A niche online leisure activity website has announced the official launch of its booking engine.

Wilmington-based startup WaterplayUSA.com enables people nationwide to book water-related activities and vacations through its site. Listings range from parasailing to kayaking to sunset cruises and charter fishing expeditions.

“Before WaterplayUSA, travel planners had to search through multiple websites, send emails and call to request pricing and availability information,” co-owner and CEO Will Smith said in an announcement Monday. “Eliminating all that work and time, WaterplayUSA provides everyone the ability to plan, research, price check and ultimately book their water sport or activities in one place prior to vacation, so that every minute they spend in your choice destination will be enjoyable and relaxing.”

Smith and his brother Walt Smith have developed the business over the past couple of years and have sought investment from a number of sources. Will Smith said that they have now raised capital from several Cape Fear area investors as well as from funding sources in the Triangle.

Waterplay USA now boasts upgraded booking software so that the online browsing and booking experience is much easier for users, Will Smith said. The software also allows the company to connect with complementary businesses.

“It lets us work with affiliate partners, like hotels and restaurants,” he said. “One of our partners, for example, is Intracoastal Realty. When someone makes a vacation house rental through them, they’re linked with our site to make arrangements for fishing, boat rentals and that kind of thing.”

The company recently gained a significant advisor: John Stow, former president of Sabre Travel Network, which owns Travelocity.
Acting as an online concierge, WaterplayUSA bridges the gap between activity providers and their potential customers. The majority of its current listings are in the Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach and Key West, Fla. areas, but Will Smith says that with the software in place, the company now plans to expand its activity offerings throughout the Southeastern U.S. by the end of 2013.