Crowley's Yacht Yard

What Crowley's Yacht Yard does

Crowley's Yacht Yard (legal name: Crowley's Yacht Yard Lakeside) is a private, full-service marine boat yard founded in 1978 and operating from a 25-acre facility on the Calumet River at 3434 East 95th Street in Chicago, Illinois. The company provides comprehensive services to power and sail boat owners, including indoor and outdoor boat storage, paint and composites, rigging, mechanical engine service, haul and load-out logistics, marine systems troubleshooting, brightwork refinishing, and specialty rowing shell repair. Operations are supported by significant in-house infrastructure: over 200,000 square feet of indoor storage, two 35-ton marine travel lifts, a 40-ton crane, a 20,000 lb Taylor marine forklift, a 16,000-square-foot glass and composites shop, a 30-foot by 100-foot paint booth, deep-water docks, and 24-hour security.

The yard's service operations are organized into modular departments — paint and composites, rigging, mechanical, haul and load out, systems, brightwork, and rowing shell repair — each backed by manufacturer certifications and trained technicians. Supplier authorizations include Awl Grip, Interlux, Pettit, West Systems, Raymarine, Garmin, MEI, ABYC, Selden Regional Mast Center, Lewmar Master Parts, Volvo Penta, Yanmar, Westerbeke, MerCruiser, and Mercury Outboard. Distribution combines a physical walk-in and scheduled-service yard with a co-located Ship's Store chandlery and an e-commerce channel, The Boater's Closet (boaterscloset.com), for marine apparel and accessories that ships nationwide.

Crowley's revenue model blends professional services (boat repair, maintenance, commissioning, and rigging — quote-based pricing), recurring indoor storage subscriptions, haul and load-out unit-priced logistics services (e.g., load boat onto truck at $14.00/ft LOA), and hardware retail through the Ship's Store and Boater's Closet e-commerce site. Customer segments are long-tail and fragmented: predominantly individual private boat owners seeking DIY or full-service yard options, plus rowing teams and clubs requiring high-tech carbon fiber and fiberglass repairs. The business is independently and family-owned with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or funding rounds in the input data.

Name

Crowley's Yacht Yard

Legal name

Crowley's Yacht Yard Lakeside

Website

https://crowleys.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Crowley's Yacht Yard Lakeside is a Chicago-based, family-owned full-service boat yard operating since 1978 from a 25-acre Calumet River facility, providing indoor storage, repair, paint, rigging, mechanical, and marine systems services to power and sail boat owners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Boat Yard Services

NAICS

Ship Building and Repairing (336611)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Ship Repair & Drydocking (TLAKAKAA)

Keywords

• Marine boat storage
• Boat repair services
• Boat yard services
• Marine rigging services
• Marine chandlery retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Boat Storage Services: Indoor heated storage for boats at their 25-acre Chicago facility on the Calumet River. Offers flexible storage options for do-it-yourself boat owners or full-service yard care.
2. Marine Repair and Maintenance Services: Comprehensive repair services including paint and composites, mechanical services, rigging, systems service, brightwork, and rowing shell repair. Services performed by certified technicians.
3. Ship's Store Retail Sales: On-site ship's store and online Boater's Closet e-commerce platform selling marine apparel, accessories, engine parts, rigging, repair and maintenance supplies, and soft goods.
4. Transport and Haulout Services: Boat shipping coordination, haul and load out services, mast unstepping and prep for trucking, commissioning, and on-water delivery service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Crowley's Yacht Yard operates a 25-acre full-service boat yard on Chicago's Calumet River, providing indoor and outdoor boat storage, marine repair and maintenance (paint and composites, rigging, mechanical, systems, brightwork, rowing shell repair), haul/load out and transport coordination, and on-site retail through the Ship's Store and online Boater's Closet.

Product overview

Crowley's Yacht Yard is a full-service boat yard providing comprehensive marine services through a modular offering of specialized departments. The core service portfolio includes Storage Services (indoor/outdoor boat storage with 25-acre facility), Paint & Composites (fiberglass and carbon fiber repairs, paint work), Rigging Service (mast and rigging services), Mechanical Services (engine repair and maintenance), Haul & Load Out (transport and logistics), Systems Service (plumbing, electrical, HVAC, electronics), Brightwork (wood refinishing), and Rowing Shell Repair (carbon fiber repairs). The company also operates two retail channels: The Ship's Store (on-site chandlery) and The Boater's Closet (online marine apparel and accessories). All services are supported by in-house equipment including marine travel lifts, cranes, and specialized diagnostic tools, with technicians holding manufacturer certifications from brands including Awl Grip, InterLux, Pettit, West Systems, Raymarine, Garmin, and ABYC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Boater's Closet: An online store specializing in marine apparel and accessories, operated by Crowley's.
• The Ship's Store

