Yamaha Marine Connected Boat Division Announces Expanded Business and Product Offerings with Skipperi, Creates New Revenue Opportunities for Dealers

KENNESAW, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Yamaha Marine Connected Boat Division recently announced an expanded business and product offering with Skipperi^®, a Yamaha-owned boat club platform designed to help dealers generate new streams of recurring revenue.

"As customers look for more flexible ways to get on the water, boat clubs create opportunities for dealers to reach new consumers who are passionate about boating but may not fall into the traditional boat ownership model. Skipperi redefines how people get on the water through technology that unlocks a powerful model for dealerships," said Andrew Cullen, Director, Connectivity, Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit. "Skipperi offers a different model than other boat clubs. We handle the technology and transactions, and dealership owners control customer relationships and on-site experience. This is not a franchise model. Dealers can nurture these customers through the club model and build a pipeline of future boat owners."

Skipperi’s technology and reservation system handles key aspects for dealerships and marinas ready to launch this new business. Customers reserve boats through the Skipperi app, access the keys through a lockbox on the boat, enjoy their time on the water and return the boat. The Connected Boat^® technology then automatically bills fuel usage to the customer.

Dealers monitor the reservations and manage the on-site handling of the boats while the Skipperi platform facilitates financial transactions between customers and dealers. The model helps simplify operations for dealerships with limited staffing while allowing them to serve customers outside the traditional boat owner demographic and create additional revenue opportunities.

The Skipperi app manages bookings, payments, training and contracts and facilitates payments, helping simplify day-to-day fleet management. Customers can check availability, reserve boats, check in and out, complete training and onboarding and monitor fuel usage through the app. The platform allows one fleet manager to oversee up to 15 boats using prioritized task lists, helping dealers manage fleet operations without dedicating staff solely to reservations. Dealers can also create additional sales opportunities by selling used Skipperi boats to consumers as they cycle through the fleet.

As the model grows globally, Skipperi will offer customers access to an expanding network of boats for a flat-rate monthly fee. The platform currently has operations across the United States, Portugal, Finland and Spain.

In the United States, Skipperi's pilot program began with The Boathouse Dealership/Marina on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, which launched in May 2024.

“Skipperi opened up an entirely new revenue stream for our dealership and introduced boating to customers we may not have reached through traditional boat sales,” said Grant Kaple, General Manager, The Boathouse Dealership/ Marina on Hilton Head Island. “We have customers who want to enjoy the water but aren’t ready to make the investment in a boat, as well as customers who don’t want the responsibility that comes with ownership. This model also gives younger generations an opportunity to experience boating before they are ready to own a boat themselves. For us, that means we can build relationships with a much broader customer base and generate recurring revenue for our dealership.”

The Connected Boat technology used on Skipperi boats also allows dealers to implement geofencing across their fleets. The system reminds boaters about no-wake zones and limits travel distances. It also provides dealers with real-time data on fleet capacity, boating time, trip duration, fuel consumption and distance traveled.

Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit, based in Kennesaw, Georgia, markets and sells marine outboard motors ranging from 2.5 to 450 horsepower. The division also engineers, manufactures and markets boat control systems, IoT control devices, fiberglass jet boats from 19 to 29 feet, and personal watercraft. Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit is a division of Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.

This document contains many of Yamaha's valuable trademarks. It may also contain trademarks belonging to other companies. Any references to other companies or their products are for identification purposes only and are not intended to be an endorsement.

REMEMBER to always observe all applicable boating laws. Never drink and drive. Dress properly with a USCG-approved personal floatation device and protective gear.

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