Dockspot UK

What Dockspot UK does

Dockspot UK operates an online two-sided marketplace, dockspot.com, that connects recreational boat owners with marina operators for the booking and payment of transient and seasonal marina slips. Founded in 2009 by Fredrik Barthold in Smögen, Sweden, the company is registered as Dockspot UK Ltd. in London and operates US entities (Dockspot US, LLC in Delaware and SHM Dockspot, LLC), serving boaters from more than 100 countries. The platform lists 200+ marinas, including the Safe Harbor network in North America and several Swedish operators, and reports a user base of 140,000+ dedicated boaters.

The core product surface consists of a web-based booking portal, native iOS and Android mobile applications, and a marina-side management dashboard for harbour masters. Underlying technology includes Stripe-integrated payment processing, AWS-hosted image and front-end delivery, Render-hosted application and database servers, and Mailchimp/Postmark-powered guest communications (booking confirmations, access codes, transactional email). The operator dashboard supports berth configuration, pricing by boat measurements and seasonal demand, daily booking reports, and automated bank transfers. A long-standing development partnership with Varvet supports ongoing platform maintenance.

Dockspot's commercial model is transaction-based: marina listing is free, and the company charges marinas a per-booking transaction fee intended to cover bank and hosting costs. Distribution combines a self-serve consumer booking flow on web and apps with direct sales outreach to marina operators. Marketing relies on SEO, email newsletters, and marina-partner referrals. No institutional funding, acquisitions, or public listing have been disclosed; the founder retains operational leadership and the company is structured across UK and US entities to support transatlantic operations.

Name

Dockspot UK

Legal name

Dockspot US, LLC

Website

https://dockspot.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Dockspot UK operates an online two-sided marketplace (dockspot.com) and iOS/Android apps that let recreational boat owners discover, book, and pay for marina slips at 200+ marinas across 100+ countries, while giving marina operators a dashboard for berth, pricing, and payment management.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marina Transaction Fees: Dockspot charges marinas a transaction fee on each booking to cover bank and hosting fees. The guest pays their booking securely online through Stripe and Dockspot transfers the money to the marina's bank account, including necessary invoice information.
2. Marina Listing Fees: Marina registration is free to join, with revenue generated through transaction fees on completed bookings rather than upfront listing costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Dockspot operates a two-sided online marketplace that lets recreational boat owners discover, book, and pay for marina slips at more than 200 partner marinas, while giving marina operators a dashboard to manage berth inventory, pricing, and bookings. The guest-facing booking portal is paired with a harbour-master management tool, Stripe-based payments with automatic payouts, and automated booking confirmations with facility access codes. Mobile apps for iOS and Android extend the booking experience on the go.

Product overview

Dockspot is a unified online marina booking platform that connects boat owners with marinas worldwide. The core product is the Dockspot Booking Portal, which enables guests to discover, book, and pay for marina slips. This is complemented by a Marina Management Tool for harbour masters to manage berths, bookings, and pricing, and a Mobile App for iOS/Android for on-the-go access. The platform also offers a listing service for marinas to join the network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,400 booked nights per season from a single marina (Son Marina)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing partner for handling all credit card transactions. Stripe stores credit card information directly rather than Dockspot, providing secure payment processing for marina bookings with automatic transfers to marina bank accounts.
• RendercoreTechnology or IntegrationHosts Dockspot's application and database servers required to service dockspot.com.
• AWS (Amazon Web Services)coreTechnology or IntegrationAWS hosts marina images and serves JavaScript and CSS to browsers. Owned by Amazon.
• MailchimpsupportingTechnology or IntegrationEmail service provider for newsletters to subscribed users and transactional emails including booking confirmations and password recovery.
• Papertrail (SolarWinds)supportingTechnology or IntegrationApplication log storage service that helps debug errors in the Dockspot platform.
• Postmark (Wildbit)supportingTechnology or IntegrationEmail delivery analysis service to identify problems in email deliveries.
• HoneybadgersupportingTechnology or IntegrationError reporting service that alerts when errors occur so issues can be fixed quickly.
• Google AnalyticssupportingTechnology or IntegrationWeb analytics to understand how services are used, helping improve the platform and user experience. Also enables personalized marketing.
• Facebook PixelsupportingTechnology or IntegrationAnalytics and marketing tool that helps understand service usage and enables personalized marketing through Facebook's advertising network.
• VarvetcoreTechnology or IntegrationDevelopment, maintenance, and troubleshooting partner for the Dockspot platform.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Hipcamp: Hipcamp operates a marketplace for outdoor accommodation including campsites, glamping, and RV stays, with accommodation discovery and instant booking. Apply the same horizontal marketplace mechanic to an adjacent outdoor vertical, useful as a comparable business model benchmark.
• Campspot: Campspot is an online marketplace for booking campgrounds and RV parks, applying the same two-sided booking model to outdoor recreation. Comparable as a structurally analogous marketplace in a parallel recreation vertical.

Direct peers

• GetMyBoat: GetMyBoat runs a two-sided marketplace for boat rentals, charters, and on-water experiences, monetizing recreational boating demand. Shares Dockspot's marketplace business model, transactional take rate, and target recreational boater demographic.
• Marinaware: Marinaware provides marina management software including slip booking, contracts, billing, and operational reporting for harbour masters. Direct overlap with Dockspot's Marina Management Dashboard on the marina-operator side of the marketplace.
• Marinas.com: Marinas.com is a global directory of marinas with reviews and reservation/contact functionality, used by boaters to discover and book stays. Comparable in solving the same discovery-and-booking problem for slip-bound travelers that Dockspot targets.
• Snag-A-Slip: Snag-A-Slip operates an online marketplace for transient marina slip reservations across the US with a self-service booking flow. Overlaps directly with Dockspot's core consumer-facing booking experience and competes for the same boater demand.
• Dockwa: Dockwa is a US-based online platform that lets boaters search, request, and book slips at marinas and combines a booking flow with marina-side management tools — the closest direct competitor to Dockspot's two-sided model and product surface.

Broad incumbents

• ActiveCaptain: ActiveCaptain (now owned by Garmin) is a marine companion app providing marina reviews, community data, and trip planning used by cruising and recreational boaters. Overlaps with Dockspot as a destination for boaters researching marinas, though broader in scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dockspot-uk-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Dockspot UK