SailTime franchise
2023 filing · March 30, 2023Fewer locations
SailTime at a glance
A fractional boating business that sells members shared time on sailboats or powerboats kept at a local marina. At the end of 2022 there were 25 SailTime locations in the US, 24 franchised and 1 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- The SailTime Group, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Current franchisor selling since
- 2009
- 14 years of selling franchises
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $75K–$152K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $25,000
- For a sailing or a powerboat base
- Royalty
- 7% + minimum
- The greater of 7% of gross revenue (with lower rates on revenue above $300,000) or a minimum of $8,700 a year, paid monthly
- Brand fund
- Yes
- $250 a month per brand, or $400 for both sail and power
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2022
- 25
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 24
- Company-owned
- 1
- Change in 3 years
- −1
- Franchised locations, 2020–2022
- States
- 17
- Most in California, Florida and Wisconsin
From The SailTime Group, LLC’s 2023 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 144; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
SailTime among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | SailTime | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $113,313 | Costs less than 85% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $25,000 | Lower than 82% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 7% | Higher than 70% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 25 | More than 53% of franchises |
How much a SailTime franchise costs
Opening one SailTime costs an estimated $74,675 to $151,950. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital. It is one of the low-cost franchises.
The biggest costs are initial franchise fee ($25,000 to $35,000) and equipment – 1st boat ($28,000 to $32,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $25,000 | $35,000 | |
| Equipment – 1st Boat | $28,000 | $32,000 | |
| Travel and Living Expenses During Initial Training | $500 | $2,500 | |
| Lease Costs | $1,000 | $4,000 | |
| Fixtures | $1,000 | $5,000 | |
| Signage | $1,000 | $5,000 | |
| Computer | $1,500 | $2,500 | |
| Inventory | $1,000 | $5,000 | |
| Utilities | $500 | $1,500 | |
| Advertising | $5,000 | $15,000 | |
| Business Licenses | $200 | $500 | |
| Employee Wages | $0 | $12,000 | |
| Employee Uniforms | $250 | $1,000 | |
| Insurance | $2,000 | $5,000 | |
| Additional Funds (three months) | $7,725 | $25,950 | |
| Total | $74,675 | $151,950 |
Source: The SailTime Group, LLC, 2023 filing, page 16
SailTime franchise fee
The franchise fee is $25,000, for a sailing or a powerboat base. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: The SailTime Group, LLC, 2023 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | The greater of 7% of gross revenue (with lower rates on revenue above $300,000) or a minimum of $8,700 a year, paid monthly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | $250 a month per brand, or $400 for both sail and power. |
| Transfer Fee | $5,000 |
| Minimum Local Marketing Expense | $15,000 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: The SailTime Group, LLC, 2023 filing, page 12
Other fees as filed, from pages 13–14. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures SailTime does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: The SailTime Group, LLC, 2023 filing, page 38
SBA loans to SailTime franchisees
Lenders approved one SBA 7(a) loan for a SailTime franchisee in 2025, for $519K. It hasn’t been paid off or charged off yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2022 / 2020–2022. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | SailTime | Typical sports brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | 0% / −4% | +10% / +45% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 4.2% / 16% | 2.6% / 7.1% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical sports brand is the median of the 48 brands in sports franchises with three years of counts.
How SailTime compares
Of the 120 sports franchises on this site, SailTime is the 26th cheapest to open and the 47th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | SailTime | Typical sports brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $75K | $227K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $152K | $442K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $25K | $50K | $40K |
| Royalty | 7% | 7% | 6% |
| US locations | 25 | 15 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 77 of 120 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 120 brands in sports franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 26 (+1) | 1 | +1 | 0 |
| 2021 | 24 (−2) | 1 | +1 | −3 |
| 2022 | 24 (0) | 1 | +1 | −1 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Source: The SailTime Group, LLC, 2023 filing, page 39
Where SailTime locations are
At the end of 2022, SailTime had locations in 17 states. The most are in California, Florida and Wisconsin.
- California5
- Florida3
- Wisconsin2
- Alabama1
- Illinois1
- Louisiana1
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Florida | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Wisconsin | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Alabama | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Illinois | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Louisiana | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Maryland | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Massachusetts | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Michigan | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| New Jersey | 1 | 0 | 1 |
All 17 states
| New York | 1 |
|---|---|
| Oregon | 1 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 |
| Rhode Island | 1 |
| Texas | 1 |
| Virginia | 1 |
| Washington | 1 |
Source: The SailTime Group, LLC, 2023 filing, page 40
Who owns SailTime?
SailTime franchises are sold by The SailTime Group, LLC. It is a subsidiary of Sea Style Acquisitions, LLC.
From The SailTime Group, LLC’s 2023 filing, page 6.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: The SailTime Group, LLC, 2023 filing, litigation on page 9, bankruptcy on page 9
SailTime filings
The figures on this page come from The SailTime Group, LLC’s 2023 filing, issued March 30, 2023, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 filing | March 30, 2023 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2020–2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other sports franchises
All sports franchises
SailTime is also on these lists: entertainment franchises.