Products and services

• Storage Services Indoor and outdoor boat storage at a 25-acre Chicago facility on the Calumet River with over 200,000 square feet of indoor storage, 24-hour guard service, deep water docks, storage lockers, and Ship's Store access. Serves do-it-yourself boat owners and full-service customers.
• Paint & Composites Marine laminate and paint services including structural fiberglass and carbon fiber repairs, paint jobs, gelcoat repairs, molded nonskid repairs, blister repair, racing bottoms, and keel fairing. Operated from a 16,000 square foot glass shop and 30ft x 100ft paint booth with staff holding over 100 years of combined experience.
• Rigging Service Complete mast and rigging services including running rigging, standing rigging, mast stepping, mast replacement, furler replacement, and Navtec certified Rod Rigging fabrication. Operates as a Selden Regional Mast Center and Lewmar Master Parts distributor.
• Mechanical Services Engine repair and maintenance for power and sail boats, including diesel and gasoline engines, generators, fuel polishing, and sail drive services. Authorized service for Volvo Penta D4-D6 and IPS, Yanmar, Westerbeke, MerCruiser, and Mercury Outboard.
• Haul & Load Out Boat transport and logistics services including haul and prep for trucking, offload and launch, commissioning, shipping coordination, unstepping and mast prep, and on-water delivery service. Operates two 35-ton Travelifts and a 40-ton crane.
• Systems Service Marine systems troubleshooting and repair including plumbing, electrical, HVAC, steering systems, marine carpentry, and electronics installation. Technicians hold Raymarine, Garmin, MEI, and ABYC Systems and Electrical certifications.
• Brightwork Wood refinishing and varnish services for boat interiors and exteriors, ranging from Cetol touch-ups to full strip and eight-coat varnish jobs. Operated by Jayne Parker Wood Refinishing with a dedicated following among boat owners.
• Rowing Shell Repair High-tech carbon fiber and fiberglass repairs for racing rowing shells, from extensive repairs to small nicks and scratches. Offers professional repainting, custom graphics, and experience working with insurance companies for rowing teams and clubs.
• The Ship's Store On-site marine chandlery stocked with engine parts, rigging, repair and maintenance supplies, and soft goods. Marketed as one of the country's best stocked ship stores and a dealer for a wide variety of marine products.
• The Boater's Closet Online marine retail store at boaterscloset.com specializing in marine apparel and accessories. Operated alongside the on-site Ship's Store and ships products to customers nationwide.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Petteruti's Marine: Petteruti's Marine in Pensacola, FL is a full-service boat yard with paint, mechanical, rigging, and storage. While geographically distant, its service mix and customer relationship model directly mirror Crowley's.
• Bay Marine: Bay Marine in Stevens Point, WI is a multi-location full-service boat yard offering storage, mechanical, paint, and shrinkwrap. It is structurally comparable to Crowley's as a Midwestern yard serving power and sail customers.
• Larsen Marine Service: Larsen Marine is a full-service boat yard in Waukegan, IL on Lake Michigan offering storage, mechanical, paint, rigging, and haul-out services. It competes with Crowley's for the same Chicago-to-southern-Wisconsin power and sail boat owner base.
• Skipper Bud's: Skipper Bud's operates full-service marinas and boat dealerships on Lake Michigan and Lake Winnebago with storage, repair, and brokerage services. It targets the same Midwest recreational boater segment.
• Pier 33 Marina: Pier 33 is a full-service brokerage, storage, and service marina in St. Joseph, MI on Lake Michigan. It is comparable as a regional powerboat-focused yard with storage and repair service lines.

Others

• West Marine: West Marine is the largest U.S. retailer of boating supplies, parts, and accessories with both stores and e-commerce. Crowley's Ship's Store and Boater's Closet compete on a narrower scale against West Marine's national retail footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Safe Harbor Marinas: Safe Harbor is the largest U.S. marina and boatyard operator with a portfolio of facilities offering storage, repair, and concierge services. It overlaps with Crowley in the slip/storage/rigging category but at far greater scale and across many geographies.
• Sun Communities (Marine Properties): Sun Communities owns and operates a portfolio of marinas through acquired operators, providing storage and ancillary services. It is a much larger incumbent that competes for capital in the same boat-yard services category.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/crowleysrigging

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Crowley's Yacht Yard