YCOA executive aims to expand

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Yacht Clubs of the Americas (YCOA), a network of private yacht clubs featuring dry rackominiums and wet dockominiums for purchase, has quickly been growing since its launch in 2004. And its founder, Steeven Knight, is planning for further expansion.

The company’s network of properties now include locations in Key West, Ft. Meyers, Sanibel, Naples, Tampa, Stuart, New Smyrna and Ft. George (Jacksonville).

With the scarcity of marina slips in Florida, these wet and dry slips have appreciated an average of 35 percent per year for the past eight years, according to state-certified general appraisers, YCOA reported in a recent statement.

“We are losing around 2,500 slips a year,” said Knight.

Though many marina owners don’t care for the dockominium/rackominium concept, Knight claims the company’s mission is to preserve the future for the next boating generation by locking down the slips as a deeded asset expected to appreciate.

Through his mode, those who spend between $130,000 and $250,000 for a dry rackominium or $210,000 to more than one million dollars for a wet dockominium will become part owners of the property, a system using the same legal set-up as a condominium association.

Since Knight launched YCOA in 2004, he has steered some $300+ million in funding to the company with plans to raise even more capital in the coming months. Knight’s goal is to have a YCOA five-star facility every 200 to 300 miles around the state and eventually the Eastern Seaboard, the company reported. He plans to grow YCOA into the country’s largest private network of marinas stretching from Florida to East Hampton, Cancun, Mexico and the Bahamas.

“As the network grows, members can sail from one YCOA location to another where there is a uniform emphasis on luxury and quality service,” said Knight. “I strongly believe the boating world is ready for a branded port of call like YCOA.”

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