Who needs an Airbnb room night when you can sleep aboard a boat? New entrant GetMyBoat is making that possible

There is something relaxing about being on water, but traditional cruising may not be for everybody. So if you fancy a houseboat, yacht or fishing boat for the weekend, or for that matter a catamaran, kayak or jet ski, look no further than GetMyBoat, the boating industry’s answer to Airbnb.

From launching in beta in 2013, this peer-to-peer marketplace for boat rentals and charters now lists 35,000 boats in 143 countries and 3,800 cities.

The idea was first mooted a decade ago when the company’s founders, Sascha Mornell and Raf Collado, were sailing the Atlantic. Knowing the high-cost associated with ownership, Collado couldn’t help noticing the number of boats sitting idle in marinas.

It took a while for the idea to come to fruition, but with the emergence of the ‘sharing economy’ GetMyBoat was launched.

The aim, says Kira Maixner, who handles the group’s digital communication, is “to make boating more affordable and accessible to the mass market and let boat owners make money from their rarely used asset”. (The average boat owner only uses their boat 8% of the year!)

Although the size of the market isn’t conclusive Maixner says there are literally millions of boats out there and GetMyBoat aims to target all.

Mobile mission

Mobile has been a major focus for GetMyBoat, which claims to be the only boat rental and charter marketplace with an app. It has native apps for Android and iOS; features include:

Location based software to display all boat listings in the immediate vicinity of the user, in real time

Users can browse photos and features, procure pricing information, connect with owners, insure their trip, and board the boat in a matter of a few swipes

Owners and add their boats in less than a minute 

“Our [first] app was created with the idea that boat owners are mobile and want to create a listing from the water easily,” says Maixner.

Although organically achieved listings are on the rise, a dedicated internal team also contacts owners directly to walk them through the process and inform them about the platform.

The firm is constantly expanding its features to grow its diverse audience where ages range for 25 to 75. On example of this is Sleep Aboard. For those inexperienced in the ways of the water, this is a boat-and-breakfast-type experience where travelers can stay aboard owner’s boats without leaving the dock.

In the two weeks after launching Sleep Aboard, nearly 1,000 boats were added to the GetMyBoat marketplace.

Maixner says they are also working hard to create a strong community presence.

“We are huge on community engagement across our social media platforms as well in attending boat shows and events where we can connect with boat owners, boaters, travelers, etc,” she says.

One recent promotion involved creating a free life vest drive here in the Bay Area at the Strictly Sail boat show where the group exchanged nearly 100 life-vests for free.

The combination of owners using the site directly, our account managers reaching out directly to owners and working within the larger boating community have all contributed to our growth to date.

To date the firm has secured £2million in seed funding and could be a target for the likes of booking.com or Expedia to expand their offering. However, although, Maixner says they are “frequently approached by folks in the broader travel industry” there are no current plans to sell. “We are solely focused on creating the world’s largest marketplace for boat owners and renters alike and building the best experience for our customers,” says Maixner.

With 35,000 boats listed and counting, they could be on the way.