“Hunter McIntosh’s commitment to conservation and his leadership in the tourism industry is proof of the incredible impact that one individual can have in making our water planet a better place.”
–Philippe Cousteau

Explore & Protect.

The simple fact that one person can make the world a better place through nature conservation is the driving force behind the life mission of Hunter Hartford McIntosh.

Hunter’s passion for conservation was inspired at an early age by a family legacy of environmental education, philanthropy and the drive to protect our natural resources for future generations.

He is carrying that legacy forward as President of The Boat Company, where he has vowed to preserve and protect nature through small ship exploration, education and action.

The Boat Company was started in 1979 by Hunter’s father, Michael McIntosh, who made it his life’s goal to protect the largest remaining temperate rainforest in the Northern Hemisphere: The Tongass National Forest in Southern Alaska.

To do this, he created a non-profit luxury eco-cruise line that not only allowed small groups of visitors to intimately experience the wild beauty of Southern Alaska, but taught them the importance of its conservation along the way.

To spend a week with The Boat Company is to see the world through an entirely new lens – and change your outlook on nature forever.

Where some kids dedicated themselves to baseball or football, young Hunter committed himself to observing the annual nesting of sea turtles near his hometown of Palm Beach, Florida and feeding his desire to protect and preserve our waters and wildlife habitats.

As an adult, he worked side by side with his father to redefine sustainable tourism. It was not just enough to talk about preserving the environment, the McIntosh family created an intimate experience for The Boat Company guests that included education, awareness and the cultivation of passion for a special place on earth in desperate need of protection.

The Boat Company crew is made up of highly educated naturalists who ensure their guests not only enjoy all the perks of a luxury eco-cruise, but also learn every day – from the perils of ocean acidification to the importance of old growth trees for the survival of Alexander Archipelago wolves.

For Hunter, providing experience and education is not enough. He has ensured The Boat Company remain a nonprofit with a mission to protect and preserve. Working with expert conservationists, Hunter produces an annual conservation report where he outlines the organization’s priority areas and his plans to support them.

In 2015, The Boat Company partnered with several environmental organizations to successfully remove a roadless rule exemption in the Tongass and save old growth forest needed for the survival of several wildlife species.

Hunter is currently working on an endangered species designation of the Alexander Archipelago wolf. When guests board one of The Boat Company’s luxury small ships, they know their money is truly helping protect all they are about to see and experience.

Hunter is proud to carry on the McIntosh legacy of conservation and shares The Boat Company’s vision and work at national conferences where he has spoken on numerous topics related to sustainable tourism.

He has been a speaker at the World Green Energy Symposium on multiple occasions, The International Ecotourism Society Annual Conference as well as the American Society of Travel Agents Cruise West.

In 2011, Hunter was identified as a Top 25 Extraordinary Mind in Sales and Marketing by the Hospitality Sales Marketing Association International, and has received numerous accolades in Sustainable Tourism from other industry peers such as the Travel Weekly Magellan Awards and National Geographic Traveller Magazine.

Hunter has also testified before the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee, submitted testimony to the committee and met with and submitted official comments to the Secretary of the Interior as well as Secretary of Agriculture overseeing the US Forest Service. His testimony has been focused on fisheries and wildlife management, land protection and preservation, and nature based tourism.

Hunter attended Florida State University on a track scholarship before transferring to Sacred Heart University, where he received degrees in Communications and Political Science.

His philanthropic endeavors are focused on issues of conservation, health, and education through his work as Trustee and Director of the McIntosh Foundation and as a longtime donor to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. He is also the founding supporter of the Florida State University women’s soccer program.

When he’s not in Alaska, Hunter enjoys surfing, working in the family aquaponics garden, fly fishing and exploring the world with his wife Amber and daughter, Aspen.

Hunter’s one hope for eco tourists experiencing the Alaskan outdoors with The Boat Company is that they return home as better stewards of this earth, more aware of their own environmental impact and with a quest to preserve and protect for future generations.