From sailing in Wellington as a teenager to a career in technology and boating adventures across the Pacific, Colin Stone has spent much of his life on the water. Now at the helm of Subscription Boat Club, he’s combining his two passions to make boating more accessible to New Zealanders.
We caught up with Colin to learn more about the person behind the business.
1. Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background in boating? Have you always been involved in the marine industry, or did you come to it through another career?
I started sailing out of Lowry Bay Yacht Club in Wellington, racing Young 88s and Young 11s when I was 12, and went on to have owned boats all my life, from Hobie Cats to 40-footers to power launches. Previous careers have had me work across the Pacific, and owning a boat in those locations was nothing less than spectacular. I only ever had one piracy incident, but that’s for another story.
My prior industry was in technology, running large telco companies, and this has translated well to SBC as the tech behind the service is important to deliver safety and a seamless member experience, so has been great to be able to combine my two passions.
2. How did you become involved with SBC? What attracted you to the business and the shared boating model?
A long-time friend of mine convinced me that semi-retirement was not for me, and after long discussions with my family and the attractiveness of the model (I have spent a lot on boats that could have been avoided if I had seen this model 15 years ago). The model was solid, had a good foundation and the simplicity was what attracted me.
Seeing the ease with which people can get on the water, properly trained and supported, was something that became so obvious for me really early on. Safe, affordable, supported boating meant that it is the perfect entry to boating for many.
3. Subscription Boat Club was formerly Skipperi New Zealand and became fully New Zealand-owned in 2025. What prompted that change, and what opportunities does local ownership create for the business?
The change was really prompted by us wanting to be better, better for New Zealanders, aligned with the best-in-class safety processes and training, and the ability for us to focus on what’s best for Kiwis vs a global customer base.
The prior owners had done a great job setting up the business, but the team saw an opportunity for improvement, improvement we had to drive directly.
4. For someone unfamiliar with Subscription Boat Club, how does it work? What does membership offer, and how does the experience compare with owning a boat outright?
SBC is a club for people just wanting to get on the water without the hassle. An induction and safety programme taught to members to make them feel safe on the water and an app that allows future and last-minute bookings.
It is truly unlimited boating, 24 boats in the water ready to go at the touch of a button. Full days, half days, overnights, all on a simple, NZ-built (for NZ conditions) boat that has all the safety gear onboard and a system set up to assist you in any time of need on the water. We have members who use the boats over 60 times a year, all just by clicking in the app and then pushing off the dock for an easy day boating.
When we compare this with boat ownership, it’s a no-brainer. No car to tow a boat or costly marina berth, no maintenance, no servicing, no checking safety gear, simply no hassle. The costs of owning a boat are never admitted by boat owners, but they add up. A service can cost over $2k NZD per year, etc. We see around 50% of our members have owned boats before but see this as “simple and easy”, “cost effective and efficient”, and in a world where everyone is becoming time-poor, we take care of the “time-stealing events” of owning a boat.
Memberships start as low as $399 a month for unlimited boating. Today, for a similar-sized boat, there is no cheaper way to get on the water.
5. Who are your typical members, and what motivates them to join? Are they experienced boaties looking for a simpler way to get on the water, or are you seeing people who are new to boating?
With 50% being boaters from prior, the other 50% are brand new. Our unique training programme combines theory and practical to get new users safely on the water, confident in what they are doing, and also is simple for even an experienced boatie, noting some of our more experienced users still learn something in the course.
The motivation is split: one being “I want to be on the water but am sick of the hassle of ownership” and the other being “I want to learn in a safe and supportive environment and have someone watch my back as I learn new skills”.
The main driver for members is the amazing Hauraki Gulf. After 10 years in the Pacific Islands myself, I still get onto the Gulf and my face lights up with “WOW”, what an amazing place. It’s kind of sad not more Aucklanders get to step out into their backyard (well, step onto a boat into their backyard) and experience all it has to offer.
6. What have you learned about the barriers that prevent people from getting into boating? How can shared boating help overcome these barriers and potentially create a pathway towards boat ownership?
Fear. Fear of learning, fear of “but I don’t know what I’m doing”, and our entire goal is to remove those fears, and then “will I like it?” Buying a boat is a commitment, a large capital expense and a maintenance time bomb in many cases. We remove the fear of “what if I buy it and hate it, then I have to sell it”. That’s a hard pill to swallow.
Today you can go buy a boat and head out with no training, no licence, no experience, just a boat and an engine. Our whole goal is to create safer boating for our members and their friends and family. We teach them the skills and processes needed to be safe on the water and enjoy the Gulf without the stress of “what if”.
Another barrier is ongoing costs, not just the upfront purchase. Boats are expensive, berths are expensive, maintenance is expensive, and we give a set cost structure (apart from the fuel you use), making us a known vs the unknown of cost in boating in any form.
Shared boating in any form is designed to overcome these fears. With the support of the Club, the ability to learn in no-pressure environments and the adventures that await in the Gulf, SBC is uniquely positioned to give access to boating not available in many other places.
Even for our “salty seadogs” who are with us as members, they see the value in a set cost, understand it’s cheaper than owning a boat.
7. Where do you see the biggest opportunities for SBC over the next few years? What role do you think shared boating can play in growing New Zealand’s recreational boating market?
Based on global trends, it’s the fastest-growing segment in boat usage. We see the role of SBC is to “keep people boating” and also to educate and train those new to boating to ensure they get the most out of the area.
SBC is not standing still. We are looking at other areas in terms of expansion to new marinas and areas, and the systems we have set up are replicable anywhere in NZ and globally.
One of our mantras is “safer boating for all”, and we will look to expand our education side over the next while to not only give our members the training they need but also to share these learnings with anyone new to boating.
We will continue to expand the tech side of the business as we are already seeing ways to educate on “optimum driving technique” and have created what we see as a world-leading boat club management platform we want to share with others.
8. And finally, tell us a little about Colin Stone outside of work. How do you like to spend your spare time, and when you’re out on the water yourself, what’s your favourite way to enjoy it?
I would love to say it’s time on the water with family but seem to spend more time managing customers’ time on the water. I am good at fishing but terrible at catching and so not much of a fisherman (it was too easy in Papua New Guinea to just catch a fish).
My time off work is spent with my family (both on and off the water). Two teenagers take a lot of time, and permitting, I get in the occasional round of golf. A favourite pastime for me and my son is Fliteboarding and Jetboarding, where my son and I go on adventures. I tried to set the record as the first person to JetBoard from one end of Lake TaupÅ to the other but had an engine failure 2km from the finish line, and so that’s another challenge for this coming summer.
I do have a tech passion, so spend time helping people build and deliver tech solutions based on the learnings we have taken from deploying our own technology stack. Not only are we making boating accessible, but some of my time is also making technology accessible and less scary.
