The Marina Software Buyer's Guide
The Marina Software Buyer's Guide
How to evaluate, select, and switch to marina management software without making expensive mistakes
Twenty-five chapters covering everything from "should I even be evaluating right now" to "what does my first ninety days on a new platform look like." Written by Sharper MMS, but built to be useful regardless of which vendor you choose. The guide takes about two hours to read end-to-end, or much less if you jump straight to what you need.
Where should I start?
Most readers should start at the beginning. The guide builds on itself, and the framework in Part Two ties every later chapter together. But if you're already mid-evaluation or further along, here are three places to jump in.
Chapter 1: The five questions
If you haven't talked to any vendors yet, start here. The five questions you should answer before booking a single demo, with a self-assessment that scores your evaluation readiness.
Start the guide → Mid-evaluationChapter 11: The vendor scorecard
If you have three vendors lined up and want a structured way to compare them, jump to the 15-question scorecard. Three questions per evaluation dimension, side-by-side scoring.
Compare vendors → Ready to switchChapter 17: Migration planning
If you've already picked a vendor and you're planning the migration, jump to the migration playbook. Phased timeline, what to watch for, and how to avoid losing a peak season to chaos.
Plan your migration →The full guide
Before You Start Shopping
The homework that lets you evaluate vendors instead of letting them evaluate you.
-
01
The five questions to answer before you talk to any vendor
What questions should I answer before evaluating marina software?
8 min Interactive -
02
What marina management software actually is
What is marina management software, and what modules typically come with it?
6 min Interactive -
03
Why most marinas wait too long to switch
When is the right time to switch marina software, and what does waiting cost me?
6 min Interactive
The Evaluation Framework
Five dimensions of marina software, and what to test against each one.
-
04
The five dimensions of marina software, and why feature lists mislead
What dimensions matter when evaluating marina software?
5 min -
05
How it works: operational workflow, customer experience, mobile access
How does marina software fit how my marina actually operates?
8 min Interactive -
06
How it makes (and loses) you money
How does marina software affect revenue capture and operational cost?
8 min Interactive -
07
What it shows you: reporting and visibility
What reporting should I expect from marina software, and what should I ask about?
6 min -
08
What it connects to: the integration ecosystem
What integrations does marina software need to have, and how do I evaluate integration quality?
6 min -
09
What happens when you want to leave
What happens if I need to leave my marina software vendor in the future?
7 min Interactive
Comparing Vendors
Side-by-side evaluation, demo strategy, and reference checks that actually surface useful information.
-
10
The vendor landscape: how to think about the market
What types of marina software vendors exist, and which category fits me?
5 min -
11
The 15-question vendor evaluation scorecard
What 15 questions should I ask every marina software vendor?
5 min Interactive -
12
Demo strategy: what to look at when a vendor shows you their product
How do I run a useful marina software demo?
6 min -
13
References, case studies, and the "show me a customer like me" test
How do I evaluate a marina software vendor's references and case studies?
4 min
The Commercial Conversation
Pricing models, contract terms, and the real cost-and-revenue math behind each option.
-
14
Understanding marina software pricing
How does marina software pricing work, and which model fits my operation?
7 min Interactive -
15
Contracts: the clauses that matter most
What clauses matter most in a marina software contract?
6 min -
16
The math: total cost and revenue impact comparison
What's the net economic impact of marina software, not just the monthly cost?
7 min Interactive
Migration
What switching actually involves, and how to make it work without losing a peak season to chaos.
-
17
Planning the switch: what a realistic migration looks like
How does a marina software migration actually work, phase by phase?
8 min Interactive -
18
Data migration: the part nobody talks about until it goes wrong
What's involved in migrating my marina data to new software?
6 min -
19
Staff training and adoption
How do I train my marina staff on new software, and what makes training stick?
5 min -
20
The first 90 days post-launch: what to watch for
What should I watch for in the first 90 days on new marina software?
6 min Interactive
Specialized Situations
Specific guidance for yacht clubs, multi-site operators, legacy-software refugees, paper-to-software conversions, and mixed-asset operations.
-
21
If you operate a yacht club
What marina software fits a yacht club, and what's different about evaluating it?
5 min -
22
If you operate multiple marina properties
What should I look for in marina software when I operate multiple properties?
6 min Interactive -
23
If you inherited or are stuck on legacy software
How do I evaluate marina software when I inherited my current system?
8 min -
24
If you're moving from paper or spreadsheets
How do I move my marina from paper or spreadsheets to software?
5 min -
25
If you operate marina + campground or RV components
What marina software handles marina plus campground or RV operations?
6 min Interactive
Take the Map the Switch assessment
Three minutes of structured questions about your operation produces a personalized migration readiness score, a timing recommendation, and a starting chapter recommendation based on your specific situation.
Want to send this to a colleague, your partner, or your board? Just copy this page's URL and share it. The guide is open to anyone with the link.