Yacht Club & Marina Management Software

Who It Serves

Marina with fixed berths and transit berths The marina managing both annual subscribers with fixed berths and seasonal transits must differentiate pricing logic, included services, and billing. The transient arriving for two nights has different needs from the resident boat owner who wants a detailed monthly statement of every service consumed. Without a structured system, the port office handles every situation improvised, with frequent billing errors.

Yacht club with racing section A yacht club that organizes regattas, sailing courses, and social activities needs to centrally manage event registrations, participant records, nautical equipment, and member communications. The paper membership book with unpaid fees is still a common reality in many clubs.

Marina with boatyard and technical services Marinas offering haul-out, launch, dry storage, and maintenance services have additional management complexity: travel-lift usage scheduling, dry storage space, technician work hours. Without an integrated system, it is impossible to know in real time how many dry storage berths are available and how each vessel weighs in the boatyard planning.

Sailing or motor yacht club without own marina Clubs managing a fleet of club vessels for member outings (dinghies, racing keelboats) face the specific challenge of managing boat bookings, outing logs, and fleet maintenance. The management system handles this type as well, without requiring a physical marina.

Marina consortium with multiple facilities Consortiums managing multiple marinas on the same coastline — common in Sardinia, Liguria, Sicily — face the problem of vessel transfer between facilities, centralized availability visibility, and unified billing. A single platform with location-based permissions solves this without duplicating systems.

Problems It Solves

Unbilled or late-billed berths In a marina with 150 fixed berths and 50 transit berths, manual management inevitably leads to unaccounted situations: vessels staying beyond their reservation without the extension being charged, electricity or water services consumed and not recorded, transients arriving Friday evening billed from memory Monday morning with all the margin of error this entails. A marina with 50 transits/month losing an average of €15 in unbilled services per transit accumulates over €9,000/year in missed revenue — and this is only the easiest component to quantify. The system records every berth the moment a vessel is assigned its berth, tracks consumption in real time, and automatically generates the invoice at departure.

Berth map not updated in real time Without an updated digital map, the harbor master cannot know with certainty which berths are free and must physically walk around before assigning a transit. With an interactive map on a tablet, the updated situation is visible in 30 seconds: free berth, occupied by subscriber, occupied by transient with expected departure date. Assignment happens on the map with a tap and the system automatically updates availability.

Unmanaged yacht club members The paper membership book with unpaid fees is a real cash flow problem for many yacht clubs. Without an automatic recall system for expired fees, the treasurer must manually chase every delinquent member. 20-30% of membership fees in clubs without a digital system are unpaid or paid more than 6 months late. The management system automatically sends the renewal request 60 days before expiry, a reminder at 30 days, a demand at expiry, and a service suspension notice 30 days after non-payment.

Regulatory registration obligations not met Maritime regulations require the maintenance of a register of moored vessels. For tourist port facilities, communication of vessel presence to Maritime Authority is an obligation that many small marinas still handle with manual procedures subject to omissions. The management system automates the compilation of mandatory registers and the generation of reports for the Maritime Authority, reducing the risk of sanctions.

Unplanned maintenance A marina has complex infrastructure: floating docks, buoys, water/electricity distribution columns, fire suppression system, travel-lift, dry storage area. Without a planned maintenance schedule, interventions occur only when something breaks — often at the worst time, during peak season with maximum boat owner traffic. The management system schedules preventive maintenance, sends alerts to responsible parties, tracks completed interventions, and manages contracts with technical service providers.

No visibility on occupancy data Without structured analytics, the marina manager doesn't know the actual occupancy rate during the August peak week compared to the same period last year, which nationalities are most represented among transient boat owners, what the most consumed service is (water, electricity, fuel). Without this data, pricing, marketing, and investment decisions are based on impressions, not facts.

Key Features

Interactive berth map Scale digital map of the marina with representation of every numbered berth. Real-time view: green (free), red (subscriber-occupied), yellow (transient-occupied with expiry date), grey (reserved/out of service). The harbor master assigns the berth with a tap on the map. Filters by vessel category (length, draft, type: sail/motor/multihull). Current availability indication and dock type. History of every berth with all berths used.

