Kentucky Dam Marina

What Kentucky Dam Marina does

Kentucky Dam Marina is a full-service recreational marina located at Mile Marker 23 on the Tennessee River within Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park in Gilbertsville, Marshall County, Kentucky. The property operates 350+ annual wet slips accommodating vessels from 20 feet to 120 feet (including yachts and houseboats), complemented by an off-site gated dry-storage facility (Lakeshore Storage) on Highway 641. The marina has served boaters continuously since 1974 and is owned and operated by Suntex Marinas, LLC, a Texas-domiciled portfolio operator; Suntex provides centralized booking through the Molo platform, the cross-marina Suntex Boat Club membership program, and a Strategic Partner network (Aloha Pontoons, Waterfront Brands, Boatsetter). The marina also offers transient nightly slips, a diversified rental fleet (Aloha and Barletta pontoons/tritoons, Bayliner fishing boats, kayaks, paddleboards), a full-service fuel dock with pump-out, and a ship store.

The revenue model is anchored on annual slip subscriptions for long-tenured boat owners, supplemented by transient nightly slip revenue, usage-based rental fees, fuel and pump-out transactions, retail sales, dry-storage subscriptions, and Boat Club membership fees. Pricing for annual slips and most rentals is not publicly disclosed; transient bookings are transactable online via the Molo platform. Direct-to-consumer and event-driven go-to-market motions coexist: phone, in-person, and self-service online booking are the primary commercial channels, while community events (Summer Vibes Open House, Independence Day Celebration) and the Suntex Boat Club drive repeat visitation and lock-in across the network. The customer base is horizontally segmented into boat-owning slip tenants (with documented 8+ year tenures), traveling Great Loop/Tenn-Tom transient boaters, rental families and groups, Boat Club members, and dry-storage customers.

The underlying technology is conventional marina-management and booking software — Molo for reservations, a dedicated slip-holder customer portal, and the Suntex Boat Club membership system — with no disclosed proprietary AI/ML or differentiation beyond network integration. No certifications, patents, or third-party awards are documented. Operational status is active and ongoing as a single-site property within a larger parent network; revenue, funding, and detailed financial metrics are not publicly disclosed at the property level.

Name

Kentucky Dam Marina

Legal name

Suntex Marinas, LLC

Website

https://kydammarina.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kentucky Dam Marina is a 350-slip full-service recreational marina on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky, owned by Suntex Marinas and serving boat owners, transient Great Loop travelers, rental families, and Boat Club members since 1974.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marina Services

NAICS

Marinas (713930)

akta.pro primary industry

Marina & Waterfront Full-Service Hotels (THAGAAAK)

Keywords

• Boat slip rentals
• Marina services
• Boat rentals
• Dry storage
• Fuel dock services

Headquarters

HQ city

Gilbertsville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Annual Boat Slip Rentals: Over 350 annual boat slips accommodating vessels from 20' to 120' in length. Slips rented on 12-month basis with rates including water, garbage pickup, Wi-Fi, and store/fuel discounts. Electricity is metered and billed separately. Various pier configurations available (covered and uncovered).
2. Transient/Nightly Slip Rentals: Nightly wet slip rentals for boaters visiting Kentucky Lake. Includes access to fuel dock, electricity, water, Wi-Fi, ship store, restrooms, showers. Bookable through Molo platform.
3. Boat Rentals: Variety of rental boats including pontoons, tritoons, double-decker pontoons, fishing boats, kayaks, and paddleboards. Rental fleet includes Aloha 25 Tritoon (12 ppl, 150hp), Aloha 26 Double Decker (12 ppl, 175hp), Aloha 30 Double Decker (14 ppl, 200hp), Barletta Tritoon (10 ppl), Bayliner 18 Fishing (4 ppl, 115hp). Late return policy of $50 per 15 minutes.
4. Ship Store Sales: Retail sales at ship store including clothing, footwear, accessories, lake gear, sunscreen, YETI coolers, sunglasses, hats, fishing tackle, lures, live bait, boating supplies, food and beverage (beer, snacks, ice cream, coffee), and souvenirs.
5. Fuel Sales: Full-service fuel dock offering 90 Octane Gas and Diesel fuel for boats. Fuel dock also includes pump-out station for waste disposal.
6. Suntex Boat Club Membership: Boat club membership providing unlimited access to multiple boat types with guaranteed online reservations. Members can boat at Kentucky Dam Marina and other Suntex locations. Membership includes access to top-of-the-line watercraft without boat ownership.
7. Dry Storage: Indoor and outdoor dry storage at Lakeshore Storage facility on Highway 641, approximately half mile from marina. Options include covered slips (35', 40'), open slips (40'), and trailer parking. Gated facility with security.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Kentucky Dam Marina operates a full-service marina at Mile Marker 23 on the Tennessee River (Kentucky Lake) within Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park. It sells annual and transient boat slip accommodations for vessels 20'–120', a fleet of rental boats (pontoons, tritoons, double-deckers, fishing boats, kayaks, paddleboards), dry storage at a nearby gated facility, a ship store, a full-service fuel dock with pump-out, boating safety training, and access to the Suntex Boat Club membership program.

