Support

BoatWorks Pro Support

Questions, something not working, or an idea for the app? Write to crew@boatworks-pro.com. This page also has a guide to where everything is in the app and answers to the questions we hear most.

Fastest way to get help

In the app, go to More → Help & Support. It has the same answers as this page, with a search box.
If something looks wrong with syncing, a boat, or your data, go to More → Settings → Contact Support and send a diagnostic report. It shows us what your device did, so we aren't guessing.
Tell us what you expected, what happened instead, and roughly when. Include your device and the app version, which is at the bottom of the More screen.

Contacting support

Email crew@boatworks-pro.com. It is the same address the app uses. A few details make the first reply much more useful:

What you were doing and what you expected to happen.
What happened instead, and roughly when. A screenshot helps.
Your device and the app version. The version is at the bottom of the More screen.
Whether other people are on the boat. Crew problems often depend on which phone the change was made on.

The diagnostic report

For anything involving sync, a missing boat, or data that appeared or disappeared, the best thing you can send is a diagnostic report. In the app: More → Settings → Contact Support → Prepare Report.

Nothing is sent automatically. The report is built on your device and placed in an email you read and send yourself. If you don't send it, we never receive it.
Names are replaced. Your boat, equipment and item names become placeholders like ‹boat-a3f2› before the report leaves your device. A placeholder stays the same within one report, so we can still follow what happened to which item, and it differs in every report.
It covers recent activity. The log covers this launch of the app, so if you've restarted since the problem happened, reproduce it first and then send the report.
No mail account on the device? The app offers the share sheet so you can send the report another way.

We use what you send only to answer your request, and delete it once your issue is worked. See the privacy policy for the full wording.

A guide to where things are

BoatWorks Pro keeps a boat's schedule, equipment, parts, fuel, trips and documents in one place. The sections below tell you where to find each part of the app.

The tab bar and the More screen

The tabs along the bottom are the sections you use most. Everything that isn't a tab lives under More. You choose which sections are tabs in More → Customize Tabs, so the layout on your phone may differ from someone else's.

The App section of More holds the things that manage the app rather than the boat:

Your Boats — choose which boat the app is showing, or add another.
Subscription — your plan and its status. A billing problem shows up here as “Payment Issue”.
Customize Tabs — pick which sections sit on the tab bar.
Settings — see below.
Help & Support — the in-app version of this page, with search and a link to Contact Support.
Recently Deleted — appears only when something has been deleted and can still be restored.

Settings

Notifications — turn task reminders on and off, and choose the time they arrive.
Crew & Sharing — invite crew, see who has the boat, remove someone, and check sync status.
Backup & Restore — the boat owner's automatic backups, restoring from one, and exporting CSV files.
Location Services, Units, Locations, Equipment Categories, Stores and Product Lookup — how the app reads your position, how it shows measurements, and the lists it uses when you add equipment, parts and provisions.
NMEA Data — connecting to onboard instruments, for plans that include it.
Contact Support — email us, send a diagnostic report, and reach the sync repair tools.

What each part of the app is for

Maintenance and machinery. Recurring and one-time tasks, built around the equipment aboard. Recurring tasks repeat by days or by engine hours. Completions can be kept as a history with notes, parts, cost and photos. See the features page.
Fuel. Fill-ups, transfers, tank levels, quantity and cost, kept with the boat.
Inventory and provisions. Parts and consumables, and separately food and galley supplies, organised by zone, location and container, with minimum levels, expiry dates and barcode-assisted entry.
Trip Log. Manual entries, GPS routes, photos and PDF export.
Tides and weather. The nearest tide station, forecasts and official weather alerts.
Documents. Manuals, receipts, certificates and service photos, stored with the boat.

Task reminders

When will I be reminded about a task?

The day before a task is due, on the day it's due, and then once a day for up to three days while it's overdue. After that the reminders stop; the task still shows as overdue in the app.

If several tasks land on the same morning you get one notice listing them. Tapping it opens Maintenance, filtered to the tasks that need attention.

What time do reminders arrive?

