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Old 01-29-2023, 07:27 PM   #1
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Yacht Maintenance App or Software?

I am researching apps and software to track maintenance, parts, checklists, etc, on our Grand Banks 42 Classic. At the upper end, I see tailored solutions like Vessel Vanguard and SeaHub - overkill for a forty year-old medium sized trawler. I'd like a user-friendly, cost-effective app that I can set-up and use on an IPad or IPhone. Any ideas or recommendations? Thank you!
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Old 01-29-2023, 07:39 PM   #2
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I have been using Boating Suite for rudimentary maintenance tracking. I am not using most of its capabilities but it works for me and I think it was free or very cheap.
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Old 01-29-2023, 08:10 PM   #3
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I use an Excel spreadsheet stored in the cloud so I can access anywhere.

For me, biggest ledger item is tracking spares, odd tools, and supplies, not routine maintenance. I have plastic bins that are labeled and numbered. On the spreadsheet, contents of each bin is listed in detail. This way when I'm looking for a part, I can do a quick word search and easily determine which bin its located. Also easy to keep a tick-tock timeline of hours, fuel, etc.

Not sure what else I need. Maybe I'm missing something.

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Old 01-30-2023, 04:46 AM   #4
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I use a GoogleSheet, basically Google's version of Excel in the cloud. Easy to edit and view from mynphone and computer and also easy to share so others can commiserate with me.
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Old 01-30-2023, 07:09 AM   #5
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I use ShipShape allows me to upload invoices, receipts and run reports.
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Old 01-30-2023, 07:16 AM   #6
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I guess ai can add that I keep the GoogleSheet within a GoogleDrive into which I upload all receipts and manuals, organized by boat system.
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Old 01-30-2023, 07:48 AM   #7
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I guess ai can add that I keep the GoogleSheet within a GoogleDrive into which I upload all receipts and manuals, organized by boat system.
Good reminder. I've been slowly collecting PDF versions of manuals to store in the cloud - I have a folder for nothing but documentation including a shop manual for my Perkins 4.236. Much as I like thumbing through a paper manual, having them digitized is a God send on a small boat.

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Old 01-30-2023, 08:37 AM   #8
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App (Application) and Software are the same thing.
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Old 01-30-2023, 08:42 AM   #9
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App (Application) and Software are the same thing.
Maybe. My thinking is in the vernacular, App these days means something that runs independently on a smartphone. Software is the code behind it. "App" seems to have become its own term given Apples consumer interface is "App Store."

Maybe a difference without a distinction, but that's how I interpreted the OPs question - is there a distinct application designed to track vessel maintenance.
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Old 01-30-2023, 09:38 AM   #10
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I had several owners that subscribed to Wheelhouse Technology. The owners were pleased and I was impressed with the program. Wheelhouse Technology sold and I think this is the parent company: https://vesselvanguard.com
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Old 01-30-2023, 10:30 AM   #11
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Most maintenance logs are more important to future owners of your boat. I think they would prefer paper copies.

I occasionally look at the history of my boat, like wen did I change hoses. But not often.

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Old 01-30-2023, 12:15 PM   #12
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Quote:
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Most maintenance logs are more important to future owners of your boat. I think they would prefer paper copies.

I occasionally look at the history of my boat, like wen did I change hoses. But not often.

pete
The app I referenced above lets me export the info easily and I can print it from Excel.
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Old 01-30-2023, 12:22 PM   #13
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As an FYI, the link I sent you isn't just for record keeping or necessarily for the next owner. It logs your maintenance and sends you a text when you have have upcoming maintenance checks, tracks your spare parts inventory, etc.
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Old 05-30-2023, 02:49 PM   #14
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Quote:
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App (Application) and Software are the same thing.
Technically App is short for Application Software. A program designed to basically do one job/role. Photoshop (image editing), Word (word processimg), etc. The other basic types are Enterprise and Firmware. Enterprise (what I design for a living) is complex software made to be simultaneously used by many users to run business processes and manage it's data. A good example would be software used to run a factory manufacturing and logistics operation, or a mortgage origination system. Firmware is the software inside electronic devices used to run them. The code inside the tv remote that gets everything done based on your button presses.

