A marina payment plan splits a slip, rack or seasonal contract into scheduled installments, usually collected by autopay from a card or bank account. Published U.S. plans differ on installment count, due dates, accepted payment methods and fees. The plans that work for both sides spell out the full cash calendar, disclose payment-rail fees before enrollment, and pair autopay with clear rules for failed payments. This guide shows how real marinas structure plans, what to decide before you publish one, and how to run it without adding to your office workload.
TL;DR
- Payment plans are marina-specific. Installment counts, due dates, deposits and utilities are set by each marina's contract, so show boaters the whole cash calendar, not just a monthly figure.
- Autopay is usually a condition of the plan, not an extra. Several published plans require a card or bank draft on file before enrollment.
- Disclose card fees up front and offer an ACH option. One public port passes a 3% card-processing fee to card users and drafts bank payments with no fee.
- Autopay does not remove default risk. Configure failed-payment alerts, grace periods and escalation rules alongside it.
- Plan the migration. Moving existing payers to a new portal means re-enrollment, account matching and a parallel period.
Table of Contents
- What marina payment plans look like in practice
- Design decisions to settle before you publish a plan
- Autopay: the engine behind most plans
- A worked example: building a quarterly plan
- Rolling out a plan without a service-desk flood
- Our perspective: plans should be boring for the boater and visible to staff
- How Atlantis Marina handles payment plans
- A checklist before you launch
- FAQ
- Sources
What marina payment plans look like in practice
There is no national standard. Three published examples show the range.
Long contracts spread over months. Spitzer Marina's payment policy lets annual dockage and rack contracts be paid over up to 10 months interest-free, and summer-only contracts over up to 6 months. Enrollment requires automatic credit or debit card payments. Boaters choose a deduction date of the 1st, 5th, 15th or 20th, and the marina sets final payoff deadlines by package: July 20 for annual packages and June 20 for summer-only plans.
Quarterly installments tied to a service package. Moose Landing Marina's July 2025 rate sheet divides the package price into four installments due February 15, May 15, August 15 and November 15. The package covers launch, haul-out, storage, reservation and facility services. Its sample for a 7.5-foot beam, up-to-24-foot boat is $4,212 in total, or $1,053 per quarterly payment. Electrical usage and requested service work can be additional, and the sheet says pricing is estimated from vessel dimensions and selected services.
Plans available on request. Beaver Park Marina's rates effective August 20, 2026 are quoted per foot, from $45 per foot for up-to-18-foot docks without utilities to $64 per foot for 27 to 30-foot docks with utilities. Payment plans are available by contacting the marina. Dockage is non-refundable and fees must be paid before launch.
The lesson for operators: the headline rate tells a boater little. The real decision is how many payments, on which dates, by which method, with which exclusions.
Design decisions to settle before you publish a plan
Choose the installment structure
Match the schedule to your season and your cost cycle. Monthly works for year-round slips. Quarterly suits bundled packages that include haul-out and winter storage. A fixed number of installments, such as 6 or 10, suits seasonal and annual contracts where the full balance must be cleared before a key operational date, like spring launch.
Whatever you choose, set a payoff deadline. Both Spitzer's dates and Moose Landing's quarterly schedule show the same idea: the last payment lands before the boater's peak use, not after it.
Decide what the plan includes
List in the contract what is inside the installment and what is billed separately. Moose Landing's package bundles several services but leaves electrical usage and service work outside it. The Port of Everett notes that utility usage may be billed separately from the recurring moorage amount. Boaters rarely object to a separate utility line. They object to finding it later.
Set due dates and let boaters choose where possible
A choice of draft dates, as Spitzer offers, cuts late payments caused by payday timing. If you can only offer one date, pick the first of the month for rent due in advance, and say so on every statement.
