Tack and Jibe will return to Southampton International Boat Show 2026 as an exhibitor after developing from a boat-listing idea into a broader marine technology platform. The business launched its first marketplace version in January 2025 and will now exhibit for all ten days of the show alongside broker client N-Fun, part of SWUK Marine.
The company’s original aim was to make buying and selling boats more accessible. Since launch, it has added tools for private sellers and professional brokers, while keeping private listings free and developing technology intended to reduce the administration involved in managing and marketing boat inventory.
AI search moves into boat listings
Tack and Jibe says its platform now includes AI-powered natural-language boat search, intelligent listing tools, automated website scraping, broker analytics and data integrations. The idea is to make it easier for buyers to describe the boat they want in everyday language rather than relying only on rigid filters.
For dealers and brokers, the more significant part may be the back-office tools. Inventory management and repeated data entry can take substantial time, especially where the same boat needs to appear across a brokerage website, marketplace and other sales channels.
From marketplace to marine technology platform
The company now describes its longer-term goal as building a connected digital ecosystem around boat ownership rather than remaining only a classifieds marketplace. That could include links between sales, brokerage services and other parts of the ownership journey.
Whether that broader model succeeds will depend on adoption by brokers and the quality of the data behind the search tools, but the shift reflects a wider move towards software platforms that try to simplify how boats are discovered, listed and managed online.
Southampton marks a growth milestone
The 2026 Southampton show will be the first time Tack and Jibe attends as a full exhibitor rather than a visitor. British Marine says the company has strengthened its team during its first 19 months and is preparing for the next stage of development.
For Leisure Boat Guide readers, the relevance is practical: better search and listing tools can make it easier to compare small boats, locate models that fit a specific use case and understand what is actually available in the market. The platform’s progress at Southampton will show whether those tools are gaining traction with professional sellers as well as private users.