Boatshed.com Extends Franchises in Trinidad, Portugal and Spain   

Boatshed.com, the UK’s first online yacht broker with over 1.2m active users, 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 – he became a Boatshed partner after using the online platform to sell his boat. Also in Trinidad is Tayna Araujo; after years refurbishing, maintaining and preparing vessels for journeys, it was a natural progression to move into broking. Both are based in Chaguaramas, Saint George. 

David Harmer-Brown – Boatshed.com Trinidad

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. Owner of a yacht service and chandlery business, adding a brokerage was a ‘no-brainer’. 

Tomasz Zaprzala – Boatshed.com Spain

Boatshed.com  supports 120+franchisees and brokers across Europe, Asia, North America, South America and the Caribbean, who collectively sell over 1000 second-hand sail and motor boats a year.  

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.    

Founder Neil Chapman – Boatshed.com

He comments: “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.”  

Founded in 1999 with its HQ in Gosport, Neil 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% 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.”  

To find out more about the Boatshed.com franchise visit www.boatshedbusiness.com