OnBuoy

What OnBuoy does

OnBuoy is a two-sided online marketplace that connects recreational boaters seeking short-term guest moorage with waterfront property owners and public agencies that have private docks, mooring buoys, or slips to share. The platform is accessible via responsive web and native iOS and Android applications, and combines private listings with public moorage information, including an integrated partnership with Washington State Parks covering 40+ marine parks and 8,500+ feet of public moorage. Hosts can list moorages at no cost, with OnBuoy taking a 15% commission on each booking; the platform also provides a $5,000 host damage-protection program and SMS-based booking notifications to reduce friction for both sides of the market.

The company is structured as OnBuoy SPC, a Washington State Social Purpose Corporation, reflecting a mission-driven mandate to reduce anchor-related damage to marine habitats (notably eelgrass) by providing an alternative to free-anchoring. The product architecture is a standard marketplace stack — listings database, search/booking, payment processing, and SMS alerts — rather than a technology platform with proprietary AI/ML components. Distribution relies on app stores, content marketing through the OnBuoy blog, environmental-cause positioning, and channel partnerships such as the ICW Free Docks community contributor for East Coast inventory.

The business model is asset-light and transactional: a 15% take rate on per-night bookings (observed nightly rates range roughly $43–$95) from a fragmented base of individual boaters and hosts, with no disclosed enterprise contracts, no institutional funding, and 1–10 employees. Geographic coverage is anchored in the Pacific Northwest (Puget Sound, San Juan Islands) and has expanded into the Southeast US and East Coast (Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia) plus Canada. The company was founded in 2022 and is independently operated with no disclosed parent, subsidiary, or outside capital.

Name

OnBuoy

Legal name

OnBuoy SPC

Website

https://onbuoy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

OnBuoy is a mobile-first two-sided marketplace that lets recreational boaters find and book short-term guest moorage at private docks, buoys, and public marine parks, while waterfront property owners monetize unused moorages under a 15% take-rate model. Founded in 2022 as a Washington State Social Purpose Corporation with a marine-conservation mission.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Moorage Marketplace

NAICS

Marinas (713930), Other Support Activities for Water Transportation (488390)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Equipment Rental & Leasing (7350)

akta.pro primary industry

Houseboats & Floating Stays (THAMADAG)

Keywords

• Boat moorage marketplace
• Guest dock booking
• Private moorage sharing
• Maritime rental platform
• Mooring buoy reservations

Headquarters

HQ city

Edmonds

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Platform Commission: OnBuoy charges a 15% platform fee on all bookings from both guests and hosts. Hosts retain 85% of their nightly rate. This transaction-based model aligns platform incentives with transaction volume.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

OnBuoy operates a peer-to-peer moorage marketplace that connects recreational boaters seeking short-term guest moorage with waterfront property owners who have private docks, mooring buoys, and slips to rent. The platform supports map-based search, instant booking, and SMS confirmations, with all moorages professionally inspected and hosts covered by up to $5,000 in damage protection. The company is a Washington State Social Purpose Corporation focused on reducing anchor damage to marine habitats such as eelgrass.

Product overview

OnBuoy is a boat moorage marketplace platform connecting boat owners with private dock and mooring buoy owners, as well as providing access to public moorage locations. The platform consists of a web-based marketplace for searching and booking moorage, a mobile app for iOS and Android, and SMS-based booking notification alerts. Users can find and reserve private docks, mooring buoys, and slips, while hosts can list their moorages. The service charges a 15% platform fee and provides host protection up to $5k for property damage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OnBuoy Moorage Marketplace Platform Mobile-first marketplace (iOS app, Android app, and responsive web platform) that lets recreational boaters find, reserve, and pay for short-term guest moorage at private docks, mooring buoys, and slips, and lets waterfront property owners list their moorages with built-in host damage protection up to $5,000. All moorages are professionally inspected before listing. The platform also displays public moorages, fuel docks, and pump-out stations, with map-based search, instant booking options, and SMS confirmations.
• Free Public Moorage Directory (ICW Free Docks integration)

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Washington State ParkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWashington State Parks manages the largest state-managed mooring system in the nation, with more than 40 marine parks and 8,500+ feet of public moorage. Their listings appear on OnBuoy, providing comprehensive public moorage information including Blake Island, Sucia Island, Spencer Spit, and dozens of other locations across Washington.
• ICW Free DockscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorICW Free Docks is a community contributor that lists free dock locations along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), from South Carolina to Florida. They maintain 71+ listings on the OnBuoy platform, providing valuable content for cruisers traveling the East Coast waterway.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Vacasa: Vacasa operates a large-scale vacation-rental marketplace with professional management and a unified platform experience. Its marketplace-plus-services approach is analogous to OnBuoy's combined booking, inspection, and host protection offering.
• Airbnb: Airbnb is the dominant short-term-stay marketplace and serves as the business-model analog for OnBuoy's short-term moorage booking marketplace. While it does not specialize in boats, its PLG, host onboarding, and trust-protection mechanics directly inform OnBuoy's playbook.
• ActiveCaptain: ActiveCaptain (a Garmin-owned boating app) provides a community-driven marina and anchorage directory with reviews and trip planning. Comparable in moorage discovery, though broader in scope than transactional marketplace.

Emerging players

• BoaterCloud: BoaterCloud provides dock-finding apps and marina directory tools for boaters, with mooring and slip reservation features. Comparable niche emerging player in the same short-term moorage discovery category.
• Marinas.com: Marinas.com offers a directory and booking portal for marinas and yacht clubs worldwide. Overlaps directly with OnBuoy in transient moorage search and reservation, though primarily informational with secondary booking.
• Boatsetter: Boatsetter is a peer-to-peer boat rental marketplace that connects boat owners with renters for charter experiences. Adjacent sharing-economy model serving the recreational boating community with a marketplace plus booking platform.

Direct peers

• Dockwa: Dockwa is the most direct competitor to OnBuoy: an online marketplace where boaters can find and reserve transient and seasonal slips, moorings, and dry storage at marinas across the US. Operates an identical B2C/B2B marketplace model for moorage bookings.
• Snag-A-Slip: Snag-A-Slip is a boat slip and moorage rental marketplace that lets boaters reserve nightly and short-term slips at marinas, yacht clubs, and private docks across the US. Closest direct peer to OnBuoy in product, customer, and pricing model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/OnBuoySPC

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about OnBuoy