Product overview

Kentucky Dam Marina operates as a full-service marina on Kentucky Lake offering a portfolio of interconnected boating services. The core offerings include annual and transient boat slip rentals accommodating vessels from 20 feet to 120 feet, and a diverse fleet of rental boats including Aloha and Barletta pontoons and tritoons, Bayliner fishing boats, and paddleboards/kayaks. Additional services include dry storage at an off-site Lakeshore Storage facility, the Suntex Boat Club membership program for unlimited boat access without ownership, a fully stocked ship store, full-service fuel dock with pump-out station, and boating safety training. The marina has served boaters since 1974 and is part of the Suntex Marina network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Suntex Boat Club: Boat club membership program offering unlimited access to multiple types of boats with guaranteed online reservations and boating privileges at other Suntex locations.

Products and services

• Annual Boat Slips

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving boaters since 1974 - over 50 years of operation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered national partner, local partner and core.

• Aloha Pontoonsnational partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerAloha Pontoons is a national partner and pontoon manufacturer that has led the pontoon industry since 1960 with groundbreaking innovations in luxury and quality. Suntex customers receive benefits through this strategic partnership.
• Waterfront Brandsnational partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerWaterfront Brands manufactures and distributes premium products across North America, serving dealers, distributors, and OEM clients. Provides customer benefits for Suntex slip holders through the Strategic Partner Network.
• Boatsetternational partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBoatsetter has connected 500,000+ first-time boaters with 50,000+ boats across 700+ locations. Suntex customers benefit from this partnership providing expanded boat rental market access and benefits.
• Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Parklocal partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe marina is located within Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park, which offers convention center, 18-hole golf course, Harbor Lights Restaurant, and hotel accommodations. Park provides lodging and dining options for marina customers.
• Suntex MarinascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKentucky Dam Marina is owned and operated by Suntex Marinas, LLC, a Texas limited liability company. The marina benefits from Suntex's centralized systems including Molo booking platform, Boat Club membership, Strategic Partner Program, and brand marketing.
• Lakeshore Storagelocal partnerOthersLakeshore Storage facility located on Highway 641 approximately half mile from the marina provides dry storage for boats. Gated facility with covered, open, and trailer parking options.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Lake Cumberland State Resort Park Marina: Kentucky state park marina offering slips, boat rentals, and fuel on Lake Cumberland. Closely comparable business model (state park co-location, full-service marina, lake resort ecosystem) in the same Kentucky geography.
• Lighthouse Marina (Lake Cumberland): Independent full-service marina on Lake Cumberland, KY offering slips, rentals, fuel, and ship store. Regional peer with a similar inland lake full-service marina model serving transient and annual boaters in Kentucky.

Broad incumbents

• IGY Marinas: International premium marina operator with a portfolio of yacht marinas and resorts. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the full-service marina category, though weighted toward larger yacht slips and coastal/international locations versus KDM's inland lake focus.
• Westrec Marinas: Long-standing U.S. marina management and ownership platform. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the full-service marina operating category with similar slip/fuel/rental model across multiple inland and coastal properties.
• Safe Harbor Marinas: Largest U.S. marina operator with hundreds of properties nationwide. Offers the same core full-service marina product (slips, storage, fuel, retail) at significantly greater scale, representing the broad incumbent benchmark in this category.

Direct peers

• Suntex Marinas: Parent company and largest direct peer. Suntex operates a national portfolio of full-service marinas with the same business model (slips, rentals, fuel, ship store, Boat Club) using shared Molo booking and Strategic Partner programs. Kentucky Dam Marina inherits and benefits from Suntex's standardized operating system.
• Green Turtle Bay Resort & Marina: Direct competitor located on Kentucky Lake (Grand Rivers, KY), offering full-service slips, boat rentals, fuel, lodging, and dining in a resort setting. Operates the same transient and annual slip model with similar Kentucky Lake customer base.
• Freedom Boat Club: Largest boat club membership operator in the U.S. with hundreds of locations. Directly comparable to Suntex Boat Club on the membership/usage-based boating model that competes for the same 'boating without ownership' customer segment as KDM's boat club offering.

Emerging players

• Carefree Boat Club: Multi-location boat club franchise offering unlimited use of boats for a monthly fee. Comparable emerging player in the boat club membership category that competes for the same no-ownership boating customer as KDM's Suntex Boat Club partnership.

Others

• Boatsetter: Peer-to-peer boat rental marketplace with 50,000+ boats across 700+ locations. Relevant as a Suntex strategic partner that provides distribution and demand-side reach for KDM-style rental operations, and as an adjacent business in the boat rental category.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KY_Dam_Marina
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCNM_7fUsLhUfV8pU280IBSA
• Facebookfacebook.com/kydammarina
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kentucky-dam-marina

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 Kentucky Dam Marina