Company Background and Basis of Presentation	12 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Company Background and Basis of Presentation	1. COMPANY BACKGROUND AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION: We are the largest recreational boat and yacht retailer in the United States. We engage primarily in the retail sale, brokerage, and service of new and used boats, motors, trailers, marine parts and accessories and offer slip and storage accommodations in certain locations. In addition, we arrange related boat financing, insurance, and extended service contracts. We also offer the charter of power yachts in the British Virgin Islands. As of September 30, 2018, we operated through 63 retail locations in 16 states, consisting of Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Texas. Our MarineMax Vacations operations maintain a facility in Tortola, British Virgin Islands. We are the nation’s largest retailer of Sea Ray and Boston Whaler recreational boats and yachts which are manufactured by Brunswick Corporation (“Brunswick”). Sales of new Brunswick boats accounted for approximately 40% of our revenue in fiscal 2018. Sales of new Sea Ray and Boston Whaler boats, both divisions of Brunswick, accounted for approximately 21% and 17%, respectively, of our revenue in fiscal 2018. Brunswick is a world leading manufacturer of marine products and marine engines. We believe we represented approximately 42% of Brunswick’s Sea Ray boat sales, during our fiscal 2018. We have dealership agreements with Sea Ray, Boston Whaler, Harris, and Mercury Marine, all subsidiaries or divisions of Brunswick. We also have dealer agreements with Italy-based Azimut-Benetti Group’s product line for Azimut Yachts. These agreements allow us to purchase, stock, sell, and service these manufacturers’ boats and products. These agreements also allow us to use these manufacturers’ names, trade symbols, and intellectual properties in our operations. We have multi-year dealer agreements with Brunswick covering Sea Ray products that appoint us as the exclusive dealer of Sea Ray boats in our geographic markets. We are the exclusive dealer for Boston Whaler through multi-year dealer agreements for many of our geographic markets. In addition, we are the exclusive dealer for Azimut Yachts for the entire United States through a multi-year dealer agreement. Sales of new Azimut boats and yachts accounted for approximately 11% of our revenue in fiscal 2018. We believe non-Brunswick brands offer a migration for our existing customer base or fill a void in our product offerings, and accordingly, do not compete with the business generated from our other prominent brands. As is typical in the industry, we deal with most of our manufacturers, other than Sea Ray, Boston Whaler, and Azimut Yachts, under renewable annual dealer agreements, each of which gives us the right to sell various makes and models of boats within a given geographic region. Any change or termination of these agreements, or the agreements discussed above, for any reason, or changes in competitive, regulatory, or marketing practices, including rebate or incentive programs, could adversely affect our results of operations. Although there are a limited number of manufacturers of the type of boats and products that we sell, we believe that adequate alternative sources would be available to replace any manufacturer other than Sea Ray and Azimut as a product source. These alternative sources may not be available at the time of any interruption, and alternative products may not be available at comparable terms, which could affect operating results adversely. General economic conditions and consumer spending patterns can negatively impact our operating results. Unfavorable local, regional, national, or global economic developments or uncertainties regarding future economic prospects could reduce consumer spending in the markets we serve and adversely affect our business. Economic conditions in areas in which we operate dealerships, particularly Florida in which we generated approximately 55%, 55%, and 51% of our revenue during fiscal 2016, 2017, and 2018, respectively, can have a major impact on our operations. Local influences, such as corporate downsizing, military base closings, inclement weather such as Hurricane Sandy in 2012 or Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in 2017, environmental conditions, and specific events, such as the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, also could adversely affect, and in certain instances have adversely affected, our operations in certain markets. In an economic downturn, consumer discretionary spending levels generally decline, at times resulting in disproportionately large reductions in the sale of luxury goods. Consumer spending on luxury goods also may decline as a result of lower consumer confidence levels, even if prevailing economic conditions are favorable. As a result, an economic downturn could impact us more than certain of our competitors due to our strategic focus on a higher end of our market. Although we have expanded our operations during periods of stagnant or modestly declining industry trends, the cyclical nature of the recreational boating industry or the lack of industry growth may adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Any period of adverse economic conditions or low consumer confidence has a negative effect on our business. Lower consumer spending resulting from a downturn in the housing market and other economic factors adversely affected our business in fiscal 2007, and continued weakness in consumer spending and depressed economic conditions had a substantial negative effect on our business and industry for several years after fiscal 2007. These conditions caused us to substantially reduce our acquisition program, delay new store openings, reduce our inventory purchases, engage in inventory reduction efforts, close a number of our retail locations, reduce our headcount, and amend and replace our credit facility. Acquisitions and new store openings remain important strategies to our company, and we plan to accelerate our growth through these strategies as industry conditions continue to improve. However, we cannot predict the length of unfavorable economic or industry conditions or the extent to which they could adversely affect our operating results nor can we predict the effectiveness of the measures we have taken to address unfavorable economic or industry conditions. In order to provide comparability between periods presented, certain amounts have been reclassified from the previously reported consolidated financial statements to conform to the consolidated financial statement presentation of the current period. The consolidated financial statements include our accounts and the accounts of our subsidiaries, all of which are wholly owned. All significant intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated.

