Boat Maintenance and Management: Go Digital
The easy way to coordinate service and keep records on your boat is now—surprise—to go digital.
December 9, 2014
Taking delivery of a new boat is an exciting, pulse-quickening time, but as any owner knows, the relationship between you and your boat can be complicated. Because boats are engineered with so many systems and components from countless vendors, most new owners have to invest a lot of time cuddling up with a drawer-full of operating manuals to get better acquainted with all their new boat maintenance requirements. But take heart. There is a way to make the process of getting to know your boat much simpler.
Boat maintenance is a lot easier when a service (like The Boat Village) tracks all the requirements for you.
Today, you can sign up for a subscription service that digitally catalogs all of your boat’s manuals, parts, and service data so you can track and schedule maintenance for each system from your computer, tablet or smartphone. These digital yacht maintenance management services are available for new and used boats, both production and custom, in a range of sizes. Service providers catalogue all the information about your boat’s operating systems, and typically host the data online—often in the cloud—where the information is kept on a secure remote server. Imagine, then, having access to a service that tells you when maintenance is due on your engines, generator, air conditioner, as well as what needs to be done during a specified window of time. You, your service contractor, or your dealer can schedule the work with the click of a mouse. And once it’s done, a master calendar resets your reminder schedule for the next service interval.
Digital maintenance management services are hot in the marine category. A number of major boat builders now include a multiyear subscription to one of the popular services with every new boat. And consumers who buy pre-owned boats are discovering that some insurance companies offer the subscriptions, too, since good maintenance minimizes insurance risk. You can also contact one of these service providers and order a subscription of your own.
Among the top names in this category are The Boat Village, Wheelhouse Technologies, and Vessel Vanguard. Vessel Vanguard and The Boat Village are services that are being offered by a number of big players in the production market. The Ferretti Group recently announced that the brands under its corporate umbrella will be offered with a service from The Boat Village. Vessel Vanguard is offered by brands such as Grand Banks and Beneteau (this builder will even extend a warranty to owners who subscribe to this service). Wheelhouse Technologies appears to be a popular choice for owners of heavily customized yachts.
Pricing is often contingent on boat size. Vessel Vanguard, for instance, structures pricing in tiers based on boat length. Silver service ($299 setup, $99 annually) is for boats up to 30 feet; Gold ($599 setup, $199 annually) is for boats 31 to 65 feet; pricing is custom on boats over 65 feet. By comparison, the premium edition of The Boat Village sells for $1 a foot per month, plus a $239 activation fee. Wheelhouse Technologies charges an hourly rate (just under $90) for technicians to gather all the necessary data to set up the service, which can include a ship’s log, maintenance history and inventory of all parts kept on board. Once the information is gathered, the company creates a customized program that’s specific to the boat.
Each company offers software that’s designed for a specific boat. Thus, the person who manages the vessel can keep a handle on required maintenance and warranty work for everything from engines to filters and electronics. If you’re looking for a simpler, straightforward relationship with your boat, a digital maintenance management system could make for a great partnership.