Define refundability and enforcement in the same document
Beaver Park states that dockage is non-refundable. Public marina contracts go further. The 2026 Bainbridge moorage rental agreement template makes monthly rent due in advance on the first of each month and strongly encourages tenants to set up automatic payments with their bank. Due dates, electronic statements, default timing and remedies are linked. A payment plan that hides the consequence of a missed installment is a dispute waiting to happen. If you are drafting that language, our guide to a marina late fee policy and 90-day lien pitfalls covers the operator side.
Autopay: the engine behind most plans
Most of the published plans above depend on a stored payment method. Spitzer requires automatic card payments for its interest-free plan. The Port of Everett runs a recurring bank-draft program. The reasons are practical: autopay removes the monthly chase, shortens days-to-cash and makes installment plans enforceable without staff calling each tenant.
For readers searching for the best marina autopay, "best" comes down to a short checklist rather than a brand:
- Both rails. Card and bank (ACH) payments, so boaters can choose and you can steer large recurring rent toward the cheaper rail.
- Stored credentials, not stored numbers. Tokenized card on file, set up once by the boater. Our walkthrough of card on file for U.S. marinas shows the steps.
- Boater self-service. Enrollment, payment history and method updates available at any hour, without calling the office.
- Failed-payment handling. Automatic retry, notices to the boater and a flag for staff.
- Accounting sync. Payments should land in your books without re-keying.
- Clear fee disclosure. Boaters see any card surcharge before they enroll.
Why ACH belongs in the plan
The Port of Everett's guidance, updated for November 1, 2025, is a useful model. Customers can use no-fee recurring ACH enrollment, online bank payments or cards. ACH drafts begin around the 20th shown in the confirmation, and customers should give at least 30 days' notice to cancel or change the arrangement. A 3% credit-card processing fee applies Port-wide from November 1, 2025, including the marina and fuel dock.
That structure does two things. It tells boaters what each method costs before they choose. It also gives the operator a lower-cost rail for the biggest recurring charges. We cover how to direct rent to the bank rail while leaving incidentals on cards in split tender payments for marinas.
Autopay does not end default risk
Bainbridge's form treats rent that is 15 days overdue as a default and warns that termination or eviction action may follow under state law. Cards expire, accounts close and bank drafts bounce. Pair autopay with:
- Failed-payment alerts to both boater and staff the same day.
- A defined grace period stated in the contract.
- Escalation steps with dates, so the sequence from reminder to notice is consistent for every tenant.
- A human check on any slip with two missed installments.
Consistency is the point. A rule applied the same way to every boater is easier to defend than one applied by whoever is at the desk.
A worked example: building a quarterly plan
Say you offer a seasonal package at a total of $4,000, and want four equal installments. Each is $1,000. Here is how the cash calendar might read on the boater's agreement:
| Installment | Due date | Amount | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | February 15 | $1,000 | ACH or card on file |
| 2 | May 15 | $1,000 | ACH or card on file |
| 3 | August 15 | $1,000 | ACH or card on file |
| 4 | November 15 | $1,000 | ACH or card on file |
| Separate | Monthly, as used | Metered | Utilities billed on usage |
The dates echo the quarterly pattern Moose Landing publishes, and the figures are our illustration, not any marina's rates. The pattern is what matters: each installment, its date, its method, and the separate line for metered utilities. Add one sentence on card surcharges if you pass them on, and one on what happens if a draft fails.
Rolling out a plan without a service-desk flood
Switching payment systems creates hidden work. The City of Berkeley's marina billing insert for its online portal launch shows the pattern: customers may need to re-enroll existing ACH arrangements, verify their email and manage automatic payments in the new portal. Plan for that:
- Match accounts first. Make sure every tenant record, vessel and contract is tied to the right account before inviting anyone to enroll. Our piece on customer account linking for unified billing explains why.
- Communicate twice. One notice explaining the change and dates, one reminder with step-by-step enrollment instructions.
- Run a parallel period. Keep the old method active for one billing cycle so no one is double-charged or missed.
- Send confirmation receipts. Boaters should see proof of enrollment and the next draft date.
