SkipperBud’s, a MarineMax company, has been named operator of North Point Marina, the largest marina on the Great Lakes. The appointment brings more than 60 years of operating expertise and the resources of a worldwide network spanning 130+ locations to the most prominent recreational asset on the Illinois shoreline, with long-term implications for service quality and the regional economy.
The scale of what just changed reads in four numbers. MarineMax operates more than 130 locations across the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. The company acquired SkipperBud’s in October 2020 for up to $64.3 million, the largest acquisition in MarineMax’s history at the time. The asset now under SkipperBud’s day-to-day operation, North Point Marina, holds approximately 1,500 slips and stands as the largest marina on the Great Lakes. Through its IGY Marinas division, the parent company operates luxury marinas across 15 countries worldwide.
SkipperBud’s was founded more than 60 years ago by Michael Pretasky Sr. and grew into one of the largest sales, brokerage, service, and marina groups in the entire yachting industry.
By the time it reached its peak as an independent company, SkipperBud’s was generating approximately $220 million in annual revenue and operating across the Great Lakes and the West Coast under the leadership of Michael Pretasky Jr.
SkipperBud’s has maintained a presence at North Point Marina for years as the largest yacht dealer on the Great Lakes, offering Cruisers Yachts, Scout Boats, Sea Ray, and Tiara Yachts, alongside a full marine service department and a 75 metric ton Marine Travelift.
On October 1, 2020, MarineMax acquired SkipperBud’s for up to $64.3 million, the largest acquisition in the company’s history at the time. The deal brought 20 locations across Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, California, Washington, and Florida into the MarineMax network, and added 11 marina and storage facilities to the company’s portfolio, nearly doubling its marina operations overnight.
With that acquisition, SkipperBud’s became part of a publicly traded global enterprise. MarineMax, headquartered in Oldsmar, Florida and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol HZO, is the world’s largest lifestyle retailer of recreational boats and yachts.
Through its IGY Marinas division, MarineMax operates a network of 24 luxury marinas across 15 countries, serving more than 10,000 annual customers in the world’s most coveted yachting and sport-fishing destinations. Properties include Yacht Haven Grande in the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Katharine Docks in London, IGY Ibiza Marina in Spain, and marinas across the Côte d’Azur and the Caribbean.
Through Fraser Yachts Group and Northrop & Johnson, MarineMax is the largest superyacht services provider in the world. The company also manufactures premium vessels under its Cruisers Yachts and Intrepid Powerboats brands.
Luxury Marinas
24 iconic luxury marinas across 15 countries, serving the world’s most coveted yachting destinations.
Superyacht Brokerage
One of the world’s leading superyacht brokerage and luxury yacht services companies, with offices across the globe.
Superyacht Services
The largest superyacht services provider in the world, alongside Fraser Yachts under the MarineMax umbrella.
Manufacturing
One of the world’s premier manufacturers of premium sport yachts, motor yachts, and Aviara luxury dayboats.
Manufacturing
A premier manufacturer of custom powerboats, recognized for innovation and high-quality American craftsmanship.
Vacations
Luxury yacht charter operations based in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, offering bareboat and crewed adventures.
View MarineMax’s full global marina network of 24 marinas across 15 countries.
When a global company operates your local asset, you do not just get a contract. You inherit operational best practices benchmarked across more than 130 locations worldwide, brought home to Lake Michigan. You gain the capital strength of a publicly traded parent company with the resources to support facility improvements, customer experience, and the kind of season-over-season investment that separates a great marina from a destination one.
The reach extends well beyond the marina itself. North Point is now plugged into a worldwide network of boaters, yacht owners, and brokers who suddenly have a reason to know Winthrop Harbor. The brand credibility opens doors with the kind of investors and developers who pay close attention to who is anchoring a market, and it signals to the broader marketplace that this stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline is a place where serious operators are placing their bets.
Most importantly, the lift extends to every business in the community. Higher-margin marina services, a stronger seasonal economy, and a more attractive trade-area profile create the conditions for restaurants, hospitality, retail, and corridor development to grow alongside the marina rather than in spite of it. This is the kind of structural advantage you cannot manufacture overnight. You earn it through years of patient work to position a community, and then the right partner walks in the door.
That partner just walked in.
Reporting on SkipperBud’s appointment to operate North Point Marina draws from Boating Industry (May 5, 2026), GuruFocus (May 4, 2026), and Marine Business World (April 2026). Acquisition details, including the October 1, 2020 transaction valued at up to $64.3 million, are documented in MarineMax’s SEC Form 8-K filing, Holland & Knight’s legal advisor announcement (October 5, 2020), Boating Industry’s contemporaneous coverage (October 1, 2020), and MarketScreener’s financial documentation. Corporate scale and brand portfolio information is drawn from MarineMax Investor Relations, and the global luxury marina network statistics come from IGY Marinas (a MarineMax company). Quotations from Brett McGill and Todd Riepe are from the May 2026 announcement of the North Point Marina operating appointment.