Fixed and transit berth management Annual and seasonal berth contracts with deadline management and automatic renewals. Online transit booking (via web portal or app) with immediate confirmation and deposit payment link. Digital check-in on arrival: harbor master records the vessel (optional AIS database data), ship's documents, number of people on board. Check-out with automatic generation of final invoice including all consumed services.

Automatic service billing Smart columns for water and electricity distribution with integrated digital meters. Consumption is automatically recorded in the boat owner's account: no need to physically read the meter. At check-out, the invoice includes: berth fee, kWh consumed (at configurable day/night rates), cubic meters of water, any fuel dispensed, other services (waste collection, laundry, boatyard access, crane). Zero unbilled services.

Yacht club member portal and app Reserved area for members with: personal profile with vessel data (registration, documentation, insurance with expiry), berth and service history, statement, club documents (statutes, regulations, meeting minutes), events and regatta calendar, club vessel booking (for clubs with shared fleet), communications and circulars from the board of directors. iOS and Android mobile app.

Member and fee management Member profiles with category (ordinary, honorary, junior, supporting), paid fee history, associated vessels. Automatic renewals with pro-forma invoice and online payment link (credit card, SEPA transfer). New member approval workflow. Mass communications to members by category. Assembly voting management (online or in-person with proxy system). Board reports on membership status.

Presence register and regulatory compliance Automatic register of all moored vessels: vessel name and type, naval registry number, flag, skipper data, number of people on board, arrival and departure date and time. Automatic generation of reports for Maritime Authority in required formats. Integration with navigation authorization management system. Digital archiving compliant with Maritime Code obligations.

Dry storage management Dry storage area map with position of every vessel. Tracking of haul-out and launch dates, vessel weight, support type used. Travel-lift usage planning with available slot calendar. Dry storage billing per day or period. Alerts for vessels exceeding their planned launch date. Boatyard access restricted to boat owners with active dry storage.

Maintenance planning Register of all marina infrastructure (docks, columns, systems) with technical record and intervention history. Preventive maintenance plan with configurable frequencies (monthly, quarterly, annual). Automatic alerts to technical manager for upcoming deadlines. Work order management for internal technicians and external suppliers. Photographic documentation of interventions.

Regatta and event management Club event calendar with online registrations and participant management. Regatta registrations with vessel and crew data collection. Rating management (IOR, IRC, ORC) for handicap calculation. Automatic communications to registrants (briefing, results, standings). Registration fee collection via online payment.

Analytics and revenue management Occupancy rate by period, berth type, and average vessel length. Year-on-year comparison. Revenue by service category. Nationalities of transient boat owners. Most consumed services. Occupancy forecast for staff planning. Data for seasonal pricing strategy definition.

Communications and marketing Segmented member newsletter by category. Automatic situational communication (bad weather, maintenance interventions, temporary service closures). Integration with club social channels. Push notifications via app for urgent communications.

Access and security Marina access control system with QR code or badge for boat owners and members. Automatic access log for the marina area. Temporary access management for visitors and suppliers. Surveillance camera integration optional.

Typical Workflow — A Day at the Marina

7:00 AM — Availability check and expected transits The harbor master opens the dashboard on the tablet: the map shows 18 free berths out of 200, 3 transients with check-out expected today by noon, and 5 transit reservations arriving this afternoon. A boat owner has confirmed via app their estimated arrival time at 3:30 PM with a Bavaria 40 requiring 3.5m draft. The system has already verified that berth B-24 is compatible.

9:30 AM — Transient check-out The Jeanneau 50 skipper signals via app they are about to depart. The harbor master sees the automatically generated bill on the tablet: 2 nights of 8.5m berth × 2 = €68, 14 kWh electricity × €0.48 = €6.72, 120L water × €0.006/L = €0.72. Invoice total: €75.44 + VAT. Payment is made by card directly from the skipper's app. The map updates berth B-17 as free.

11:00 AM — Expired subscription renewal The system signals that berth C-08, on annual subscription to member Bianchi, expires in 14 days. The €2,400 pro-forma was automatically sent 30 days ago. The member hasn't paid yet: the system sends a second automatic reminder with online payment link. If they don't pay by the deadline, the reservation is automatically suspended and the berth returns to available for new subscriptions.

