Walk into any marine industry trade show and you'll be pitched 'inventory management' and 'parts catalogue' software within the same hour. The vendors often use the terms interchangeably, but they're not the same thing. Buying the wrong one is one of the most common — and most expensive — mistakes UK yards make in their first year of digitising.
Here's the straight-line distinction, why it matters, and how Marina Yard Manager handles both inside the DMS tier.
The Real Definitions
A parts catalogue is the master list: every SKU you sell or fit, with descriptions, supplier links, manufacturer codes, list prices, and (crucially) what boats or engines it fits. It exists whether you have one in stock or not.
An inventory system tracks the physical reality: how many of each SKU are on your shelves right now, where they're stored, when they were last counted, and when to reorder. Inventory references the catalogue but isn't the catalogue.
Why Yards Get This Wrong
Many yards build their 'catalogue' from their stock list — meaning the catalogue only contains parts they've happened to order. The result: when a customer asks about a part they don't currently stock, there's no quick way to look it up, quote it, and order it in. Sales walk out the door.
Conversely, some yards build a beautiful catalogue with no stock counts attached. They quote parts they don't have, promise lead times they can't meet, and invoice customers for stock that's actually on the supplier's shelf, not theirs.
What a Good Marine Parts System Looks Like
Catalogue first, inventory layered on top. The catalogue should hold thousands of SKUs from your main suppliers — Volvo Penta, Yanmar, Vetus, Lewmar, Whale, etc. — even when you don't stock them. Inventory then tags individual catalogue entries with current stock counts, locations, and reorder thresholds.
When an engineer adds a part to a job card, the system should know whether it's in stock (deduct it) or needs ordering (flag it on the customer's job for transparency).
Features
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How Marina Yard Manager Handles It
The DMS tier includes a marine-specific catalogue covering common UK supplier ranges out of the box, with optional supplier price-list imports for the rest. Inventory is opt-in per SKU — stock the parts that turn over, leave special-orders as catalogue-only.
Stock counts sync to your Shopify or WooCommerce store automatically, so what's on your shelves is what your website offers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I import an existing catalogue?
Yes. CSV imports for catalogue and inventory data, plus direct integrations with several major UK marine wholesalers.
Do I need to count every part to get started?
No. Start by enabling inventory tracking on your top 50 fastest-moving SKUs. Expand from there as the team gets comfortable.
Does it handle multi-location stock?
Yes — bay, container, mezzanine, second yard. Stock counts are per-location and visible on the job card.
Written by
Hamish Lowry-Martin
Founder & Lead Developer
With 30 years in IT and 20 years developing business systems, Hamish spent the last decade working closely with marinas and boat yards — watching first-hand how they struggle with outdated tools. That hands-on observation led to Marina Yard Manager.
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