NextBoat Inc. and MarineMax, Inc. announced a five-year Strategic Partnership and Revenue Sharing Agreement on July 1, 2026, though the deal itself was signed on June 25. MarineMax becomes the first enterprise dealer group to adopt NextBoat’s AI platform as its preferred wholesale and trade-in partner.
MarineMax is the world’s largest recreational boat and yacht retailer, with more than $2.3 billion in annual revenue across 120 locations. NextBoat, based in Wilmington, North Carolina and trading as NXB on NYSE American, describes itself as an AI-powered marine technology company built to modernise how pre-owned boats are valued, bought, sold and financed.
The timing is notable. PBN reported in May that MarineMax was pressing ahead with a sale of the company after months of pressure from activist investor Donerail Group, with private equity firms including Blackstone conducting due diligence. No update confirming a resolution to that process has followed, and neither company’s announcement of the NextBoat deal references it.
What the deal covers
Under the agreement, MarineMax will route a significant and growing share of the trade-in and pre-owned inventory it liquidates through NextBoat’s platform, where it is evaluated, marketed and sold into NextBoat’s network of wholesale buyers. Financing and insurance on those transactions run through Newcoast, MarineMax’s own finance and insurance arm.
As additional consideration, NextBoat agreed to issue MarineMax warrants to purchase up to 1,250,000 NextBoat shares, at exercise prices ranging from $3.25 to $7.00, subject to vesting.
Jason Ruegg, Founder and Executive Chairman of NextBoat, on the partnership:
“For 15 years, I’ve believed the marine industry deserved the same technology, transparency and scale that transformed automotive retail. Today, the largest and most respected company in our industry has chosen to deploy the platform we built.”
Kyle Langbehn, Executive Vice President and President of Retail Operations at MarineMax:
“By integrating NextBoat’s advanced technology into our pre-owned retail platform, we believe we can improve efficiency while continuing to deliver exceptional service to our customers.”
MarineMax’s footprint
MarineMax operates 70 dealerships and 65 marinas and storage facilities. Its holdings include IGY Marinas, which runs 24 marinas across 14 countries, SkipperBud’s, with 20 locations across the Midwest US, yacht brokerages Fraser Yachts and Northrop & Johnson, and boat manufacturers Cruisers Yachts and Intrepid Powerboats.
NextBoat says MarineMax’s adoption of the platform provides validation it can use to expand to other dealer groups and brokerages, and that growing participant numbers should improve pricing intelligence and transaction speed across the marine pre-owned market.
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
