Boatshed.com extends franchises in Trinidad, Portugal and Spain
Tayna Araujo moves into brokerage. Both are based in Chaguaramas, Saint George.
UK online yacht broker Boatshed.com has extended its franchises in Trinidad, Portugal and Spain, giving it a presence in more than 80 locations in 18 countries.
Satellite communications company owner and charter captain, David Harmer-Brown, will run the franchise in Trinidad. Harmer-Brown became a Boatshed partner after using the online platform to sell his boat. Also in Trinidad, Tayna Araujo moves into brokerage. Both are based in Chaguaramas, Saint George.
In Almada, Portgual, Sergio Transmontano builds upon his real estate broking experience and passion for boats.
Tomasz Zaprzala represents Boatshed in La Rapita, Spain, a small Catalan town with a large port in Alfacs Bay. Zaprzala, owner of a yacht service and chandlery business, said adding a brokerage was a “no-brainer”.
The UK’s first online yacht broker, Boatshed.com has over 1.2m active users and supports over 120 franchisees and brokers across Europe, Asia, North America, South America and the Caribbean.
Founder Neil Chapman says his goal is to have Boatshed represented in every port around the world and his business model, to combine local knowledge and expertise with ‘the best technology available’, is helping him achieve this.
Chapman says: “We’re very lucky in that we consistently attract talented people to the business. Our partnership model means no upfront fees and mutual revenue sharing. We collectively get to use our skills, experience and knowledge to financially benefit both parties and the group as a whole.
“This, coupled with our transparent sales process, dashboards and internal platforms save brokers’ time, enabling them to sell boats ‘twice as fast’ as anyone else. Once brokers have checked the boats they want to list, sharing ‘warts and all’ photos and videos with a global online audience, AI tracks registered users’ behaviour, including the brands they prefer and models to recommend, prompting brokers when to intervene and contact them.”
In February 2023, the online yacht broker launched a new service, BoatshedCharter, enabling its worldwide audience to charter boats.
Founded in 1999 with its HQ in Gosport, Chapman believes Boatshed.com has revolutionised boat sales: “No other yacht broker can track the behaviour of over a million active users and identify when customers want to talk about buying a boat, who’s at the research stage and who wants to be left alone. This is why we sell over 70 per cent of the boats we list. And being able to run the business from portable devices allows partners to spend less time in the office and more time supporting sellers and buyers.”
