A private boat is lovely, it just doesn't add up for two. On the big boat you're one of forty. Aihoy! is the missing step between the two: it shows who'll be there at the same time — looking for the same thing you are.
Get it on Google PlayWho it's for
This didn't come out of market research. These are real situations — the first one is mine.
Three elderly parents, my wife, a three-year-old girl. Meanwhile I'd dive, fish and wakeboard — and none of them can come along. That's how this app happened.
“I don't need company for the whole trip. Just for one morning.”
They find the trip, look at the price, and end up either going nowhere or boarding a big boat. Yet the same boat costs the same for four.
“We'd love to. It just doesn't add up for two.”
With three kids you've almost got a private boat's worth of people. With one, you're stuck: whatever isn't crowded is private — and for three that doesn't add up for everyone. And honestly, it's better with another family aboard: kids want kids.
“With kids it's best when the others have kids too — so they're not stuck playing with just the grown-ups.”
Half a day on deck, smoke and ash in the air, no shade anywhere. They used to go twice a year — this year they didn't go at all.
“I regretted it every year. This year we just didn't go.”
How it works
Set when and where you'll be on holiday, and what you're after. A fishing buddy? A dive partner? A sunset sail? Another family for the boat?
The Radar shows who's nearby — down to a 100-metre radius, if you're sitting on the beach right now. The Travel Window shows who's arriving for the same week.
You talk before you step aboard together. Book the boat wherever you like — at the harbour or online. Aihoy! gives you the who. And once you're close, give them an Aihoy! — the radar leads you there.
New
Matched with someone on the radar, and you're a few hundred metres apart? No dictating addresses or squinting at maps: the app shows you which way. (Ahoy! is how sailors hail each other.)
One of you offers, the other accepts. It runs on a timer, and either of you can stop it.
The dial points to where the other person is and zooms in as you get closer — right down to 20 metres. The ping speeds up as you go.
Once you can see each other, you both tap Aihoy!: the two phones count down together and the Aihoy! Anthem plays on both at once.
The other person only sees distance and direction, never your exact location. When the game ends, the location data is deleted.
The filters
No other room, nowhere to move — just you and the others, for hours. And “unlimited wine” doesn't mean the same thing to everyone. Worth thinking about in advance.
Can't stand the smoke? Filter it out. A smoker who doesn't want to feel awkward about it? You can set that too.
Looking for a family with small kids? Or a kid-free day? Both can be set.
Party, chill, adventure, wellness, culture. Nothing against three young people enjoying their summer — just maybe not on the same boat.
Find people who speak yours — or the exact opposite. The chat translates anyway, so you can talk to the local skipper too.
You decide which generation you want to share a boat with.
Diving, fishing, food, hiking — several at once if you like. Fishing off the shore alone is fine; big game is a share-the-cost bracket.
It's just launched, so in some places the radar is still empty. If you're the first one in your area, you're the one they'll find.
Get it on Google Play