- Review invoices. Clean invoice records make plan balances traceable. See marina invoice management.
For the mechanics of recurring charges and how they fit your tenant mix, our manager's guide to recurring billing for marina tenants is the next read. For the money flow itself, see marina payment processing explained, and for security, payment fraud prevention for marinas.
Our perspective: plans should be boring for the boater and visible to staff
We build marina operations software, and the pattern we see in payment plans is consistent. The plan itself is rarely the problem. The trouble starts when the contract, the invoice and the payment record each tell a slightly different story, and staff reconcile them by hand.
Our view is that a plan works when three things line up. First, the boater's account holds the contract, the vessel, the documents and the payment method together, so an installment is never an orphan. Second, billing is automated end to end: e-signed contracts, autopay, Instant Pay for one-off charges, refunds and adjustments, and a sync to QuickBooks Online so revenue is billed, collected and booked without re-entry. Third, staff see exceptions rather than every transaction. A failed draft should surface as a task, not as a surprise at month-end.
We also think fee transparency builds trust. If a rail costs the boater more, say so when they choose it. If your platform charges a fee on digital payments, factor it into your rate sheet instead of discovering it later. Boaters who understand the calendar pay on time. Boaters who feel ambushed by a surcharge post about it online.
— John R
How Atlantis Marina handles payment plans
Atlantis Marina puts reservations, contracts, billing and payments in one cloud system. Boaters sign contracts with Atlantis E-Sign, enroll in autopay, and manage payments and documents through the Atlantis Boater App and web portal. Staff see billing in Atlantis marina billing software, with Stripe and ACH processing, refunds and adjustments, and QuickBooks Online sync. For the full sequence of setup, see four steps to marina billing automation.
Published subscription pricing is tiered by marina size: Micro at $150 per month, Small at $300 per month, Medium at $500 per month and Large at $900 per month, with Enterprise quoted individually. Atlantis setup is a one-off $100 to $1,000, and a platform fee of 3% per transaction applies to digital payments. Dry-stack operations add-ons run $79 to $299 per month. Check the pricing page for current details, or talk to our team about how plans would work at your facility.
A checklist before you launch
- Write the full cash calendar: amounts, dates, methods, final payoff deadline.
- List what the installment excludes, such as utilities and service work.
- Disclose any card surcharge and offer a bank option.
- State the grace period, the default trigger and the notice sequence.
- Say whether payments are refundable.
- Require a payment method on file before the plan starts.
- Test enrollment yourself on a phone.
- Decide who is notified of failures, and how fast.
FAQ
How much is a marina a month?
It varies by location, boat length and utilities, so no single national figure is reliable. Beaver Park Marina, for example, quotes dock rates per foot, from $45 to $64 depending on length and utilities. Ask any marina for its per-foot rate, what the rate includes and how utilities are billed.
Do marinas offer payment plans?
Many do, but terms differ. Spitzer Marina spreads annual contracts over up to 10 months interest-free with automatic card payments, and Moose Landing offers quarterly installments on its package. Others, like Beaver Park, offer plans only when you contact them, so ask before you commit.
Is autopay required for a marina payment plan?
Often, yes. Spitzer's plan requires automatic card payments, and the Port of Everett runs a recurring ACH draft program with at least 30 days' notice to change it. Read your contract for the draft date, the method and how to cancel.
Should marinas charge extra for card payments?
That is the operator's decision, and it should be disclosed before enrollment. The Port of Everett applies a 3% credit-card processing fee from November 1, 2025 and keeps ACH enrollment free. Offering a bank option alongside any surcharge gives boaters a clear alternative.
Sources
- Spitzer Marina payment options
- Moose Landing Marina 2025 rate sheet
- Port of Everett marina payment guidance
- Beaver Park Marina boat slips and docks
- Bainbridge Island 2026 moorage rental agreement template
- City of Berkeley marina online payment portal insert