Yachtlife’s Digital Yacht-Charter Platform Expands Reach into the Hamptons

Based loosely on the Uber rideshare-app model, digital yacht charter service Yachtlife recently expanded into New York State’s most popular luxury destination. Kicking off with 13 yachts available in the Hamptons this summer—ranging from a simple 40-foot VanDutch to a stately 100-foot Hatteras scattered between Sag Harbor and the Montauk Yacht Club—Yachtlife is making weekends on a boat that much easier.

Further amplifying its convenience factor, the brand has partnered with Flightserve to provide private helicopter and seaplane connections from New York directly to your charter. Manhattan residents (or visitors) simply need to make their way to either the helicopter or seaplane terminal on the west side of the island, and within as little as an hour can be on board their charter. Given the sometimes-nauseating traffic found between the two locations, this additional service is a godsend.

With the evolution of app-based services like Uber and JetSmarter, it’s little surprise that Yachtlife has seen rampant growth in its first two years. Covering more than a dozen markets from Vancouver, Canada, to Greece and the South of France, cofounders Nick Cardoza and Patrick Curley saw a significant opportunity to modernize an otherwise archaic industry.

“The yacht-charter business is still very much a traditional brick-and-mortar, high-touch business. There’s a lot that gets done based on relationships—which is great—but it’s also a fairly slow-moving industry.” says Patrick. “People are used to that instantaneous turnaround in the digital world, and we’ve streamlined the entire charter process. Paperwork is signed off digitally with a few taps, and in a lot of cases, we’ve been able to get a yacht ready to go within 1 to 2 hours. Our clients are demanding, and we are always up to the challenge.”

Yachtlife is continuing its push into new markets with another announcement expected before the end of summer. Charters in the Hamptons start from as little as $1,400 a day, depending on yacht availability.