Skipperi launched in 2017. The start-up will bring three boats to Harbour West Marina starting in May. They are limiting the number of memberships in order to ensure that boats are available for users. Photo credit: Skipperi
Starting on May 1, Hamilton will be home to Skipperi, the world’s first boat-sharing app.
The company launched in 2017 in Finland and are bringing their next expansion move to Lake Ontario.
The service will be available at select locations in the Golden Horseshoe including Hamilton, Toronto, Scarborough, Mississauga, Pickering, and St. Catharines. The rental company will have 40 motorboats available for use.
They have a fleet of new Starcraft SVX 171, 190, 191, 210, and 231 boats with Yamaha outboard engines.
Skipperi’s Hamilton hub will be at the Harbour West Marina which is located between Pier 4 Park and Pier 8 at 1 Guise Street West.
The boats are booked through a digital app and the entire check-in and out process is digitalised.
The start-up will bring three boats to Harbour West Marina starting in May. They are limiting the number of memberships in order to ensure that boats are available for users.
The rentals will be available the entire boating season through to October 31, although renters will have to subscribe to a monthly membership to ride the waves.
When users sign up they are committing to the full six-month season, but payment is taken on a monthly basis.
The early bird pricing for their base plan is $475 per month plus tax which translates to $2,850 for the six-month season.
That price covers winterization, insurance, and maintenance.
There are three different membership options. The base membership allows for unlimited boating from all harbours on weekdays at specific time slots.
Going up a level, users can choose to add weekend boating to their membership or go for the plus package which allows access to Skipperi’s fleet of pontoons and 23-foot boats. The plus package requires boating experience.
The only other additional cost is that boaters must refuel their boat after each rental.
Boats must be dropped off at the same harbour from which they were rented.
Users must also have their Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) and take a one-on-one training session with one of their captains if they do not have boating experience.
The boats are limited to 35 nautical miles per trip (approximately 65 kilometres).
Skipperi’s website states that they are focused on providing users with “more boating, less hassle.”
“We know that owning a boat can be fun. We also know that taking care of it takes time and money. Skipperi takes care of all the worries of owning a boat and you get to focus on finding new boating adventures out on Lake Ontario,” the site continues.
With a membership, users can rent from any marina.
More information about Skipperi can be found on their website, which currently lists eight spots where boats can be rented as of May 1:
- Harbour West Marina, Hamilton
- Port Dalhousie Pier Marina, St. Catharines
- Bluffers Park Marina, Scarborough
- Frenchman’s Bay Marina, Pickering
- Toronto Island Marina
- Harbourfront East – Queens Quay East and Yonge Street, Toronto
- Harbourfront Centre – Queens Quay West and York Street, Toronto
- Harbourfront West – Queens Quay West and Bathurst Street, Toronto
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
