Nautical Boat Club Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Nautical Boat Club franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Nautical Boat Club discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it B.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Gross sales, EBITDA margin, revenue per boat for 20-24 clubs 2023-2025. Average gross sales $816K-$910K; median $707K-$835K. 31-33% EBITDA margin. Excludes debt service, owner compensation.
What a Nautical Boat Club franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $60,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 7% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 13% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $396,700 – $697,000 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
6% royalty, 1% brand fund (up to 3%), 7% local ad or $30K min, $400/mo tech, $1-$1.5K transfer.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Nautical Boat Club system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 26 |
| Ceased operations | 1 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 0 |
| Closure rate | 3.8% of outlets |
One Wisconsin outlet closed 2025; no terminations/non-renewals reported 2023-2025.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2026. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Nautical Boat Club worth it? — how it compares to 59 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 13% of sales | steeper than 83% of retail & business services franchises |
| Startup cost | from $396,700 | pricier than 89% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade B | more honest than 80% of retail & business services franchises |
| Closure rate | 3.8% of outlets | about average |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
Benchmarked against every retail & business services franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Nautical Boat Club
The franchisor's framing: Gross sales, EBITDA margin, revenue per boat for 20-24 clubs 2023-2025. Average gross sale… We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
Nautical Boat Club franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Nautical Boat Club franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $396,700–$697,000, including a $60,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Nautical Boat Club franchise owners make?
- Gross sales, EBITDA margin, revenue per boat for 20-24 clubs 2023-2025. Average gross sales $816K-$910K; median $707K-$835K. 31-33% EBITDA margin. Excludes debt service, owner compensation. We grade this disclosure B for honesty.
- What are the Nautical Boat Club franchise fees?
- Nautical Boat Club's FDD discloses a $60,000 initial franchise fee, a 6% royalty on gross sales, a 7% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 13% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 6% royalty, 1% brand fund (up to 3%), 7% local ad or $30K min, $400/mo tech, $1-$1.5K transfer.
- What is the Nautical Boat Club franchise profit margin?
- Nautical Boat Club does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Gross sales, EBITDA margin, revenue per boat for 20-24 clubs 2023-2025. Average gross sales $816K-$910K; median $707K-$835K. 31-33% EBITDA margin. Excludes debt service, owner compensation. Recurring fees alone take about 13% of gross sales, before rent, labor, food or debt service. Margin has to be reconstructed from the disclosure, not read off it.
- What is the Nautical Boat Club franchise failure rate?
- One Wisconsin outlet closed 2025; no terminations/non-renewals reported 2023-2025.
- How many Nautical Boat Club locations are there?
- Nautical Boat Club's FDD reports 26 total outlets, with 1 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 0 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Nautical Boat Club have complaints or lawsuits?
- Nautical Boat Club discloses no material litigation in Item 3 of the filing we reviewed. That's a positive signal, though it covers only what the franchisor is required to report.
- Is a Nautical Boat Club franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Nautical Boat Club scores B on disclosure honesty, carries about 13% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Nautical Boat Club to similar franchises
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Nautical Boat Club or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.