Reed Yacht Sales

What Reed Yacht Sales does

Reed Yacht Sales is a privately held, multi-brand recreational boat dealership and brokerage serving the US Great Lakes region from three showroom locations: Grand Haven, Michigan (headquarters and 15,000 sq ft heated showroom), LaSalle, Michigan (Toledo Beach Marina on Lake Erie), and Racine, Wisconsin (The Boat House of Racine on the Root River). Founded in 2009 by Paul and Brent Reed and now wholly owned by Brent and Lesley Reed, the company represents five new-boat lines — Mag Bay Yachts (premium center console fishing boats built by former Cabo Yachts craftsmen), Zodiac Boats (French RIBs), Ranger Tugs (American-built cruising tugs), Weldcraft Marine (welded aluminum boats), and IRON Boats (Swedish day cruisers) — alongside professional pre-owned brokerage services for freshwater boats. The firm differentiates itself through proprietary 'Great Lakes Edition' customization packages for Weldcraft boats, on-site rigging and outfitting capabilities, and consistent top-tier dealer rankings across its represented brands.

The business operates an appointment-based field sales model supplemented by an event-driven presence at major regional and national boat shows (Fort Lauderdale International, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Catawba Island, Metro Beach). Revenue is generated primarily through one-time new boat sales (full-margin transactions), brokerage commissions on pre-owned transactions, and ancillary service revenue from rigging, detailing, and after-sale support. Marketing is conducted through a content-rich website (90+ pages), organic social channels (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube), print advertising in Lakeland Boating magazine, and owned events such as the annual Ranger Tugs Rendezvous. With 11-50 employees including five brokers holding 130+ years of combined experience, the company is a small, regionally focused operation that has compounded dealer awards, brand partnerships, and physical infrastructure since inception while remaining entirely debt- and equity-financed through the Reed family.

Name

Reed Yacht Sales

Legal name

Reed Yacht Sales

Website

https://reedyachtsales.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Reed Yacht Sales is a private Great Lakes boat dealer offering new boats from Mag Bay, Zodiac, Ranger Tugs, Weldcraft, and IRON Boats, plus pre-owned brokerage, across three Michigan and Wisconsin showroom locations serving individual recreational boaters and anglers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Haven

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. New Boat Sales: Sale of new boats from represented brands including Mag Bay Yachts, Zodiac Boats, Ranger Tugs, Weldcraft Marine, and IRON Boats. Primary revenue stream with full-margin sales.
2. Boat Brokerage Services: Brokerage services for pre-owned boats and yachts. The company specializes in clean freshwater listings and has a broad network of brokers to find buyers. Full color listing sheets with photos and specs provided.
3. Boat Service and Detailing: Boat preparation, detailing, rigging, and after-sale service support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Reed Yacht Sales sells new boats from five represented brands — Mag Bay Yachts, Zodiac Boats, Ranger Tugs, Weldcraft Marine, and IRON Boats — across three Great Lakes showroom locations. The company additionally provides professional pre-owned boat brokerage services with full-color listing sheets, plus in-house boat service, detailing, rigging, and a proprietary "Great Lakes Edition" customization package that outfits new boats for freshwater conditions.

