The Harbor

What The Harbor does

The Harbor is a privately held marine dealership based on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, operated under Starboard Marinas, Inc. (founded 1996 by the Cox family). It sells new and pre-owned boats across five premium brands—Cobalt, Harris, Boston Whaler, Flamingo, and NAUTIQUE—and serves recreational boating consumers and lake-house owners in the Table Rock Lake, Bull Shoals Lake, and Norfolk Lake region of southwest Missouri and northern Arkansas.

Revenue is generated through four integrated streams: (1) one-time boat sales with individual transactions ranging from approximately $27K at the entry level to $632K at the premium end; (2) full-service marine repair performed by factory-trained MerCruiser and Volvo Penta certified technicians; (3) OEM parts and accessories; and (4) recurring wet-slip marina rentals up to 110 feet. Financing is provided through an exclusive partnership with Priority 1 Financial Services, which is used by roughly 70% of buyers. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer and sales-led, anchored by lakefront showrooms at Indian Point Marina and Campbell Point Marina where buyers can test boats on water, supplemented by a Dealer Spike-powered website for inventory browsing and quote requests, plus Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, email, and Google Reviews-driven earned media.

The Harbor employs approximately 20+ staff across sales, service technicians, parts, and office operations. Leadership is held by the founding Cox family, with Bob Cox as Dealership Principal and Phil Cox as Marina Principal. The dealership has been recognized as a TOP 100 Dealer in North America by Boating Industry magazine for seven consecutive years (2015–2021), indicating sustained operational performance. The company is family-owned with no disclosed private equity, institutional, or outside investors.

Name

The Harbor

Legal name

Starboard Marinas, Inc.

Website

https://theharbor.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Harbor is a privately held marine dealership on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, selling new and pre-owned boats from five premium brands (Cobalt, Harris, Boston Whaler, Flamingo, NAUTIQUE), supported by factory-certified service, parts, marina slips, and Priority 1 financing for recreational boating consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Branson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. New Boat Sales: Sales of new boats from Cobalt, Harris, Boston Whaler, Flamingo, and Nautique brands
2. Pre-Owned Boat Sales: Brokerage and pre-owned boat sales
3. Marine Service and Repair: Full service department with factory-trained technicians for boat maintenance, repair, and winterization
4. Parts and Accessories: Genuine OEM parts for Cobalt, Harris, Chaparral, and Yamaha marine products
5. Marina Slips: Covered slips up to 110 feet, houseboat slips with patios, dock water, cable TV, electric service, ice, wireless internet
6. Boat Financing: Financing arranged through Priority 1 Financial Services partnership - 70% of buyers finance their boats

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Harbor is a full-service marine dealership in Branson, MO that sells new and pre-owned boats (Cobalt, Harris, Boston Whaler, Flamingo, NAUTIQUE), provides marine service and repair with factory-trained technicians, supplies OEM parts, and operates marina slips up to 110 feet on Table Rock Lake. It also arranges boat financing through Priority 1 Financial Services.

Product overview

The Harbor is a premier marine dealership and marina offering a comprehensive portfolio of boat brands and marine services. Their product lineup includes new and pre-owned boats from sub-brands: Boston Whaler (premium recreational boats with Unibond construction), Cobalt Boats (high-performance sport boats and bowriders), Harris Pontoon Boats (luxury pontoons with advanced features), Flamingo Boats (premium pontoons), and NAUTIQUE (wakeboard/watersports boats). These are complemented by a full suite of marine services including boat sales, service/repair (with MerCruiser and Volvo Penta certifications), parts and accessories, marina slips, boat financing through Priority 1 Financial Services, and boat winterization. The company operates multiple locations on Table Rock Lake in Missouri with a lake-front showroom and sales docks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• New and Pre-Owned Boat Sales Sales of new and pre-owned sport boats, cruisers, yachts, pontoons, and houseboats from multiple manufacturers including Cobalt, Harris, Boston Whaler, Flamingo, and NAUTIQUE, serving recreational boaters in southwest Missouri.
• Boat Service and Repair

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% of boat buyers finance their purchases
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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 strategic, core and minor.

• Campbell Point MarinastrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Alliance formed in 2015 with Gene and Nancy Stimble at Campbell Point Marina to maintain Cobalt tradition of sales and service on-the-water in Shell Knob, Missouri. Expands distribution to western Table Rock Lake area.
• Cobalt BoatscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive dealer for Cobalt Boats in the Table Rock Lake / Bull Shoals Lake / Norfolk Lake region. Sells Cobalt R-series, A-series, and surf models.
• Harris Boats (Pontoons)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive dealer for Harris FloteBote pontoon products in the region. Sells Cruiser, Grand Mariner, Solstice, and Sunliner models.
• NAUTIQUEcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive dealer for NAUTIQUE wakeboard and surf boats in the Table Rock Lake region.
• State Park MarinaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRelated company under Starport Marinas, Inc. offering boat rentals, waverunners, water skiing, tubing on Table Rock Lake. Linked via rentals site on The Harbor website.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Galati Yacht Sales: A high-end sport boat and yacht dealer representing Cobalt and other premium brands, with brokerage and service — directly comparable for premium-brand retail and service operations similar to The Harbor's Cobalt franchise.
• MarineMax: The largest recreational boat dealer in the U.S., operating multi-brand dealerships across premium boat brands with service, financing, and marina offerings — directly comparable to The Harbor's sales-service-slip integrated model at much larger scale.
• OneWater Marine: A growing consolidator of premium boat dealerships in the U.S., with a multi-brand retail and service model overlapping The Harbor's Cobalt, Harris, and similar premium brand offerings.
• Russ Dean Marine: A multi-brand boat dealer with full service and parts departments serving regional markets — comparable to The Harbor in the multi-brand dealership and service operating model.
• Skipper Bud's: A multi-location Midwest and Southeast boat dealer selling premium brands including Cobalt, with full service, parts, and marina operations — directly comparable to The Harbor's regional dealership-plus-marina model.
• Sundance Marine: A multi-brand boat dealer on freshwater lakes offering new and pre-owned sales, service, and slips — comparable to The Harbor's Table Rock Lake dealer-and-marina model.

Others

• Safe Harbor Marinas: A large U.S. marina owner-operator offering wet slips, storage, and service — comparable to The Harbor's marina operations as adjacent infrastructure provider to boat ownership.
• IGY Marinas: An international marina operator with premium slip offerings — comparable to The Harbor's covered slip and amenitized marina operations from a marina-management perspective.
• Suntex Marinas: One of the largest marina operators in the U.S., owning and operating recreational marinas — comparable to The Harbor's marina/boatyard operations as adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct boat retail competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Bass Pro Shops: Large outdoor retailer with boat dealerships (Tracker Marine) and marina-adjacent products — broader incumbent that overlaps with The Harbor's customer base for recreational boating purchases.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheHarborMarina/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheHarborTRL
• Instagraminstagram.com/theharbortrl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Subsidiaries4 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 The Harbor