At 9:00 AM by default. Change it in Settings → Notifications → Remind Me At. The time is your phone's local time, so reminders follow you if you travel to another time zone.

Who gets reminded about a task?

If a task is assigned to someone, only that person is reminded. If it isn't assigned to anyone, or you're the only person on the boat, everyone who has the boat is reminded.

If the person a task was assigned to is removed from the boat, the task goes back to reminding everyone.

Why did I get a notice about a task that isn't mine?

As the boat's owner you're also told when a task assigned to crew is still open three days after it was due. Turn this off with Crew Task 3 Days Overdue in Settings → Notifications. That switch only appears once someone has joined your boat.

I'm not getting reminders. What should I check?

Work down this list:

1. iOS Settings → BoatWorks Pro → Notifications is on. Settings → Notifications in the app shows whether iOS is allowing them.
2. Task Reminders is switched on in Settings → Notifications.
3. The task belongs to a piece of equipment and has a due date or an interval. A task without equipment doesn't send reminders.
4. The task isn't completed, and isn't assigned to someone else.
5. A Focus mode or Do Not Disturb isn't silencing the app.

Everyone has to allow notifications on their own phone. The owner can't turn them on for crew.

How do reminders work for tasks based on engine hours?

The app estimates the due date from how quickly you've been adding engine hours, then reminds you on that date the same way as any other task.

If there isn't enough hour history yet to estimate a date, you're reminded once the task is past its interval, and the app nudges you to log your hours.

I reassigned a task, but the previous person still got a reminder.

Reminders are scheduled on each person's own phone, so a phone that's offline keeps its old reminders until it next syncs. Once it syncs, the change takes effect.

Maintenance tasks

What's the difference between a recurring and a one-time task?

A recurring task repeats on an interval, either every so many days or every so many engine hours, and starts over each time you complete it. A one-time task has a single due date and is finished once you complete it.

What happens when I complete a task?

A recurring task's interval starts over from now. If Log Completions is on for the task, the completion is also saved to the maintenance history with the date and any notes, parts and cost you enter.

A one-time task is marked completed and stops sending reminders.

What does Log Completions do?

When it's on, every completion is saved to the maintenance history. When it's off, completing the task only resets its interval and no history entry is kept. You can change it when you edit the task.

I deleted something by mistake. Can I get it back?

Open More and look for Recently Deleted. It appears only when something has been deleted and can still be restored, and it lets you bring items back.

Crew and assignments

How do I invite crew to my boat?

Go to Settings → Crew & Sharing and tap Invite Crew Member, then send the invitation. Sharing a boat with crew is part of the Cruiser plan, and a boat can have up to 7 crew members. Invitations use Apple's CloudKit sharing, so the people you invite need an Apple Account.

Do my crew need their own subscription?

No. Crew who join your boat use it under your plan.

How do I assign a task to someone?

Open the task and choose Assigned To. The choices are you, everyone who has joined your boat, or Unassigned.

Why don't I see Assigned To on my tasks?

It only appears once other people are on the boat. Invite crew from Settings → Crew & Sharing; Assigned To shows up once they've joined.

Can I show names instead of titles, or the other way round?

Yes. In Settings → Crew & Sharing, Show Crew By switches Assigned To and the task badges between each person's name and their role. It only changes your phone.

If you own the boat, tap your own row under Crew to set your name and role. Tap a crew member's row to set theirs. Anyone with no role shows their name either way.

Can I be listed as Captain instead of Owner?

Yes. In Settings → Crew & Sharing, tap your own row under Crew and set Your Role to Captain or Owner. It's the role crew see for you in Assigned To.

How do I remove someone from my boat?

In Settings → Crew & Sharing, tap their row under Crew and choose Remove from this boat. Their access ends the next time their phone connects, and your boat is cleared from it then.

If their phone is lost or won't be used again, choose Remove Now to end their access immediately.

Syncing and backup

How does syncing work?

Your boat's data syncs through your own iCloud account. BoatWorks Pro has no server of its own, so we never hold a copy of your data.

Edits you make with no signal are kept on your phone and sync when you're back online. Phones that are near each other can also sync directly, over the local network or Bluetooth, so a crew can stay in step offshore.

