Boat owners docked at Key Biscayne Yacht Club and Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove now have a new tool for finding vetted mechanics, hull cleaners and other marine professionals. A Coral Springs startup called Boatwork launched a free digital directory of more than 10,000 contractors serving Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, Refresh Miami reported Aug. 12.
Founder Jacob Ruytenbeek calls it a "Yelp for the marine industry."
The platform matters here because Key Biscayne and Coconut Grove sit at the center of the market Boatwork is targeting. The Key Biscayne Yacht Club operates 150 slips for vessels up to 60 feet and counts more than 1,000 members. Across the bay, Dinner Key Marina holds 587 slips and more than 250 moorings, making it the largest wet-slip marina on the East Coast. Miami-Dade alone has roughly 55,200 registered recreational vessels, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission data cited by the Miami Herald in July.
Demand keeps growing. Phil Purcell, president and CEO of the Marine Industries Association of South Florida, told the Miami Herald on July 28 that the wealthy "used to come for the season but are now living here year-round, changing demand dramatically."
How it works
Contractors join and display a verified profile at no cost. Revenue comes from two paid add-ons: Presence, which builds and maintains a website and social media pages automatically, and Boatwork Assist, an AI tool that drafts estimates, manages bookings and handles back-office tasks.
Service categories listed on Boatwork's site include engine repair, hull cleaning, marine canvas and upholstery, yacht management, detailing, surveying and marine AC work.
How it started
Ruytenbeek said the idea grew from personal frustration. While running his previous company, Sailplan, he needed fiberglass repair on a test boat and turned to Facebook for recommendations.
"I had to go to Facebook, where I found 58 different recommendations that all pointed in different directions," he told Refresh Miami. "I didn't know how to make sense of who's who in this space."
What's next
Boatwork has been bootstrapped so far and is preparing to raise a seed round later in 2026 to expand beyond South Florida. The company said it has received early interest from contractors in Europe. No fundraising target or lead investors have been disclosed.
The tri-county marine industry generated $18.5 billion in economic output in 2022 and supported nearly 142,000 jobs, according to the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County. Boat owners can search the directory now at boatwork.co.
