTechnology or IntegrationMercury/Mercruiser outboards, stern drives, and generators are serviced by Best in Boating's master technicians, who hold the highest level of Mercury certification. New Harris Grand Mariner 250 and Sunliner 250 sold at the dealership come equipped with Mercury 250–350hp Verado engines.
• Volvo Penta (engine brand)engine service partnerTechnology or IntegrationVolvo Penta marine engines are among the major brands serviced by Park Marine's master technicians (e.g., the 2007 Chaparral Sunesta 274 listing notes a "Volo Penta 5.7 engine" replacement). Highest level Volvo certification is held in-house.
• Pelican Pete's (Floating Tiki Hut Bar & Grill)affiliated on-lake restaurantGTM or Marketing PartnerLakeside restaurant at Port Royale Marina on Lake Lanier (linked via pelicanpetes.com / pelicanpeteslanier.com) — operated alongside Best in Boating to deliver a complete lake-day hospitality experience.
• Sunset Grilleaffiliated on-lake restaurantGTM or Marketing PartnerLakeside restaurant at Victoria Harbour Marina on Lake Allatoona (linked via sunsetgrillerestaurant.com).
• Windjammer Grillaffiliated on-lake restaurantGTM or Marketing PartnerLakeside restaurant at Fourwinds Marina on Lake Monroe, IN (linked via windjammergrill.com).
• The Dock at Crayton Covecross-market partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated marina and restaurant property in Naples, Florida (linked via dockcraytoncove.com) — extends the Best in Boating brand outside its core Georgia/Indiana footprint.
• Exploritech (web development partner)vendor / minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner"Made by Exploritech" — website development and hosting partner credited on the bestinboating.com footer.
• Paylocity (recruiting platform)vendor / minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCareers portal (recruiting.paylocity.com) used to host Best in Boating Marina job listings across all locations.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MarineMax: Largest U.S. recreational boat retailer with marina/storage operations. Directly comparable in boat sales (new and used), service/repair, and storage across multiple geographies, although at materially larger scale and with public-market capital.
• OneWater Marine: Public boat retailer with dealership and marina/storage operations across the U.S. Southeast and beyond. Directly comparable multi-OEM dealership and service model, although geographically broader and acquisition-driven versus Best in Boating's organic multi-location build.
• Suntex Marina Investors: Public marina REIT owning/operating recreational marinas across the U.S. Directly comparable marina-storage business model and customer (boat slip tenant) base; Best in Boating's storage + F&B mix mirrors Suntex's larger portfolio approach.

Broad incumbents

• Safe Harbor Marinas: Largest U.S. marina operator (~140+ marinas) with deep storage and F&B operations. Operates at much larger scale than Best in Boating but shares the same vertically-integrated marina + restaurant + storage playbook.
• Brunswick Corporation: Parent of Mercury Marine (an engine brand serviced at Best in Boating), Boston Whaler, Sea Ray, and other OEM brands sold through Best in Boating's dealerships. Comparable as the upstream OEM whose products and parts flow through Best in Boating's service department.
• Yamaha Motor Corporation USA: OEM of Yamaha Jet Boats, Yamaha Waverunners, and WaveRunners — Best in Boating's flagship brand relationship. Comparable as the OEM whose dealer economics underpin the company's boat and PWC revenue.
• IGY Marinas (Island Global Yachting): Luxury and superyacht marina operator. Comparable marina-storage business model but at a meaningfully higher-end customer and price point than Best in Boating's mid-market Lake Lanier/Allatoona/Monroe customer base.

Others

• West Marine: Largest U.S. marine retail and parts/accessories chain. Adjacent comparison for Best in Boating's parts business and customer (boater) base, although West Marine is a retail storefront rather than a marina operator.
• BoatU.S. (Boat Owners Association of the United States): Membership-based boating services organization offering towing, insurance, and consumer services. Comparable membership angle to Best in Boating's 'Lake Life Club' and overlapping customer (recreational boater) base.

Emerging players

• GetMyBoat: Peer-to-peer boat rental marketplace. Comparable rental offering (vs. Best in Boating's Paradise Rental Boats) but operating as a marketplace model rather than fleet ownership, and at much smaller commercial scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/best_in_boating
• Facebookfacebook.com/BestInBoating
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/park-marine-boating-centers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Best in Boating Marinas