Boat Maintenance & Management Solution?

[MarineDataCloud]

Hello,

I’m so excited to be part of the Cruisers Forum. I would like to share with you some of my experiences and ideas regarding the boat industry.

Have you ever been part of the discussion regarding the automation of the main tasks a captain has to perform, on a daily basis, before getting control of the vessel? What are your thoughts on the matter?

The idea is to have a system that can automatically generate relevant data through inputs inserted by a Crew member or a Captain. The aim of such a system is to always be aware of everything required for a boat to be safe on the water.

For example, this could include managing different tasks a captain needs to perform before sailing, managing inventory and giving out alerts when something finishes or expires (fuel, provisions, etc). Everything needs to be automated and accessible at any time, by all crew members of the boat.

What are your thoughts on this? Is there another way to better manage and maintain your boat?



George

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by MarineDataCloud

What are your thoughts on this? Is there another way to better manage and maintain your boat?



George

While I have fancy spreadsheets etc. , I haven't looked at them for a long time.

I find it easier to just write stuff on the whiteboard I put on the wall

[MarineDataCloud]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

While I have fancy spreadsheets etc. , I haven't looked at them for a long time.

I find it easier to just write stuff on the whiteboard I put on the wall

Thank you for your reply Nice solution!

But how about a Software or an App where you can log all of your tasks and return to them when needed. Don't you think this is a better way to keep in balance all of your tasks. And of course one of the main advantages is the backup; you can review your history and optimize the way you manage your vessel.

What are your thoughts about this kind of improvement?

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by MarineDataCloud

Thank you for your reply Nice solution!

But how about a Software or an App where you can log all of your tasks and return to them when needed. Don't you think this is a better way to keep in balance all of your tasks. And of course one of the main advantages is the backup; you can review your history and optimize the way you manage your vessel.

What are your thoughts about this kind of improvement?

You mean like a spreadsheet where you track boat expenses? It's not so complicated that I need some elaborate software that sends me a text when an oil change is due - my needs are simple.

I keep logs like this on everything. House, cars, boat, etc.

[MarineDataCloud]

Originally Posted by letsgetsailing3

You mean like a spreadsheet where you track boat expenses? It's not so complicated that I need some elaborate software that sends me a text when an oil change is due - my needs are simple.

I keep logs like this on everything. House, cars, boat, etc.

I’m not only talking about expenses! Think of it as a big picture... What are the most needed things for you to improve your boat management, name me some of them! [emoji846]

[slug]

Originally Posted by MarineDataCloud

I’m not only talking about expenses! Think of it as a big picture... What are the most needed things for you to improve your boat management, name me some of them! [emoji846]

Many yacht management programs around


https://idea-yacht.com/yacht-management-software/

The problem with these systems is that the user must log everything and in future the next user must follow the same routine or nothing makes sense

It’s a lot of work

Another thing to consider is that drawings, schematics are copyrighted single use Products .
It can become difficult to digitally reproduce these drawings and distribute them to users

You should check into this detail for clarity

[tkeithlu]

I call this a "logbook." It's a bound journal with date and time on the left, then deck entries such as lat/lon, then on the right page engine hours plus engineering notes, including repair squawks. The First Mate does provisioning, and lots of gauges keep track of things like when fuel will be needed and remind me to turn on the raw water. I think it was invented in 1,300 BC.

One step up is a checklist. Again, it's paper, but a single sheet with everything to be checked and done before starting down the runway. Every pilot uses one.

Give yourself some time in your boat. What you can't remember, write down. As you get older, you'll write down more.

There may be a use for dedicated software when managing a ship. I'm sure the various Navies have their systems, and maybe they need a new one. Ditto merchant ships. But, realistically, for the simple job of managing a 40' recreational boat you're trying to solve a simple problem in a very complicated manner.

[slug]

Originally Posted by tkeithlu

I call this a "logbook." It's a bound journal with date and time on the left, then deck entries such as lat/lon, then on the right page engine hours plus engineering notes, including repair squawks. The First Mate does provisioning, and lots of gauges keep track of things like when fuel will be needed and remind me to turn on the raw water. I think it was invented in 1,300 BC.

One step up is a checklist. Again, it's paper, but a single sheet with everything to be checked and done before starting down the runway. Every pilot uses one.

Give yourself some time in your boat. What you can't remember, write down. As you get older, you'll write down more.



There may be a use for dedicated software when managing a ship. I'm sure the various Navies have their systems, and maybe they need a new one. Ditto merchant ships. But, realistically, for the simple job of managing a 40' recreational boat you're trying to solve a simple problem in a very complicated manner.

Yes and no

I frequently must perform service work on yachts and the ships manuals, technical sheets ,equipment specs, serial numbers , users guides , installation guides .... that were originally supplied with the boat, have been lost or destroyed

Bad news..cost me much time just identifying the equipment



It would be a good service if a company scanned and stored these documents when the boat was new ..then permanently stored them on the cloud for future reference

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, George.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by MarineDataCloud

Thank you for your reply Nice solution!

But how about a Software or an App where you can log all of your tasks and return to them when needed. Don't you think this is a better way to keep in balance all of your tasks. And of course one of the main advantages is the backup; you can review your history and optimize the way you manage your vessel.

What are your thoughts about this kind of improvement?

So you think it is easier to get your phone, open an app, type it on the small key board while rocking and bouncing, than to write it on my white board?

The white board has the dates for important stuff on it and these are also in the maintenance log.

Btw - far as manual i have those in hard copies and most electronic, including the builders owner manaul.

[tkeithlu]

I'm with you on the documentation, slug. That's a set of four notebooks full of owner's and service manuals in the forward cabin. It sometimes takes me as long to find the right one as it does to warm up a laptop.

[Aeon]

Unless someone has a 10ft old wooden boat and just a pair of oars, record keeping is a must, let alone reminders and probably some cost tracking!

@tkeithlu respectfully disagree on the simple problem - too complicate solution approach. Have you counted how many electro-mechanical systems a modern 40ft recreational boat has?! Furthermore, if you consider the components and parts of each of them it does get complicated and needs tracking.

@sailorboy1 true about trying to type on a small screen on a rocking boat! Still, you may keep a paper-note and do the data entry when the seas will get calm again. Let's not forget that cruising/maintenance/etc paper-logs are not searchable neither can do pop-up reminders! If i may propose, you get a cheap tablet (plenty of these around) with an even cheaper keyboard (e.g. bluetooth) and you put them on the Nav Station. On a flip of a switch the tablet is on (no boot time, compared to a laptop), you do the data entry and you are done.

[sailorboy1]

Why would i write something down to type it into something else when i can just write on the white board that is always on?

You people with nothing better to do are welcome to needing your tablet or smart phone for everything. It doesnt matter to me one bit.

[nightowle]

I use the Any.do app on my phone for boat tasks. It helps me when I go to a chandlery and want to remember what I need. Most everything else goes into the log, and I have a notebook for receipts. I can also use a scan app on my phone to digitally record receipts if needed.

[Albinvega27]

Prefer to go as sailor and not as Computer freak...