Professional marine management guides
Field-tested methods for managing a fleet, maintenance, the workshop and crew — by the Captain Crews team.
How to Manage a Boat Fleet: A Practical Guide
A working method to manage a boat fleet: one record per boat, engine-hour servicing, document and safety deadlines, cost per boat, crew time, a weekly routine and six numbers to check.
Read the articleWhat Is Yacht Management? A Plain-English Guide for Owners
Yacht management covers technical upkeep, crew, paperwork and compliance, and reporting to the owner. Who does what, how management agreements work, and what to ask before signing.
Read the articleBest Boat Fleet Management Software in 2026: 13 Tools Compared by Operator Type
Seahub, IDEA Yacht, Deep Blue, Yachtwave, Fleetio, DockMaster, Floatist and six more, with pricing checked on each vendor's site: who each suits and what it leaves out.
Read the articleSpreadsheet vs Software for Boat Fleet Management: When to Switch
Where a spreadsheet is the right tool for a boat fleet, where it starts to cost you time, the signs you've outgrown it, a layout that holds up, and how to switch without starting again.
Read the articleFree Boat Management Software: What the Free Options Cover and Where They Stop
Spreadsheets, free maintenance apps and the free tiers of professional tools: what each one includes, what it keeps for paying customers, and how to tell when a paid tool is worth it.
Read the articleBoat Rental Software: Bookings, Handovers and Maintenance Tracking
What boat rental software should do behind the booking page: a fleet calendar that flags clashes, check-in and check-out records, turnaround jobs and engine-hour servicing.
Read the articleYacht Club Booking System: Retiring the Logbook and the Front-Desk Phone
How a club organizes boat bookings without a logbook at the front desk or a phone that never stops ringing: requests from the phone, approval, a shared calendar and automatic notifications.
Read the articleShared Fleet Scheduling: Why WhatsApp and Spreadsheets Fall Short
A fleet schedule isn't a document, it's a communication channel. Why chat groups and spreadsheets fail at it, and what a genuinely shared calendar looks like.
Read the articleManaging a Mixed Fleet of Boats and Vehicles: One Calendar for Everything
Water sports centres, management companies and clubs rarely run boats alone: there are vans, courtesy cars, trailers. How to schedule all of it in one place.
Read the articleMarine CMMS: What It Is, How to Set One Up and What to Ask Before You Buy
A marine CMMS plans boat maintenance by engine hours and by date and keeps the job history. How it differs from a PMS, a five-step setup and ten questions for vendors.
Read the articleBoat Maintenance Log: A Template, Example Entries and How to Keep It Up
A boat maintenance log proves how a boat was looked after. Copy the template by system, see three example entries and keep track of the gear that expires.
Read the articleBoat Engine Hours Tracking: Readings, Service Intervals and Alerts
Read the hour meter on a fixed routine and compare it with the engine maker's intervals: where to find the hours, who logs them, a worked example on a small hire fleet and a set-up checklist.
Read the articleBoat Engine Maintenance: A Workshop Guide to Inboard Diesels and Outboards
How a marine workshop looks after inboard diesels and outboards: quick checks before every trip, the annual service in order, warning signs and the spares worth carrying.
Read the articleBoat Service Report Template: Free Fields to Copy and a Filled-In Example
Copy this boat service report template field by field, see a filled-in example on an inboard diesel, and choose between paper, spreadsheet and app.
Read the articleBoat Maintenance Cost Per Year: The Cost Lines, a Worked Example and How to Track Them
Annual boat costs, built line by line: berth, insurance, lift-out and antifouling, engine, lay-up, safety kit and repairs, with a worked example from a published marina tariff.
Read the articleBoat Winterisation Checklist: How to Lay Up a Boat for Winter
How to winterise a boat ashore or afloat: engine, water systems, batteries, hull, sails, cabin and safety gear, with a fictional lay-up record for an easy spring.
Read the articleSpring Recommissioning Checklist: Getting Your Boat Back in the Water
How to recommission a boat after winter, ashore then afloat: what was disabled, engine, water, batteries, hull, safety kit, sea trial and an example record.
Read the articleBoat Antifouling and Hull Cleaning: When, How and Which Paint
How to antifoul a boat kept afloat: the signs it is due, a pre-lift-out checklist, each step from pressure wash to relaunch, anodes, hard or eroding paint, and the UK rules on runoff and waste.
Read the articleEmployee Time Tracking Requirements in the UK: What Employers Must Record
There is no legal duty to use a time clock, but you must be able to produce working time and minimum wage records. What to keep, for how long, a worked example and a checklist for marine employers.
Read the articleYacht and Marine Crew Payroll: Getting Hours, Overtime and Day Rates Right
Crew payroll goes wrong upstream, in the hours, overtime, day rates and allowances. Three pay models, a worked example, a period-end checklist and where your accountant takes over.
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