Product overview

Reed Yacht Sales is a Great Lakes premier boat dealer offering new boat sales across five brands and professional pre-owned brokerage services. The portfolio includes Mag Bay Yachts (premium handcrafted center console fishing boats with Cross Step hull design), Zodiac Boats (world-renowned French RIBs since 1896), Ranger Tugs (American-made quality cruising tugs), Weldcraft Marine (heavy gauge welded aluminum boats with custom 'Great Lakes Edition' packages), and IRON Boats (Swedish day cruisers with stealth-inspired design). Pre-owned brokerage services complete the offering, specializing in clean freshwater listings with 130+ years of combined experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mag Bay Yachts New-boat sales of premium handcrafted center console fishing boats built in Southern California by former Cabo Yachts craftsmen. The Mag Bay lineup includes the Mag Bay 33 (33'6" LOA, 10' beam, 338 gal fuel), Mag Bay 38 (38' LOA, 11' beam, 595 gal fuel), and Mag Bay 43CC (43'2" LOA, 12' beam, 650 gal fuel), all featuring the patented Cross Step hull design by Michael Peters and powered by twin or triple Mercury outboards up to 600hp. Sold to Great Lakes recreational and sportfishing buyers.
• Zodiac Boats New-boat sales of world-renowned French RIBs (Rigid Inflatable Boats) manufactured since 1896. Reed Yacht Sales is the #1 Zodiac RIB Dealer in the U.S. (2022, 2023) and offers the Cadet, Medline (5.8, 6.8, 7.5, 9), N-ZO, Open (4.2-6.5), Pro (5.5, 6.5), XCC (X9CC, X10CC), and Yachtline (360, 400, 440, 490) series. Boats feature removable tube technology and deep-V hull designs for smooth dry rides and offshore performance; targeted at Great Lakes individual consumers and families.
• Ranger Tugs New-boat sales of American-made cruising tugs designed and built by hand in the USA. Range includes R-23, R-25, R-27, R-29CB, R-29S, R-31CB, R-31S, R-43CB, and R-43S (46'9" overall, 14' beam with twin Volvo IPS 400 engines). Reed Yacht Sales is a Top 5 Ranger Tugs Dealer every year from 2021 through 2024.
• Weldcraft Marine New-boat sales of heavy gauge welded aluminum boats built in the Pacific Northwest, with custom "Great Lakes Edition" packages offered by Reed Yacht Sales including custom welding, electronics, electrical systems, fishing gear, rod racks, stereos, and lighting. Series include Cuddy King (260, 280, 300 OS), Maverick DV (220, 240), Ocean King (220, 240, 260), Odyssey 340, Rebel (180, 200, 200 Outboard, 200 Sport, 200 Open), Revolution (200, 210), and Custom builds. Reed Yacht Sales is the #1 Weldcraft Marine Dealer in 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024.
• IRON Boats New-boat sales of Swedish day cruisers designed by the Peterson brothers (Iron Brothers) with the Mannerfelt Design Team. Stealth-inspired design with seven models: 647 Open T-Top, 707 Open T-Top, 767 Open, 767 T-Top, 827 Open, 827 Coupe, 907 Open, and 907 Coupe. Since 2019, over 800 IRON boats delivered across 17 countries; the Integrated IRON Fender technology enables smooth, silent running.
• Pre-Owned / Brokerage Services Professional pre-owned boat and yacht brokerage supported by five brokers with 130+ years of combined experience. Listings specialize in clean freshwater boats and include brands such as Hatteras Yachts, Tiara, Cabo, Chris Craft, and Grand Banks. Full color listing sheets with photos and specs are distributed via Boat Trader and the company's website. Reed Yacht Sales is a member of the Michigan Boating Industries Association (MBIA) and the Yacht Brokers Association of America (YBAA).
• Great Lakes Edition Customization Package A proprietary custom-outfitting service offered with new boat sales (notably Weldcraft) that configures boats specifically for Great Lakes freshwater conditions. Includes bow-mounted trolling motors, anchoring systems, custom helms with flush-mounted electronics, aft control stations, custom sound systems, custom aluminum rod racks and net holders, powder coating, custom fishing gear systems, custom lighting, custom battery chargers and integrated charging relays, cup holders, transom fish cleaning racks, solid anodized aluminum rub rails, and custom welding and electrical work.
• Boat Service and Detailing Boat preparation, detailing, rigging, and after-sale service support conducted at the in-house rigging shop (Unit 31) at Grand Haven Storage. Activities include bottom paint, canvas, electronics installation, and custom outfitting for new and brokerage customers.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Mag Bay YachtscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReed Yacht Sales is the Great Lakes dealer for Mag Bay Yachts, a premium boat builder known for center console fishing boats (33', 38', 43' models). Founded by the Howarth family who previously built Cabo Yachts.
• Zodiac BoatscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReed Yacht Sales is the #1 Zodiac RIB dealer in the US (2022, 2023). They represent Zodiac's full line including Cadet, Medline, N-ZO, Open, Pro, XCC, and Yachtline series.
• Ranger TugscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReed Yacht Sales is the Great Lakes dealer for Ranger Tugs, winning Top 5 dealer awards for 2021-2024. Ranger Tugs are designed and built by hand in the USA.
• Weldcraft MarinecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReed Yacht Sales is the #1 Weldcraft Marine dealer (2020, 2022, 2023, 2024). They specialize in Weldcraft's heavy gauge welded aluminum boats and offer custom Great Lakes Edition packages.
• IRON BoatscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReed Yacht Sales represents IRON Boats in the Great Lakes region. Swedish brand with 7 models sold in 17 countries. IRON boats feature stealth-inspired design with Mannerfelt Design Team engineering.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Colony Marine: Michigan-based marine dealer with sales, brokerage, and service; comparable on Great Lakes regional focus and premium powerboat mix.
• SkipperBud's: Large multi-location Great Lakes boat dealer with new and brokerage sales across multiple premium brands; directly comparable in product mix (yachts, cruisers, fishing boats) and regional geography.
• Walstrom Marine: Long-standing Northern Michigan boat dealer offering new yachts, brokerage, and service — directly comparable to Reed in regional positioning, multi-brand representation, and full-service dealership model.
• Pier 33 Marine: Southwest Michigan boat dealer offering new and brokerage across premium brands with full service; directly comparable to Reed on Great Lakes territory and multi-brand premium positioning.
• Jefferson Beach Yacht Sales: Michigan-based yacht dealer with brokerage, service, and storage across multiple Great Lakes locations; highly comparable on geography, customer base, and product categories.
• South Haven Marine: Southwest Michigan boat dealer on Lake Michigan offering new boat sales, brokerage, and service; comparable on geography and customer base.

Others

• Boat Trader: Leading online boat marketplace where Reed lists brokerage inventory; not a direct competitor but a key distribution and price-discovery channel for the pre-owned segment.

Regional players

• Maritime Bay Yacht Club / Marina Max: Adjacent Great Lakes marine retailer with showroom and brokerage operations; comparable on regional retail but lighter evidence of multi-brand premium scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCdS1KM9OG_Z_WMHX5GFhxbg
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/Reedyachtsales
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/reed-yacht-sales

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Reed Yacht Sales