For the OP: it may not be a
legal issue at all.
Logs help to mitigate liability. More often they are required by the owner or insurer than the country.
As we seem to be rehashing some older ground as well...
Any log can be disputed, pencil, ink or crayon. The goal is to show a consistent behavior - "X" inspected each year, "Y" checked at start of ever trip, each watch checks... etc. Inconsistent logs raise suspicion. But inconsistent beats none every day.
Basic rules of auditing apply. Think of an
engine compartment. If you look at one you can tell what type of care has been done.
- ink is better than pencil (or crayon)., Ink is considered to have more precedence than the others. However, a pencil can be acceptable if no erasure occurs ANYWHERE in the log.
- date, time and initials of individual making the entry
- If you make an entry for someone else, post as "at request of" and put your initials there.
- leave a page or pages in back for initial to name conversion and never duplicate. Two JS? JS and JS1 or JAS and JRS.
- bound is best. Consider the page could have been used for a grocery list or said "captain drunk again". Someone will count the pages and note missing ones. Again - it looks bad. Also, it does not need to be an expensive one. A $10 bound one is fine, as long as it is easy to write in.
- never ever ever erase or obliterate. A single line crossed out, & initialed is best. (and use the same pen/pencil/crayon)
- if you skip a page by mistake, a single cross line upper left to lower right, initialed as skipped is fine.
- you can restate an unclear entry on a later page with a margin reference on the original
I like the waterproof pages (Rebel Heart pointed them out above), but they are so new the law is catching up. Electronic is very easy and from a
legal standpoint very bad, I have yet to see an electronic log that is certified for audit. It may exist and if someone knows of one please speak up..
Finally a log is not a confessional or therapy. Buy a journal if you want those.