Is my boat's data backed up?

Yes. BoatWorks Pro saves a backup of your boat's data, including photos and attachments, to iCloud Drive automatically each day and keeps the last 10. It's separate from syncing. Backups are made by the boat's owner.

How do I restore from a backup?

If you're the boat's owner, go to Settings → Backup & Restore, choose a backup and confirm. The records come back on this phone and sync out to your other devices.

Can I get my data into a spreadsheet?

Yes, if you're the boat's owner. Settings → Backup & Restore → Export CSV exports your equipment, inventory and categories as CSV files. Maintenance schedules and history aren't included; they stay in the full backup.

When something goes wrong

Sync isn't working, or the sync status says it needs attention.

First check that you're signed in to iCloud and connected to the internet. Then open Settings → Crew & Sharing: when sync needs attention, the status line turns amber or red, and a Fix Sync Problem link appears. It leads to Sync Repair.

If repair doesn't help, use the Contact Support link right under it and send a diagnostic report.

I got a “Boat Removed” message. What does it mean?

The owner removed this device's access to that boat, or reset the boat's iCloud data, while you were looking at a different boat. Its copy has been cleared from this device. Your other boats are untouched.

If you weren't expecting it, ask the boat's owner first, then contact support if it still doesn't add up.

I got a “Switched Boats” message.

The boat you were viewing is no longer reachable, so the app switched you to another boat you have on this device. Nothing was erased. The old boat's copy is still on this device; it just can't sync anymore.

A boat of mine is missing from the app.

Go to Settings → Contact Support → Boats in iCloud. It lists the boats stored in your iCloud and lets you bring one back onto this device. If it isn't listed there, or the app says it can't safely choose one, send us a diagnostic report and we'll look at it with you.

The app says it couldn't read my data.

The app shows a Data Recovery screen with options to check your connection and iCloud again, or to rebuild this device from an existing owner boat in iCloud. Don't delete the app before contacting support. The old copy is set aside rather than deleted, and the Contact Support page lists anything set aside so you can send it to us.

I'm not getting notifications at all.

See “I'm not getting reminders” above. It covers iOS permissions, the in-app switch, and Focus modes.

Plans and subscriptions

What do the plans include?

BoatWorks Pro is a free download with an Anchor plan that stays free, and optional annual subscriptions (Cruiser and Commodore) for more systems, crew sharing, automation and connected instruments. The pricing page has the current details.

How do I manage or cancel my subscription?

Subscriptions are handled entirely by Apple. In iOS, open Settings → your name → Subscriptions and choose BoatWorks Pro. More → Subscription in the app shows your plan and its status.

What happens to my records if I stop subscribing?

Your records are not deleted. Features above the free allowance may become read-only or limited, while the underlying vessel history remains safe. Your data lives on your device and in your own iCloud, so it was never ours to hold back.

Can I get a refund?

Apple processes all purchases and refunds. Request one through Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com. We never see your payment details.

Does every crew member pay?

No. The vessel owner covers the shared boat; invited crew do not need a separate subscription for that shared record.

My subscription shows a payment issue.

A failing payment shows up in More as “Subscription: Payment Issue”. Fix the payment method in iOS Settings → your name → Subscriptions, or in your Apple Account's payment settings, to keep access without interruption.

Privacy and your data

Where is my data stored?

On your device, and in your own iCloud account if you have iCloud turned on. There is no BoatWorks Pro account and no BoatWorks Pro server, and we have no way to read your records. See privacy and storage.

Does the app track me?

No. The app contains no analytics, advertising or tracking code. The privacy policy lists the outside services some features contact, such as weather, tides, charts and barcode lookup, and what each one receives.

How do I delete my data?

Delete individual records inside the app, or delete the app to remove its local data from that device. To remove the app's iCloud data, use iOS Settings → your name → iCloud → Manage Account Storage. You can stop sharing with a crew member at any time from the sharing screen. There is nothing to request from us, because we never receive your boat records.

Still stuck?

Write to crew@boatworks-pro.com with what happened, and send a diagnostic report from the app if it involves syncing or missing data.