If you have a boat dock for rent, choosing the right "market" price for it can sometimes be difficult. There are numerous factors to take into account, such as local market demand, the size of a renter's boat, and your space's characteristics. And if you live in close proximity to a marina with tons of amenities, their pricing can confuse the situation.

We at PierShare are here to help you price your dock accordingly with this comprehensive dock rental pricing guide.

Market Prices for Private Dock Spaces

A boat dock for rent can be priced in a number of different ways. Marinas usually charge "Per Foot" so that the price varies with the size of the docked boat. This usually ranges from $30 to $150 per foot per month. These spaces are priced at a premium to account for their locations and amenities such as stores and restaurants.

As a private dock owner, your space is best offered at a discount since you can't provide these amenities. By renting on PierShare, you'll realize that boaters are uninterested in being charged a premium for marina amenities. Nevertheless, you can expect to earn approximately $12 to $24 per foot per month. This equates to roughly $500 to $1500 per month, which can help pay for real estate taxes or a mortgage.

How PierShare Helps You Price Your Dock

Whenever you list your dock on PierShare, we offer pricing tips based on your space's characteristics. This can greatly assist someone who has never rented out their dock before.

PierShare offers two different ways to price a boat dock for rent. The first, Per Foot Per Month, allows your dock’s price to vary with the size of the docked boat. We recommend this pricing structure as long as you have 35 feet or more of available space. This allows dock owners to receive as many inquiries as possible and capture as much rental income as possible. The second, Flat Rate, allows dock owners to set one consistent price that the dock will be rented at regardless of the size of the boat.

When deciding whether to price your dock on a Per Foot Per Month or Flat Rate basis, the most important consideration is how much actual room you have at your dock.

Knowing Your Total Available Space

Whenever you list on PierShare, you are given the option to designate how much Total Available Space you have at your dock. We use the term Total Available Space as a catch-all term that takes into account the following factors:

• Total width of your property from edge to edge, minus 5 feet on each side to prevent neighbor encroachment
• Any other boat(s) currently docked at your space
• Unique obstructions, such as dolphin pilings, as well as water depth changes across your property due to rocks/boat lifts or other obstructions.
  
  

In many cases, the Total Available Space you have at your boat dock for rent can be greater than the length of your dock. As an example, a dock owner who has a fixed dock that is 50 feet long but whose property is 85 feet wide should be able to dock a 75-80 foot boat as long as the boaters can safely board and de-board the vessel.

On the contrary, a dock owner may have an 85 foot wide property, a dock that is 80 feet long, but may have his own 40 foot boat parked at the space currently. In that case, this dock owner has roughly 35 feet of Total Available Space left for PierShare rentals.

Consider Pricing By the Foot In Most Cases

PierShare generally recommends Per Foot Per Month pricing for dock owners that have 35 feet of Total Available Space or more. Since Per Foot Per Month pricing allows your dock's pricing to vary with the size of the boat, it allows you to capture as many inquiries as possible since your pricing does not set an artificial minimum price floor that can scare some boaters with smaller boats away and result in them not inquiring about your space.

Pairing Per Foot Per Month Pricing and combing it with PierShare's straightforward and secure dockage inquiry system allows dock owners to field as many docking requests as they'd like while allowing them to efficiently decline any inquiry that they may not be interested in. Per Foot Per Month pricing also allows dock owners with substantial Total Available Space (35+ feet) to be able to be able to have more than one boat docked. In this case, PierShare's systems automatically deduct the Total Available Space you have left at your dock after one boat has already docked so that you only need to worry about receiving inquiries from boats whose sizes fit in the remaining space you have left.

When Flat Rate Pricing Works

In select instances, pricing your boat dock for rent on a flat rate basis may be optimal. There are two main reasons to price your dock with a flat rate:

1. Your Total Available Space is 35 feet or less
2. You are renting a boat lift with a capacity limit of less than 12,000 lbs.

In the first instance, if you have less than 35 feet of Total Available Space, it is unlikely that you will be able to dock more than one boat. In addition, there is much less variability in how much you can earn at this lower end of the spectrum. Similarly, there is not much variability in how much a boater is expected to pay to dock a small boat. On PierShare our smaller listings using Flat Rate pricing tend to be priced in the $250 to $500 per month range. This pricing equates to roughly $12 to $18 per foot per month.

Know What Factors Impact Your Dock Value

Once you’ve determined your pricing structure, you may consider the unique characteristics of your space to determine the most appropriate price. A number of factors can impact the rental price of a dock or slip. A dock with the following characteristics generally demands the highest price:

1. Is located within an upscale or gated community
2. Is situated in a no-wake zone near a main channel or water with easy access to the ocean and no fixed bridges
3. Has deep water (7 feet or more of draft in low tide) and/or on a wide canal (85ft +)
   
   

The following are amenities that you can offer at your space which can increase the number of inquiries you receive and/or allow you to price your space at a premium.

1. Offering 24 hour access
2. Allowing for boat maintenance
3. Allowing for liveaboards or stayaboards

Always Think From the Boater's Perspective

The final consideration in pricing your boat dock is the Boater's perspective. Though your space may allow you to price at a premium, if you price too high, you may not receive enough inquiries. Choosing Per Foot Per Month pricing optimizes your inquiries and increases the chance that your space is consistently occupied. If you haven't already, be sure to post and price your dock or slip for rent on PierShare today!