Saginaw Bay Community Sailing Association

What Saginaw Bay Community Sailing Association does

Saginaw Bay Community Sailing Association (SBCSA) is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1995 in Bay City, Michigan, providing sailing instruction and water access to youth and adults in the Great Lakes Bay Region. The organization operates a fleet comprising Optimist Prams, RS Feva dinghies, Cape Cod DaySailer 17s, a Capri 22, and a Gloucester 22, delivering programming across four pillars: youth and adult sailing lessons, a keelboat/open sailing program, winter boat building classes, and community partnership programs. On-water instruction occurs at Wenonah Park on the Saginaw River; boat building classes are held at the Gougeon Boat Shop during the off-season (January through April).

Revenue is generated across five streams: annual memberships ($50–$250 tiers: Student, Student+Volunteer, Adult, Family), youth and adult lesson fees ($80–$250), boat building materials fees ($100), tax-deductible donations via qgiv.com and Bloomerang, and event/raffle income (e.g., $5/ticket Wood Duck Kayak raffle). The organization is volunteer-supported, operated by a 10-person Board of Directors, and partners with Bay City Yacht Club, Sunset Shores Yacht Club, Bay Harbor Marina, Gougeon Brothers, North Sails, and Bay Boat Works to deliver programming and venue access. Marketing is community-led and event-driven, relying on word-of-mouth, online registration, and partnerships with local youth organizations and nonprofits; scholarships are available for students unable to afford lesson fees.

Name

Saginaw Bay Community Sailing Association

Legal name

Saginaw Bay Community Sailing Association

Website

https://sbcsa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Saginaw Bay Community Sailing Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1995 that provides affordable sailing instruction, boat building classes, and keelboat access to youth and adults in Michigan's Great Lakes Bay Region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Sailing Education

NAICS

Marinas (713930)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAJAJAG

Sailing Experiences (Lessons, Regattas, Day Sails)

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Marine & Water Experiences (Boat Tours, Diving, Snorkeling, Fishing)

SECONDARYTHAAALAB

Water & Marine Guiding Services (Kayak, Canoe, Raft, SUP, Sailing)

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Adventure & Ecotourism Equipment Rental & Guiding Services

Keywords

• Community sailing education
• Youth sailing instruction
• Adult sailing lessons
• Boat building classes
• Nonprofit sailing association

Headquarters

HQ city

Bay City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees providing access to sailing vessels and programs. Tiers include Student ($75), Adult ($150), Family ($250), and Student + Volunteer ($50 + 10 hours). Membership runs January 1 to December 31 with membership following August 15 including the following year.
2. Sailing Lessons: Fees for youth and adult sailing instruction programs. Youth Introductory lessons at $80/100 (member/non-member), Intermediate/Advanced Youth at $125/150, and Adult lessons at $200/250. Private lessons available at minimum $35/hour.
3. Boat Building Classes: Boat building instruction with $100 materials fee for the course. Classes held at Gougeon Boat Shop, teaching boat construction skills to adult members.
4. Donations and Fundraising: Registered 501(c)(3) organization accepting tax-deductible donations. Active fundraising includes raffle programs (e.g., kayak raffle at $5/ticket) and direct donation appeals through qgiv.com platform.
5. Event Revenue: Revenue from events such as raffles and special fundraising activities. The Wood Duck Kayak fundraiser exemplifies this revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Saginaw Bay Community Sailing Association operates a community sailing center offering youth and adult sailing lessons, keelboat access, boat building classes, memberships, and open sailing sessions on the Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay. Programs span beginner to advanced skill levels using Optimist Prams, RS Feva dinghies, Cape Cod DaySailer 17s, and Capri 22/Gloucester 22 keelboats. The organization is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on making sailing affordable and accessible in the Great Lakes Bay Region.

