Marine
Marine dealer and service software for boats, engines and trailers
MDMS runs a marine dealership across the boat, the engine and the trailer — each a serialised unit — through rigging and pre-delivery, seasonal service, multi-OEM warranty and parts.
- Three serials — Boat, engine and trailer each tracked apart
- Rigging as a build — PDI and sign-off captured before handover
- By manufacturer — Warranty recovery across hull and engine brands
Who this is for
Boat dealers selling hulls, outboards and trailers as a package
Marine service centres running seasonal workshop backlogs
Multi-brand dealers carrying separate hull and engine manufacturers
Dealers doing rigging and pre-delivery as well as aftersales service
Your words, mapped to MDMS
The way this industry talks about the job, and exactly what runs it in MDMS.
| What you call it | What runs it in MDMS | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Boat, engine and trailer on one deal | three serialised equipment_units linked to the customer and sale | The hull, the outboard and the trailer are each their own serialised unit, so warranty and history stay separate but connected. |
| Rigging and pre-delivery | build_orders with tasks + a commissioning checklist | Rigging and PDI run as a build with sequenced tasks and a sign-off that captures the opening engine hours before handover. |
| Engine hours | equipment_hour_readings → equipment_units.hour_meter (manual) | Hours are entered by hand at each service and drive the engine's service-due calculation — there is no automatic feed. |
| Warranty across hull and engine brands | warranty_claims per supplier + recovery-by-OEM analytics | Raise a separate claim per manufacturer for the hull and the engine, and compare recovery rate by brand. |
| The pre-summer service rush | pm_schedules + the workshop board | Schedule the seasonal service queue on the workshop board so the peak is planned rather than fought day by day. |
| A repower — new engine on an old hull | a new serialised engine unit against the existing hull's customer | The replacement engine becomes its own serialised unit with its own warranty and hours, linked to the same boat and owner. |
The problems that cost you
Rigging and pre-delivery run on a mental checklist
Every new boat needs rigging and pre-delivery work before it can be handed over, and when that is managed on a whiteboard or a paper card it gets done inconsistently. Tasks are missed, the commissioning sign-off is informal, and the engine's warranty start and opening hours are unclear — so a warranty question months later has no clean record to fall back on.
The season arrives all at once
Marine service compresses into a short pre-summer window when every owner wants their boat ready at the same time. Without a workshop board that shows what is in each bay, what is waiting and which promised dates are at risk, the queue is managed by memory and phone calls, jobs run late, and customers are left wondering where their boat is in the line.
One deal, three assets, three histories
A single sale is really a hull, an engine and a trailer, each with its own serial, warranty and service life, and treating them as one line loses that detail the moment something needs a claim or a service. When the three are not tracked as separate but connected units, a warranty on the engine or a service on the trailer becomes a hunt through paperwork rather than a look at a record.
Warranty across two manufacturers goes unclaimed
Carrying a hull brand and an engine brand means two warranty processes with different formats and timelines, and claims that sit in an inbox between them. Without a single view of what was claimed and recovered per manufacturer, a slow-paying engine OEM is never chased, and the recoverable labour and parts on warranty jobs quietly become the dealer's own cost.
How it runs, end to end
- 1
Sell the package
Quote and sell the hull, engine and trailer together, converting the deal to a sales order where each becomes its own serialised unit linked to the customer, so the package is one deal but three tracked assets.
- 2
Rig it and pre-deliver
Rigging and pre-delivery run as a build order with sequenced tasks and a commissioning checklist, capturing the PDI results, the opening engine hours and the customer sign-off cleanly before the boat is handed over.
- 3
Track the three units
The hull, engine and trailer each carry their own serial, warranty and service history against the same owner, so a claim or a service on any one of them starts from its own record rather than a shared line.
- 4
Service through the season
Preventive-maintenance schedules and the workshop board manage the pre-summer rush, with engine hours entered at each service driving the next service-due date so the queue is planned rather than reactive.
- 5
Recover warranty per manufacturer
Build a warranty claim from the job's costed lines for the relevant hull or engine manufacturer and track recovery by brand, so warranty across two OEMs is chased rather than absorbed as a cost.
- 6
Keep the history for resale
Every service, hour reading and claim stays on each unit, so a trade-in or used-boat sale — hull, engine or the whole package — starts from a complete and honest record instead of guesswork.
What does the work
Rigging and PDI as a build
Run rigging and pre-delivery as a build order with sequenced tasks and a commissioning sign-off that captures the opening engine hours before handover.
Three assets, one owner
The hull, engine and trailer each carry their own serial, warranty and history against the same customer, so nothing about the boat lives on a shared line.
Warranty across two brands
Raise a claim per manufacturer for the hull and the engine from the job's costed lines, and track recovery rate by brand so slow payers get chased.
The modules that matter here
Buy only what you use. These are the MDMS modules this industry leans on most.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best marine dealer software in Australia?
- MDMS suits marine dealers and service centres, running the boat, engine and trailer as separate serialised units on one deal, rigging and pre-delivery as a build, seasonal workshop service, and multi-OEM warranty recovery across hull and engine brands. Every invoice is a compliant Australian tax invoice that syncs to Xero, and there is no implementation project to start a trial.
- How does MDMS handle a boat, engine and trailer on one sale?
- The hull, the outboard or inboard, and the trailer are each created as their own serialised unit linked to the customer and the deal. That keeps their serials, warranties and service histories separate but connected, so a warranty on the engine or a service on the trailer starts from that unit's own record while still being tied to the one owner and the original package sale.
- Can MDMS manage rigging and pre-delivery?
- Yes. Rigging and pre-delivery run as a build order with sequenced tasks and a commissioning checklist that captures the PDI results, the opening engine hours and the customer sign-off before handover. That replaces a mental checklist with a structured record, so the engine's warranty start and opening hours are clear if a question comes up months later.
- Does MDMS schedule slipway or haul-out bookings?
- MDMS provides a workshop board and preventive-maintenance scheduling to manage the service queue and technician allocation, which covers planning the seasonal backlog. It does not include a slipway or haul-out booking system specific to a marina's hardstand, so we describe general workshop scheduling rather than a marina slip-booking feature the product does not have.
- How does MDMS handle marine warranty across brands?
- Each warranty claim belongs to one manufacturer, so you raise separate claims for the hull brand and the engine brand, importing the costed labour and parts from the work order. A recovery-by-OEM analytics tab compares claimed, approved and recovery rate per manufacturer, so you can see which brand is underpaying and chase it rather than absorbing the cost on warranty jobs.
- Does MDMS track engine hours for marine service?
- Yes. Engine hours are entered by hand at each service and captured against the engine unit, and those readings drive its preventive-maintenance due dates. MDMS does not pull hours automatically from engine telematics, so the figures reflect what your technicians record at each visit, which is what a seasonal service operation works from in practice.
Ready to try marine dealer and service software?
Start a 14-day free trial — no credit card, no implementation fee, no sales call required. Or book a personalised demo with our team to see your workflow in MDMS.
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