Check out this one-of-a-kind boat vending machine in Kelowna

As the ever-growing three-tower Aqua Waterfront Village on Kelowna’s waterfront continues to rise from the shoreline, there’s a special dance being performed inside the first completed aspect of this iconic development.

The Aqua Boat Club storage facility is a giant, hi-tech vending machine for up to 200 privately owned or subscription service boats, with an amazing piece of machinery at its core.

It gracefully and silently performs a waltz - or perhaps that should be the tango given its origins - as it glides around the floor taking boats from their multi-level holding location and onto the platforms for the awaiting vehicle to launch into the lake.

“The crowning achievement is the boat crane,” Luke Turri, Executive Vice-President at Mission Group told Kelowna10 as he proudly showed off the state-of-the-art space. “It was created for us in Argentina. It was designed and built specifically for the Aqua Boat Club facility.”

The roof-mounted, boat-stacking crane is guided by skilled operators and has been a hit with boaters.

“Having this sort of crane helps our operations go much more smoothly. It’s very safe and it makes sure we can deliver the service to our customers when it’s a very busy weekend,” Turri explained. “Our customers are thrilled to have this. [Being] indoors, you’re protecting the boats from all the elements [like UV light damage] and we can extend the boating season too.”

So, what does it say about Kelowna that there’s now a one-of-a-kind facility like this in this city?

“This location is incredible. Kelowna itself is ready for something like this,” Turri said, referring to both the boat storage and the Aqua Waterfront Village as a whole.

The Aqua Boat Club also offers a subscription based on-demand boat sharing service that eliminates the need to buy a boat and trailer, or to navigate insurance, maintenance, and launching hassles. Membership options allow users to go boating in one of several brand new 2023 Super Air Nautique and Cobalt vessels throughout the summer.

“This is an amazing opportunity where you can have the type of experience where you can live on the water and have your boat right behind you.”

For more info on the Aqua Boat Club click here.