Nestled in the heart of Lido Marina, one of Newport Beach’s most beautiful and vibrant waterfront destinations, EB Rentals has built a reputation for providing guests with the perfect electric boating experience. With calm waters, stunning coastal views, and high demand from both locals and visitors, managing safety and navigation in such a busy environment requires precision and control.
FFor EB Rentals, which operates a fleet of 24 electric boats, that meant finding a way to ensure every guest could explore safely while keeping boats within permitted areas. experience while respecting the city’s carefully managed waterways.
The Challenge: Keeping Boats Within Safe Boundaries
Before using WAIV, the EB Rentals team often had to deal with customers venturing too far outside of designated zones or entering shallow and restricted areas. Even though renters were given clear instructions, it was easy for some to drift beyond the intended routes, especially when they were enjoying music and socializing on the water.
“We used to have customers going into restricted areas or too far down the channels, and we couldn’t always control it,” explains Vadim Askirin, manager at EB Rentals. “Now with the alarming system, that issue has been solved tremendously.”
The Solution: Real-Time Tracking and Instant Alarms
After researching several options, EB Rentals decided to equip their fleet with WAIV’s AHOY smart GPS tracker, a compact and reliable device purpose-built for rental operations.
The system allows staff to monitor all 24 boats simultaneously from a single online dashboard. It provides real-time location updates, path history, and speed tracking, so the team always knows where each boat is and how it is being used.
If a customer enters a restricted area, the onboard siren immediately alerts them. Even when music is playing or the group is chatting, the alarm is loud enough to cut through the background noise. The signal prompts renters to turn around and return to the safe boating area before any damage or safety issue occurs.
“The alarm is a game changer,” says Vadim. “Even if people are having fun and listening to music, they can still hear it. It lets them know they are not in the right area, so they can safely turn back.”
A Major Upgrade from Their Previous System
Before switching to WAIV, EB Rentals used a different GPS tracking solution that often caused frustration for staff. The system frequently lagged, reported inaccurate locations, and sometimes showed boats in completely wrong areas. It made it difficult to manage the fleet in real time and created uncertainty about what was actually happening on the water.
“The old program just wasn’t reliable,” Vadim explains. “It would lag, it would send us to the wrong location, and we couldn’t trust the updates we were seeing. WAIV is much more user-friendly, fast, and accurate. We always know exactly where every boat is.”
Results: Safer Boaters, Protected Fleet, and Peace of Mind
Since switching to WAIV, EB Rentals has seen a major improvement in renter behavior and overall safety. Boats stay within the permitted zones, renters are more aware of their surroundings, and staff have regained full confidence in their tracking system.
“All our customers are much safer now,” Vadim notes. “It protects our boats, it protects our customers, and it helps everyone have a good time out there.”
