Sample Pages from a Yacht log

[unbusted67]

Does anyone have any blank sample pages from a ships log that I could print and bind?

[Kefaa]

www.marineconsulting.us/LogbookTemplate.doc is one you may be able to modify to meet your needs. I suggest reading this thread http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ook-28892.html as well. One of the issues with "looseleaf" log books is they can be called into question should an incident occur. Bound, no torn out pages, no blacked out entries is going to do much better.

[Chief Engineer]

This is the only one I have ever used.
Standard Diary® Recycled Journal, Daily

A ring bound log will be called into question in a court of law.

[johnar]

I would think any bound book with rule lined pages would work.

or am I wrong?

Dutch

[jkleins]

What is the legal issue that is talked about. Can someone recount an instance when a yacht log might be used in a court proceeding. I am trying to think of one and can't come up with anything. I can see a commercial vessel or something but not a private yacht.
I have always kept a running log as I go for position, etc but later I add all sorts of stuff as I get time to remember and want to keep for later. I have never thought about the legal implications.
Has anyone needed it for legal purposes and if so what information was used?

Jim

[Chief Engineer]

In my experience the log is a record of all activity on a vessel.

We kept our logs when underway and when at the yacht/tug.

Fueling, maintenanace, installation of components, services rec'd...all of it.

If the Coast Guard comes to your boat and it is surrounded by an oil spill/fuel sheen
if you have a log that shows no fuel transfer or other activity that may have contributed to the problem...you are in the clear.

On the other hand if you report something...it goes in the log...CYA

The main thing was...no erasures allowed. If you made an error you drew single line thru the entry....much like medical chart documentation.

[jkleins]

So you really shouldn't ever record fuel transfers until the day after.

[Pelagic]

I think designing your own “Sailing” log book specific to the boat and own style of record keeping is part of the process of becoming a good captain.

It is seen as a legal document that judges your management, but the real value is to assist you in maintaining awareness of your situation.

Broken down in to 3 general categories:

1 Navigational Status

2 Deck and Engineering Status

3 Remarks and Observations

I prefer to lay it out so that “1” is on Left Side with 24 lines for hourly logs with “3” across on the Right Side

Below that are specific boxes for “2”.. Fuel/ Water / Battery Status / Sail Plan etc.../ registered at Noon with “3” across on the Right Side, reserved specific to those entries.

I do not pre-date the pages, since at anchor I can fit a few days on one page and at the marina, there can be months between entries, since I am not underway or at anchor.

Printing all the legal and technical details of the boat on the inside back cover, makes it easy and professional to submit your log for inspection when clearing in

[unbusted67]

Originally Posted by Kefaa

www.marineconsulting.us/LogbookTemplate.doc is one you may be able to modify to meet your needs. I suggest reading this thread http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ook-28892.html as well. One of the issues with "looseleaf" log books is they can be called into question should an incident occur. Bound, no torn out pages, no blacked out entries is going to do much better.

No luck on this link

[Kefaa]

Well - it appears it is no longer there. Here is the document as I got it from their site a while back.

Legal Cases:
http://books.google.com/books?id=4U4...age&q=&f=false
http://books.google.com/books?id=ICA...age&q=&f=false
and so on....
http://books.google.com/books?ei=H9x...in+legal+cases

Now if you mean a non-commercial ship, then the question goes to evidence. They have a ship's log showing they signaled you three times prior to the incident. Well, the could have made it up correct? They have three years worth of logs to show they do this all the time.

[BubbleHeadMd]

I've been wondering what validity a small, private boat owner's log would have in court. Would it simply be "bah, he's just a civilian, his logs are spotty at best, fraudulent at worst" or would the hand-written word of Joe Citizen be actually worth something as a defense?

[Hud3]

I haven't used my boat's log in court, but I did use it to document a cruise that was outside the borders of the Virginia county in which we lived. I submitted copies of the pages to the Commissioner of the Revenue, along with other documents, to prove that the boat was outside the county for more than half the year. It allowed me to save about $2,800 in property taxes that year.

You never know when a properly kept logbook will be of use. I would think that the book should be bound, not loose-leaf, if it might be used for legal purposes. Too easy to remove and substitute pages in a loose-leaf version.

[Caribsailors]

I used my ships log and entry/exit doc's to prove my vessel was not in Canadian waters or Provincial waters.

This translated to a 7% of vessel purchase price, to remain in the cruising kitty.

Mind you, when we do enter Canadian waters then we are subject, but we'll have to wait and see if that happens.

Cheers

[unbusted67]

Yeah I think I will go buy a log book 7% is enough to make it worth it. It might be nice to print a template out onto some nice paper and bind it up myself though too.

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by unbusted67

Yeah I think I will go buy a log book 7% is enough to make it worth it. It might be nice to print a template out onto some nice paper and bind it up myself though too.

I agree... customizing your log book so that it fits the way you check things and think is one of those little personal things that makes your boat your own