Acquisition Ahoy

Ahoy Club acquires Floatspace as it moves into the more accessible end of the day-charter market.

01 July 2024

Ahoy Club, an Australian digital yacht charter platform, has acquired Floatspace, a Sydney-based yacht booking services specialist.

Ahoy Club says this strategic move is designed to strengthen its commitment to providing clients with instant and seamless booking experiences globally.

Ahoy Club began with a global focus. However, during the pandemic, It honed in on the Australian day charter market, focusing on higher-end luxury day charter yachts. Ahoy Club gained significant market share and began driving revenue when luxury travel was hit with unprecedented obstacles.

Now, with the pandemic over and global yacht chartering seeing strong growth and rebounds, Ahoy Club has acquired Floatspace, a brand focused on the more accessible end of the market by offering fully automated bookings for entry-level party boats.

Ahoy Club says the move means it can now digitally and completely automate service for the entire charter market, from catamarans to megayachts.

Ellie Malouf, CEO of Ahoy Club.

Hugh Treseder, the Founder and CEO of Floatspace, with Ian Malouf Managing Director of Ahoy Club.

“Clients today are empowered with extensive knowledge, conducting their own thorough research,” says Ellie Malouf, CEO of Ahoy Club. “For charters, they often know what they want, when they want it, and seek the convenience of booking that instantly. Clients now expect similar experiences in the yachting industry as with other premium services.”

Floatspace, an award-winning yacht charter booking platform, enables clients to select their desired yacht, date, time, and additional requirements. The platform then guides them to a payment screen to confirm their day charter.
The firm’s technology automatically updates the yacht’s calendar and generates charter contracts for all parties involved.

Quickly becoming Australia’s leading boat rental tech play, Floatspace attracted investment from notable figures such as Tim Fung of Airtasker and Rolf Hansen of Amaysim. Over the past seven years, Floatspace has developed technology that offers clients real-time availability, live pricing and end-to-end automation.

Hugh Treseder, the founder, will stay on as CEO of Floatspace. “The two businesses complement one another very well,” he says. “Although having come at the market from opposite ends, both delivered excellent traction and growth, meaning combining the two would result in a force to be reckoned with.

“Floatspace’s technology has been built by the industry’s best, namely ex-TripAdvisor staff Jeff Lewis and Jason Smith and can, therefore, expedite the Ahoy Club plans for scale.

“We’ve gone to a fabulous new home, and having had some healthy rivalry over the years, we can now turbocharge things. I’m proud, this was no easy journey.”

Ahoy Club, with offices in Sydney, Miami, Monaco, and Golfe-Juan in France, provides a global infrastructure for Floatspace to expand globally.

Its charter portfolio now includes over 3,000 yachts worldwide, covering destinations such as the South Pacific, the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.

ahoyclub.com