How the project cost is built
A marina budget is the sum of a few large items, and each one is priced by the unit your quotes use. Docks or pontoons are priced per square metre of pontoon or per metre of berth. Dredging is priced per cubic metre. Buildings, a seawall or breakwater, and the fuel dock and utilities are lump sums. Permits and design are a percentage of that construction cost, and a contingency is a percentage of construction plus permits and design. Land and working capital are added on top.
Every unit cost on this page is your own figure. The starting values are round illustrations so the page works on first load. They are not benchmarks or typical prices, so replace them with the quotes you have from contractors, surveyors and your lender.
Worked example: a 25% equity marina project
Take land at £800,000, 2,800 square metres of pontoon at £400 each, 8,000 cubic metres of dredging at £20 each, £450,000 of buildings, a £350,000 seawall and £200,000 for fuel and utilities. The pontoons come to £1,120,000.00 and the dredging to £160,000.00, so the construction cost is £2,280,000.00. Permits and design at 8% add £182,400.00 and a 10% contingency adds £246,240.00.
With £80,000 of working capital the total project cost is £3,588,640.00. Putting in 25% equity, which is £897,160.00, leaves a loan of £2,691,480.00. At 7.5% over 20 years the monthly payment is £21,682.38, which is £260,188.56 a year, and the interest over the term comes to £2,512,291.12.
To cover those payments 1.25 times, the marina needs £325,235.70 of net income a year. If berth rent is £6,000 a year and 40% of it goes on running costs, the rent income needed is £542,059.49, which means 91 berths.
Check against a published calculator
Kandoo's commercial mortgage calculator takes a property value, a deposit, a rate and a term. Entering a value of £3,588,640.00, a deposit of £897,160.00, 7.5% and 20 years gives a loan of £2,691,480.00 and a monthly payment of £21,682, which matches the £21,682.38 here once rounded to the pound. The same loan, rate and term are the inputs to this page's repayment, so the loan payment is the part that can be checked against other tools.
Pricing berths by length, and the cover you choose
If your pontoon quote is per metre of berth, switch the dock pricing. 950 metres at £1,500 a metre makes the docks £1,425,000.00 and the total project cost £3,950,980.00, a monthly payment of £23,871.62 and 100 berths at the same rent.
The cover you choose moves the income target but not the loan. With the default project, a cover of 0.5 over 25 years needs £119,338.80 of net income, while a cover of 5 over 20 years at a £9,500 rent per berth needs £1,300,942.78 and 229 berths. Lenders set the cover they require and the equity they ask for, so this page does not assume a scheme and you should confirm both with your lender.
Running costs matter as much as the rent. If 90% of rent were spent on running costs at £12,000 a berth, the same loan would need £3,252,356.95 of rent income and 272 berths.
What this estimate leaves out
This is a planning estimate for one project and one loan. It does not model phased construction, interest during the build, a ramp-up in occupancy, other income such as fuel sales, storage or a restaurant, business rates, VAT, or any grant. The berths needed assume every berth earns the rent you enter. Check the numbers with your lender, a surveyor and an accountant before relying on them.
For a small personal start-up loan, use the start up loan calculator .
For a staged build with drawdowns, use the development loan calculator .
Use the right country page
This page is in pounds and uses UK terms: berths, pontoons, square metres and cubic metres. The country choices above the inputs open separate local pages. Choosing United States opens the marina loan start-up cost calculator for the US, which prices in dollars, square feet and cubic yards and adds the SBA 7(a) start-up and marina checks. The inputs reset and amounts are not converted.
Inputs for the marina loan start-up cost calculator
Land
The purchase price of the land or water lease with legal costs. Enter zero if you already own it.
Docks: pricing, quantity and cost per unit
Choose square metres of pontoon or metres of berth, then enter the quantity and your quoted cost for one unit.
Dredging volume and cost per cubic metre
The cubic metres to dredge and your quoted cost for each, including disposal.
Buildings, seawall or breakwater, fuel dock and utilities
Lump sums from your quotes. Enter zero for anything the project does not include.
Permits and design, and contingency
Permits and design are a percentage of construction cost. Contingency is a percentage of construction plus permits and design.
Working capital
Cash to run the marina until it earns.
Your equity, interest rate and loan term
Equity is a share of the total project cost. The loan is the rest, repaid monthly at a nominal yearly rate.
Debt service cover, rent per berth and running costs
Net income needed is the yearly payments times the cover. Rent after running costs sets the berths needed.
CALCULATOR QUESTIONS
UK marina loan start-up cost calculator questions
How do you work out the start-up cost of a marina?
Add land, docks, dredging, buildings, a seawall and utilities, then permits and design and a contingency, and add working capital. In the worked example the total is £3,588,640.00.
How much equity does a marina loan need?
Lenders set the equity and cover they require, and this page makes no scheme claim. Try different equity shares and see how the loan and payment change.
What is debt service cover?
Net income divided by the yearly loan payments. At 1.25 times, payments of £260,188.56 a year need £325,235.70 of net income.
How many berths do I need to cover the loan?
Divide the rent income needed by the rent per berth. In the worked example £542,059.49 at £6,000 a berth is 91 berths.
Are the unit costs typical prices?
No. They are round illustrations. Use your own quotes for pontoons, dredging and buildings.
What happens if I change country?
The United States option opens the separate US page, in dollars, with the SBA 7(a) checks. Your inputs are reset rather than converted.