In 2013, Emma and Jake embarked on a life-changing journey aboard their beloved sailboat, Blue Horizon. Over the next decade, their...
Dockwa’s homeport feature is a way for boaters to designate where they store their vessels, which benefits boaters and marinas alike. If you’re a marina operator, you might be surprised to learn that boaters could be choosing your marina as their homeport right now. And if you’re a boater using Dockwa, you might be unfamiliar with the concept and benefits of designating a homeport marina.
So, why should boaters select their homeport on Dockwa? Read on and we’ll explain what a homeport marina is and why it matters for both marinas and boaters!
Navigate this guide:
What is a Dockwa homeport?
“Homeport” is what we call a boater’s primary marina. When a boater establishes a homeport, they’re confirming their affiliation with a certain marina and noting where their boat “lives.”
For boaters, setting a homeport marina helps create a customized Dockwa experience. Boaters with a designated homeport will see more relevant options when searching and exploring other marinas, among many other benefits.
Homeport for boaters
You know your homeport is the marina where you primarily store your boat. But why bother adding your homeport to your Dockwa account?
5 benefits of adding your homeport marina
- Establish a relationship with your homeport marina
- Be the first to receive relevant information & updates
- Get exclusive deals & discounts
- Effortlessly share information with your homeport marina
- Show your homeport pride
1. Establish a relationship with your homeport marina
When you set a homeport, the marina can see that designation. This establishes a stronger connection between you and that marina.
Engaging with your marina will ensure a better, more tailored experience for you. It’s like becoming a regular at your favorite coffee shop — that trust and loyalty between customer and business yields positive experiences!
2. Be the first to receive relevant information & updates
Marinas can easily and quickly communicate with boaters who have claimed them as their homeport.
So, you’ll get timely communication about:
- Upcoming events at the marina.
- Weather and storm-related information so you can plan accordingly.
- News and updates about what’s happening at the marina.
3. Get exclusive deals & discounts
News and updates aren’t the only important communications you’ll receive — you’ll also be the first to hear about exclusive deals, discounts, promotions, and coupons! Marinas are particularly motivated to share deals with their loyal customers — which includes you if you’ve chosen them as your homeport.
Plus: Boaters who claim a homeport will receive details about upcoming nearby Dockwa Deals before the general public, so you can plan accordingly to save big.
4. Effortlessly share information with your homeport marina
When you dock at any marina, they need a lot of information — including vessel, registration, and insurance details among others. Luckily, Dockwa makes it easy for you to record and store all this information digitally in your Dockwa profile.
Best of all: Your homeport marina will have access to these details digitally. So, you’ll save time updating your information in the marina’s office or over the phone. And if you ever buy a new boat or get a new insurance policy, just update the details in Dockwa and you’re done.
5. Show your homeport pride
As you know, the boating community is close-knit. As a boater, your connection to your home-waters runs deep, and your homeport marina holds a special place in your heart.
Selecting your marina as your homeport in Dockwa is like flying a virtual burgee — it's a symbol of your affiliation and your identity within the community. So, pick your homeport with a sense of pride and make your mark!
How do I add my homeport on Dockwa?
When you’re ready to set a marina as your homeport, it only takes a minute to set up in your Dockwa profile.
Add your homeport in 2 easy steps:
- Head to the ‘Boat’ section of your account settings.
- In the ‘Location’ section, find your homeport marina using the search bar.
Homeport for marinas
Claiming a homeport is a way for boaters to proudly associate themselves with a particular marina. So what does that mean for you as a marina operator?
When boaters claim your marina as their homeport, you’re creating important bonds with your customers and strengthening your brand. Having boaters claim your marina, harbor, or yacht club as their homeport is an effortless way to build brand loyalty. Keep reading to discover all the benefits of being boaters’ designated homeport.
5 benefits of homeport for marinas
- Connect and engage with boaters
- Leverage insights to backfill slips & maximize occupancy
- Create new marketing opportunities
- Receive more positive, verified reviews from your boaters
- Get more transient boater business
1. Connect & engage with boaters
As a boater’s homeport marina, you have a unique opportunity to establish a deeper relationship with them.
By connecting and engaging with your homeport boaters, you’ll improve their experiences at your marina and boost customer retention rates. You’ll also have greater insight into which boaters are your biggest cheerleaders, and leverage them to encourage word-of-mouth referrals.
Plus, it's easier to communicate with your engaged boaters who have claimed your marina as their homeport. You can reduce phone call, email, and voicemail volume by meeting boaters where they’re at: online. Seamlessly communicate with them using Dockwa’s messaging tool.
2. Leverage insights to backfill slips & maximize occupancy
By establishing connections with your most loyal customers, you’ll be able to better understand where those long-term boaters travel when they aren’t in their slips.
As a result, you can leverage those vacancies by backfilling unoccupied slips to maximize your occupancy and generate more revenue.
3. Create new marketing opportunities
Marketing your marina is essential to keep revenue coming in. If you find yourself constantly struggling to think of engaging and effective marketing strategies, here’s a tip: Leverage the list of boaters who have selected you as their homeport.
You can effortlessly create new marketing opportunities by sharing exclusive deals and relevant information with your biggest supporters.
Here are just a few ideas:
- Send coupons, discounts, and Dockwa Deals.
- Share marina updates, news, and upcoming events.
- Share pertinent information, like hurricane and weather updates.
4. Receive more positive, verified reviews from your boaters
Did you know that there are more than 550 verified reviews from boaters reviewing their homeport marina?
That’s right. Loyal boaters who love your marina enough to list it as their homeport are also highly likely to leave a gleaming review.
You can’t always control which boaters leave reviews or what they say in those reviews, but you can leverage happy boaters to get more positive reviews. In turn, new boaters are more likely to seek out your highly rated marina.
5. Get more transient boater business
If your marina accepts transient reservations or guest moorage, listing your marina on Dockwa and leaning into Dockwa’s homeport feature could help you book more boaters.
Consider this:
Local boaters are claiming marinas near you as their homeport. In fact, 18,000 boaters have claimed a marina as their homeport — that represents a group of boaters actively using Dockwa and likely searching for transient reservations.
So, even if you aren’t listed as a boater’s homeport marina, they could still choose you for transient dockage. And by appearing in Dockwa’s online directory, you’ll increase your visibility to those boaters.