Product overview

Saginaw Bay Community Sailing Association operates as a community sailing center offering a portfolio of programs: Youth Sailing Lessons (using Optimist Prams and RS Feva dinghies), Adult Sailing Lessons (using Cape Cod DaySailer 17s), a Keel Boat Program (Capri 22 and Gloucester 22), Boat Building Classes, Open Sailing sessions, and annual Memberships (Student, Adult, Family tiers). The programs are designed as a progressive pathway from beginner training boats on the Saginaw River to independent sailing on Saginaw Bay, with a 501(c)(3) non-profit structure supporting affordable access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth Sailing Lessons Two-week-long half-day sailing sessions for youth ages 8-17, teaching basic to advanced sailing skills using Optimist Prams for beginners and RS Feva two-person dinghies for intermediate/advanced students.
• Adult Sailing Lessons Four-week-long evening sailing sessions for adults ages 16 and older with no or some sailing experience, taught in Cape Cod DaySailer 17s on the Saginaw River.
• Keel Boat Program Access to keelboats including Capri 22 and Gloucester 22 for SBCSA members, featuring Open Sailing sessions on Thursday evenings and Independent Sailing for qualified members at multiple venues on Saginaw Bay.
• Boat Building Program Winter boat building classes at Gougeon Boat Shop teaching construction methods including stitch and glue, strip planking, and glued lapstrake using West System epoxy for adult SBCSA members.
• SBCSA Membership Annual membership providing access to Open Sailing nights, vessel access, and program discounts with tiered pricing: Student ($75), Adult ($150), Family ($250), and Student + Volunteer ($50 plus 10 volunteer hours).
• Community Sailing Programs Customized sailing experiences and outreach programs for local youth organizations and nonprofits, offering flexible scheduling and variable or no-cost options for qualifying institutions.
• Open Sailing Sessions Evening sailing sessions on training boats for SBCSA members and students who have completed half of their class, held at no additional cost beyond membership.
• Wood Duck Kayak Raffle Annual fundraising raffle for a hand-built 14-foot wooden kayak constructed in SBCSA's boat building program; tickets sold at $5 each with the drawing held during open sailing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Year-round programming through sailing (May-August) and boat building (January-April)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• GougeoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGougeon Brothers, Inc. is a key partner providing the Gougeon Boat Shop facility at 100 Patterson Ave, Bay City, MI for SBCSA's boat building program. Gougeon is known for West System epoxy products. Their partnership enables winter boat building classes for SBCSA members.
• Bay City Yacht ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBay City Yacht Club hosts SBCSA's keelboat open sailing sessions. The Capri 22 is kept at the club's designated slip. Thursday evening keelboat sessions depart from this location, providing members access to sailing on Saginaw Bay.
• Sunset Shores Yacht ClubsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSunset Shores Yacht Club hosts the Gloucester 22 member boat for open sailing sessions, expanding SBCSA's keelboat sailing access for qualified members.
• Bay Harbor MarinasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBay Harbor Marina near the mouth of the Saginaw River houses a Capri 22 available for qualified SBCSA members and their guests for independent sailing at any time (weather and availability permitting).
• North SailssupportingTechnology or IntegrationNorth Sails, a leading sailmaker, is listed as a partner supporting SBCSA's mission. Their logo appears on the partner section of the website alongside Bay Boat Works North Sails Bay City.
• Bay Boat Works North Sails Bay CitysupportingTechnology or IntegrationLocal marine services partner with North Sails affiliation. Listed as a community partner supporting SBCSA's sailing center development.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sail Newport: Nonprofit community sailing organization in Newport, RI offering youth and adult lessons, racing programs, and member access to a fleet of dinghies and keelboats — operates a near-identical instructional/membership model to SBCSA on Narragansett Bay.
• Center for Wooden Boats: Seattle-based nonprofit offering sailing lessons, wooden boatbuilding classes, and free public access to a fleet — the closest analog to SBCSA's combined sailing + boatbuilding educational model, anchored by hands-on craft instruction.
• Chicago Community Sailing Center: Chicago's largest community sailing nonprofit providing youth/adult lessons, memberships, and access to a diverse fleet on Lake Michigan — directly comparable to SBCSA in mission, programming mix, and member-based access model, though at significantly larger scale.
• Annapolis Community Sailing Center: Community sailing school on the Chesapeake Bay offering youth and adult lessons, member access, and adaptive sailing — directly mirrors SBCSA's instructional, membership-based nonprofit model in a similar seasonal sailing market.
• Community Sailing Center (Burlington, VT): Vermont-based community sailing nonprofit offering year-round youth and adult lessons, keelboat access, and adaptive sailing programs on Lake Champlain — operates an almost identical nonprofit community-sailing-school model as SBCSA, including membership tiers and progressive skill pathways.

Others

• US Sailing: National governing body for sailing in the U.S., providing curriculum, certification, and community sailing program support — adjacent ecosystem participant that influences how community sailing associations like SBCSA operate and credential instructors.
• North Sails: Global sailmaker and listed SBCSA industry partner — not a competitor, but a relevant ecosystem participant whose brand and products support SBCSA's sailing instruction fleet.
• Gougeon Brothers (West System): Manufacturer of West System epoxy products and a strategic SBCSA partner providing the Gougeon Boat Shop facility — adjacent enabling partner whose products and venue underpin SBCSA's differentiated boatbuilding program.

Regional players

• Inland Seas Education Association: Great Lakes-based nonprofit providing shipboard and sailing-based STEM education programs in Michigan waters — regional peer with overlapping youth educational sailing mission and Great Lakes Bay region footprint.
• BaySail: Bay City, MI-based nonprofit operating the schooner Appledore IV (mentioned in SBCSA's dock location data) for educational sails and Great Lakes sailing programs — a regional peer operating in the same waters with an educational sailing mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/922SAIL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saginaw-bay-community-sailing-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Saginaw Bay Community Sailing Association