More Than Half of Boaters Gave Up on a Booking in the Past Year, New Storable Marine Report Finds

The State of Marine Booking finds that prepaid reservations cancel at half the rate of those paid later

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- More than half of U.S. boaters (56%) gave up on a booking in the past year because they couldn't reach anyone or couldn't complete the reservation online, according to The State of Marine Booking, a new report from Storable Marine. More than four in ten (44%) said they would book with a competitor after a single unanswered call when there was no way to book online.

The report combines aggregated, anonymized data from more than one million marina and boat-rental reservations on Storable Marine's platforms with a September 2026 survey of 650 U.S. boaters who rented a boat or kept one at a marina in the past 12 months.

"A lot of marinas are losing bookings they never knew they had a chance to win. A boater calls on a Tuesday night, nobody picks up, and they book somewhere else," said Brent Wierson, Vice President, Storable Marine. "Most of that is fixable. Show boaters what's available, answer their questions, and make the price clear up front, and you give them fewer reasons to go elsewhere. Taking a deposit can also help reduce cancellations."

Key findings include:

• Booking friction is costing operators customers. 56% of boaters abandoned a booking in the past year, and 66% have chosen one marine business over another because it was easier to book, pay, or communicate online.
• Process problems top the list. Surprise fees at checkout (36%), a time slot that was unavailable with no alternative offered (36%), and no response to an inquiry (27%) were the most common reasons boaters abandoned a booking.
• Prepaid reservations cancel at half the rate. Reservations paid up front cancelled at 9.2%, compared with 18.2% for reservations that deferred payment. 74% of boaters said they are willing to pay a deposit or the full amount at the time of booking.
• A credit may keep a weather cancellation from becoming a lost customer. Weather was the most common reason boaters cancelled. 86% said a credit toward a future visit would make them more likely to rebook with the same business.
• AI is becoming a booking channel. 13% of boaters found their most recent booking through an AI assistant, nearly as many as found it through a booking website (15%). 74% would let an AI assistant make a booking for them in some form.

The report also looks at how renters and marina customers differ. Renters tend to book online and on short notice: 61% booked within two weeks of their trip, and 69% booked online. Marina and dry-storage customers are older, more affluent, and nearly twice as likely as renters to book in person.

The State of Marine Booking is available here.

About the data
The reservation data covers more than one million marina and boat-rental bookings on Storable Marine's Molo and Rentals platforms. The survey of 1,183 U.S. adults was fielded in September 2026. All survey figures reflect the 650 respondents who rented a boat or kept one at a marina in the past 12 months.

About Storable Marine
At Storable, we're redefining property management for specialty real estate. Tailored for the marine industry, Storable Marine empowers marinas, boat clubs and rental operations with the industry's most comprehensive technology platform. Our solutions span management software, service management, rental tools, websites, payments, and more to streamline operations, enhance customer experiences, and maximize revenue. Explore our platform solutions at www.storablemarine.com.

Media contact
John Eidson
Beantown Media Ventures
[email protected]

SOURCE Storable