Boats Group, a global operator of online marketplaces for boats and yachts, has announced a strategic growth investment from Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, commonly known as CPP Investments, and General Atlantic. CPP Investments has committed $600 million and will take a controlling interest in Boats Group as part of the transaction.
The investment marks a partial realization for existing sponsor Permira, which is selling down a portion of its stake while retaining a significant minority shareholding and continuing its partnership with the company. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.
Headquartered in Miami, Boats Group operates marketplaces including Boat Trader, YachtWorld, and boats.com. The company said it has connected boat buyers and sellers for more than 30 years and has continued to invest in technology to improve the end-to-end buying and selling journey.
In recent years, Boats Group has focused on product upgrades to make discovery and purchase easier for consumers while helping sellers improve outcomes. The company highlighted investments spanning more immersive marketplace experiences, new mobile capabilities, and dealer tools, as well as the use of AI for merchandising, reporting, and workflow improvements.
CPP Investments framed the deal as a long-term opportunity to back a category leader in a sector it views as early in its digital and AI evolution, citing network effects and global expansion potential as key elements of the growth thesis.
KEY QUOTES:
“Boats Group is a category-defining leader in a market still early in its digital and AI-led evolution. As a long-term investor, we see a compelling opportunity to back a mission-critical platform with strong network effects, a customer-centric business model that delivers clear value to buyers and sellers, and significant runway to broaden its offering and expand globally. We look forward to partnering with General Atlantic, Permira and the management team to support Boats Group in its next phase of growth and believe it will deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns for CPP contributors and beneficiaries.”
Sam Blaichman, Managing Director and Head of Direct Private Equity, CPP Investments