1:30 PM — Dock column fault report A technician reports via app that dock column D-12 has a non-functioning water meter. The system automatically creates a work order, assigns it to the maintenance supplier, marks the column as out of service on the map (nearby boat owners are notified), and updates the maintenance plan. The berth remains available but without water service.

3:30 PM — Bavaria 40 arrival The harbor master sees the imminent arrival on the dashboard. Guides the skipper via radio to berth B-24. At the dock, records the check-in on the app: vessel name, registration number, 4 people on board, expected departure Sunday. The system automatically generates the Maritime Authority notification, updates the presence register, and activates the column meter for electricity.

5:00 PM — Weekend regatta preparation 22 vessels are registered for Saturday's regatta. The system has already collected all crew data and ORC ratings. You send the automatic briefing to all registrants with start time, starting mark coordinates, and integrated weather bulletin. 3 registrants haven't completed the registration fee payment yet: the system sends an automatic reminder.

7:00 PM — Evening report You receive the day's summary: occupancy rate 91%, daily revenue €1,847, 2 check-outs and 3 check-ins, 1 open work order (column D-12), 1 expiring renewal unpaid. The August peak week shows +23% compared to the same period last year.

Integrations

AIS (Automatic Identification System) Optional integration with AIS data for automatic recognition of approaching vessels: the system detects the vessel's MMSI and automatically pre-fills check-in data (name, type, dimensions, flag nationality). Dramatic reduction of registration time on arrival.

Payment systems (Stripe, SumUp, bank POS) Payment gateways for online collections (transit bookings, subscription renewals) and physical POS terminals for dock payments. Automatic reconciliation between digital and physical payments in the accounting system.

Smart distribution columns Integration with water and electricity distribution columns equipped with digital meters. Consumption data is automatically transmitted to the management system for billing. Remote column activation/deactivation for service access control.

Maritime Authority and Coast Guard Automatic generation of presence reports in the formats required for mandatory communications to maritime supervisory bodies. Digital archive of berth registers compliant with Maritime Code obligations.

Electronic invoicing (QuickBooks, Xero) Automatic electronic invoice issuance for all services provided. VAT rate management specific to the port sector. Integration with accountant's accounting software.

Marine weather (Copernicus, NOAA APIs) Integration with marine weather services for forecast display in the member portal and harbor master dashboard. Automatic alerts for wind above configured threshold (e.g., gale force winds) with push notifications to boat owners with moored vessels.

CRM and newsletter (Mailchimp, Brevo) Member segmentation by category and consumption history for targeted email campaigns. Seasonal newsletters with club activities, race calendar, and service news.

Owner app (iOS and Android) White-label app branded with your club/marina logo and colors. Features: berth map with own berth visualization, service statement, transit booking, regatta and event registration, messaging with harbor master, weather bulletins, club documentation.

Custom Software vs Standard Solutions

Available nautical software is primarily designed for North European or American contexts and brings different logic from maritime regulations. Adapting it to local requirements requires continuous workarounds. Graffico starts from your internal regulations, the physical layout of the marina, and local regulatory obligations to build a system that works without compromises.

Timeline, Budget, and Process

Phase 1 — Analysis and design (weeks 1-3) Physical site visit to the marina to survey the berth layout, existing infrastructure (columns, travel-lift, dry storage areas), current administrative processes, and structure-specific regulatory obligations. Mapping of the member base and existing berth contracts.

Phase 2 — Core platform development (weeks 4-12) Development of the interactive berth map, berth management module (fixed and transits), automatic billing, presence register, and member portal. Parallel testing with the current system.

Phase 3 — Integrations and app (weeks 13-18) Integration with smart columns (if existing or to be installed), payment system, Maritime Authority, development of the branded mobile app. Training of office and harbor master staff.

Phase 4 — Go-live and data migration (weeks 19-21) Migration of member data and existing berth contracts, go-live coordinated with the start of season or off-season to minimize disruption.

Investment range: Small yacht club without marina (member management + events): €6,000 – €12,000 Medium marina 50-150 berths (map + billing + portal): €12,000 – €25,000 Large tourist port with boatyard and app (200+ berths): €25,000 – €50,000

No monthly fees. No percentage on billed services.