Company Background and Basis of Presentation

12 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2018

Company Background and Basis of Presentation

1. COMPANY BACKGROUND AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION:

We are the largest recreational boat and yacht retailer in the United States. We engage primarily in the retail sale, brokerage, and service of new and used boats, motors, trailers, marine parts and accessories and offer slip and storage accommodations in certain locations. In addition, we arrange related boat financing, insurance, and extended service contracts. We also offer the charter of power yachts in the British Virgin Islands. As of September 30, 2018, we operated through 63 retail locations in 16 states, consisting of Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Texas. Our MarineMax Vacations operations maintain a facility in Tortola, British Virgin Islands.

We are the nation’s largest retailer of Sea Ray and Boston Whaler recreational boats and yachts which are manufactured by Brunswick Corporation (“Brunswick”). Sales of new Brunswick boats accounted for approximately 40% of our revenue in fiscal 2018. Sales of new Sea Ray and Boston Whaler boats, both divisions of Brunswick, accounted for approximately 21% and 17%, respectively, of our revenue in fiscal 2018. Brunswick is a world leading manufacturer of marine products and marine engines. We believe we represented approximately 42% of Brunswick’s Sea Ray boat sales, during our fiscal 2018.

We have dealership agreements with Sea Ray, Boston Whaler, Harris, and Mercury Marine, all subsidiaries or divisions of Brunswick. We also have dealer agreements with Italy-based Azimut-Benetti Group’s product line for Azimut Yachts. These agreements allow us to purchase, stock, sell, and service these manufacturers’ boats and products. These agreements also allow us to use these manufacturers’ names, trade symbols, and intellectual properties in our operations.

We have multi-year dealer agreements with Brunswick covering Sea Ray products that appoint us as the exclusive dealer of Sea Ray boats in our geographic markets. We are the exclusive dealer for Boston Whaler through multi-year dealer agreements for many of our geographic markets. In addition, we are the exclusive dealer for Azimut Yachts for the entire United States through a multi-year dealer agreement. Sales of new Azimut boats and yachts accounted for approximately 11% of our revenue in fiscal 2018. We believe non-Brunswick brands offer a migration for our existing customer base or fill a void in our product offerings, and accordingly, do not compete with the business generated from our other prominent brands.

As is typical in the industry, we deal with most of our manufacturers, other than Sea Ray, Boston Whaler, and Azimut Yachts, under renewable annual dealer agreements, each of which gives us the right to sell various makes and models of boats within a given geographic region. Any change or termination of these agreements, or the agreements discussed above, for any reason, or changes in competitive, regulatory, or marketing practices, including rebate or incentive programs, could adversely affect our results of operations. Although there are a limited number of manufacturers of the type of boats and products that we sell, we believe that adequate alternative sources would be available to replace any manufacturer other than Sea Ray and Azimut as a product source. These alternative sources may not be available at the time of any interruption, and alternative products may not be available at comparable terms, which could affect operating results adversely.

General economic conditions and consumer spending patterns can negatively impact our operating results. Unfavorable local, regional, national, or global economic developments or uncertainties regarding future economic prospects could reduce consumer spending in the markets we serve and adversely affect our business. Economic conditions in areas in which we operate dealerships, particularly Florida in which we generated approximately 55%, 55%, and 51% of our revenue during fiscal 2016, 2017, and 2018, respectively, can have a major impact on our operations. Local influences, such as corporate downsizing, military base closings, inclement weather such as Hurricane Sandy in 2012 or Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in 2017, environmental conditions, and specific events, such as the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, also could adversely affect, and in certain instances have adversely affected, our operations in certain markets.

In an economic downturn, consumer discretionary spending levels generally decline, at times resulting in disproportionately large reductions in the sale of luxury goods. Consumer spending on luxury goods also may decline as a result of lower consumer confidence levels, even if prevailing economic conditions are favorable. As a result, an economic downturn could impact us more than certain of our competitors due to our strategic focus on a higher end of our market. Although we have expanded our operations during periods of stagnant or modestly declining industry trends, the cyclical nature of the recreational boating industry or the lack of industry growth may adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Any period of adverse economic conditions or low consumer confidence has a negative effect on our business.

Lower consumer spending resulting from a downturn in the housing market and other economic factors adversely affected our business in fiscal 2007, and continued weakness in consumer spending and depressed economic conditions had a substantial negative effect on our business and industry for several years after fiscal 2007. These conditions caused us to substantially reduce our acquisition program, delay new store openings, reduce our inventory purchases, engage in inventory reduction efforts, close a number of our retail locations, reduce our headcount, and amend and replace our credit facility. Acquisitions and new store openings remain important strategies to our company, and we plan to accelerate our growth through these strategies as industry conditions continue to improve. However, we cannot predict the length of unfavorable economic or industry conditions or the extent to which they could adversely affect our operating results nor can we predict the effectiveness of the measures we have taken to address unfavorable economic or industry conditions.

In order to provide comparability between periods presented, certain amounts have been reclassified from the previously reported consolidated financial statements to conform to the consolidated financial statement presentation of the current period. The consolidated financial statements include our accounts and the accounts of our subsidiaries, all of which are wholly owned. All significant intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated.