Marine Match launches Boat Passport, a service history that stays with the boat, and opens a contractor register for UK marinas

Ruislip, 29 September 2026

Marine Match, the UK marketplace that connects boat owners with verified marine professionals, has launched Boat Passport, a digital service record that is stamped by the professional who did the work and passes to the next owner when the boat is sold. Alongside it the company is opening a contractor register for marinas, with the first ten sites free for a year.

Most boats change hands with a paper logbook, a folder of invoices and the seller's word. Boat Passport gives each boat a page with a QR sticker at the helm. When a Marine Match verified professional finishes a job, they scan the sticker and stamp the record with what was done, the date and the engine hours. The entry is labelled "Verified by professional" and cannot be edited by the owner. Owners can add their own entries, which are clearly marked as self-reported, and can upload third-party documents such as surveys and invoices for the record.

When the boat is sold, the passport transfers to the buyer with the seller's name, contact details and costs removed. What remains is the work history and who verified it.

Founder Mark Bonnett, a boat owner who races a classic offshore powerboat, said: "Every owner has been handed a shoebox of receipts and asked to trust it. I wanted the history to follow the boat, not the owner, and I wanted the person who did the work to be the one who signs it off. A stamped passport is worth something to the buyer, the surveyor and the insurer, and it is worth something to the engineer whose name is on it."

The Marina Register

The Marina Register addresses a different problem. Most UK marinas require contractors to register, show insurance and accept site rules before working on the pontoons, and most manage that with paperwork at the office. Marine Match now lets a marina run its contractor register on the platform: a professional applies from their Marine Match profile, their verification and insurance status is checked, the marina's current site documents are issued and acknowledged automatically, and the marina keeps a private list of who is cleared to work on site. Contractor fee collection through the platform follows this autumn. Registers are private to the marina and do not appear on the public site.

Marine Match lists more than 700 UK marine businesses, from engineers and riggers to surveyors and sailmakers. Verification is opt-in and shown on the professional's profile. Jobs booked through the platform are paid through Stripe, which holds the funds until the owner signs the work off; Marine Match takes a commission on completed jobs and charges professionals no subscription to be listed.

Boat Passport is free for owners. The Marina Register is free for the first ten marinas in the first year.

Notes to editors

Marine Match Ltd (company no. 17426292) was founded in 2026 by Mark Bonnett. Registered office: 2nd Floor College House, 17 King Edwards Road, Ruislip, HA4 7AE. An example passport is at marinematch.co.uk/passport/example and an example contractor register at marinematch.co.uk/marina-register/example. Boat Passport pages never show the owner's details, costs or the full hull identification number. Logo and screenshots at marinematch.co.uk/press. Press contact: press@marinematch.co.uk. Mark Bonnett is available for interview and a demonstration.