Safe Harbor agrees to buy MarineMax for $53 a share in cash
MarineMax said Safe Harbor will buy it for $53 a share in cash, about $1.5 billion in enterprise value, with closing expected by end of 2026.
The Windward Brief · updated November 10, 2026
Marina and boatyard news, read for you.
Marina and boatyard news: occupancy, haul-out scheduling, permitting, insurance and fuel, with every story linked to its source.
Get the Monday brief
Every story sourced · free every Monday · no spam, ever
Also filed
Coverage areas
Slips & moorage
Occupancy, waitlists, rate cards, transient dockage and how marinas manage the slips they have.
Regulation & permitting
Shoreline permits, dredging approvals, environmental rules and the paperwork that decides what a marina can build.
Insurance & risk
Liability coverage, storm and fire risk, dock construction standards and what underwriters are asking for now.
Fuel & docks
Fuel pricing, dock construction and repair, utilities and the physical infrastructure a marina runs on.
Real estate & development
Marina sales, waterfront development, zoning fights and who owns the waterfront next.
Technology & booking
Reservation software, point-of-sale systems, metering and the tools running the front office and the fuel dock.
Latest
All latest- Slips & moorage
Army Corps finishes Sandusky Harbor dredging, 109,000 cubic yards moved
DVIDS reports the Army Corps' Buffalo District finished dredging about 109,000 cubic yards at Sandusky Harbor, Ohio, on Nov. 5 under a $628,000 contract.
- Slips & moorage
Long Beach begins $11.4 million Alamitos Bay entrance dredging, The Log reports
The Log reports Long Beach began dredging the Alamitos Bay channel in California on Oct. 20, in an $11.4 million project expected to run through February 2027.
- Insurance & risk
Port Dover marina boat fire causes estimated $80,000 damage
NorfolkToday.ca reports a Nov. 4 fire at the Port Dover Harbour Municipal Marina left a boat fully engulfed, with damage estimated at $80,000; cause under investigation.
- Real estate & development
Legacy Harbour, a Fort Myers marina rebuilt after Hurricane Ian, reopens with 131 slips
Fort Myers' Legacy Harbour, a riverfront marina in southwest Florida, has reopened with 131 slips after a roughly $15 million redevelopment that began in early 2025, Boating Industry and Trade Only Today report.
- Fuel & docks
Connecticut took 2027 pumpout grant applications by September 4, with a 25% match
Connecticut's environment agency took applications for federally funded 2027 pumpout grants by September 4, with a 25% match from the marina.
- Fuel & docks
Lake Erie in August 2026: above its all-time mean, below its ten-year average
The Canadian bulletin places Lake Erie above its all-time August average and below its ten-year mean. Which average you compare against determines whether the lake reads above or below normal for August.
- Regulation & permitting
New Jersey State Police joins BoatUS Foundation's national database of abandoned boats
The New Jersey State Police Marine Services Bureau now uses the BoatUS Foundation's abandoned-vessel database as an investigative tool, the nonprofit said.
- Regulation & permitting
Washington awards over $500,000 in pumpout grants, with the San Juan Islands getting the largest share
Washington State Parks said in June it had awarded over $500,000 in federal pumpout grants, led by $262,215 for a mobile pumpout program in the San Juan Islands.
- Real estate & development
Marina ownership keeps consolidating: 1,183 sales tracked since 2016
Trade publication Marina World reports its tracking database has recorded 1,183 marina and boatyard sales worldwide since 2016, with close to 300 in 2025 alone, as portfolio operators keep consolidating the industry.
- Real estate & development
San Diego's Harbor Island West Marina breaks ground on $70 million rebuild
Harbor Island West Marina in San Diego broke ground in May on a $70 million rebuild that will replace its docks with 623 slips, expected to be complete by 2028 after a decade of planning delays.
- Technology & booking
Marina booking platform Dockwa takes growth investment from PSG
Marina reservation platform Dockwa announced a growth investment from growth equity firm PSG on June 3, saying it will expand from booking software into a fuller marina operating system and extend the platform into Canada and Europe.
- Insurance & risk
Marina insurance premiums keep climbing, coverage gaps persist, survey finds
A nationwide survey of marina operators finds premiums still rising at renewal in 2026, and a fifth of respondents calling their own coverage inadequate against the limits they'd prefer.