/gets off supergeek soap box.
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Old 02-29-2024, 09:07 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Judy at JWY View Post
I had several owners that subscribed to Wheelhouse Technology. The owners were pleased and I was impressed with the program. Wheelhouse Technology sold and I think this is the parent company: https://vesselvanguard.com
I’ll second Vessel Vanguard. Been using it for the past 4 years and quite happy. Not the cheapest solution but an elegant all in one solution for manuals, diagrams, spares inventory, maintenance records, etc.
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Old 02-29-2024, 10:24 AM   #16
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I've been using Yachtwave, for no other reason than it's simple and easily trackable, and I can share it with wife and fellow Mainship owners. I'm sure there are better out there, but works for me!
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Old 02-29-2024, 01:58 PM   #17
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I've look at most of the apps mentioned above, including using a simple spreadsheet. None did everything I wanted and most were overkill for a single owner/operator.

What I want:

Systems tracking (mfg, model, year, serial number, install date, etc.) of the major systems with the ability to store multiple files such as pdf manuals of each. I want to input specific maintenance requirements (oil & filter change, fuel filter, coolant change, etc.) and have a report that gives me an upcoming/past due list of each requirement based on days and/or engine hours. And the ability to log maintenance performed, again with the ability to store invoice's, etc. for each maintenance function performed.

Inventory function.
To include mfg, part numbers, the system it's used on, and where stored onboard.

Cruise Log (Captain's Log)
To track date and place of departure, date and place of arrival, cruise leg if multiple legs on a cruise, guests onboard, notes, beginning/ending engine hours for both engines and genset, pdf/pics storage per leg or cruise, etc.

Helmsman Hours
The ability to track total hours for each person at the helm.

Fuel Expense Tracking

Miscellaneous Expense Tracking

Nothing seems to fit my needs. So, I'm building my own in Microsoft Access. I'm not a programmer or coder, just a self-taught, non-power user of Access. I'm fairly happy with what I've built so far. There are still minor bugs that need to be worked out and no doubt better and faster ways to handle some of the functions.

I'd love to port this to an app for use on my iPhone or iPad so I can ditch the Windows laptop. But hiring a tech company to do this is too expensive.

Anyway, if there is anyone out there that has more experience than me in Access and would like to collaborate or can take the Access database and port it to Apple's IOS, PM me to discuss.

Best wishes,
Bill.
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Old 02-29-2024, 03:14 PM   #18
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Boy, that's a lot of stuff -- an awful lot of tracking and data entry I mean. I'm an Excel fan myself, like Weebles above. I can add tabs or columns and track whatever I want in as much detail as I want, search, sort, add sketches, pdf scans, tabulate costs, color code, but at some point I spend more time tracking things than it's worth. I decided to do a battery inventory for example when I got to six -- date, location/purpose, battery type, testing, last time I checked water level, voltage, etc. Huh -- Access. I didn't think anybody used MS Access anymore. I just googled it, the first article I got was "Is MS Access relevant anymore in 2024?" Ha! But then Excel has been around since the stone age too and I can't live without it. Whatever works for you. I just opened Access for the first time on my computer for kicks, I wasn't sure I had it. Yep, there it is. Is that really quick and easy and flexible? But then Access is utterly foreign territory to me.
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Old 02-29-2024, 03:34 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kthoennes View Post
...I just opened Access for the first time on my computer for kicks, I wasn't sure I had it. Yep, there it is. Is that really quick and easy and flexible? But then Access is utterly foreign territory to me...
For what we're doing a relational database is without question the easiest and fast way to make entries. Custom data input forms that are intuitive, custom reports, stored queries for fast answers. HOWEVER, you have to build the database to use it. Although Excel (and other spreadsheets) can do database like functions and have data entry forms, queries and reporting features are lacking. Like you said, "whatever works for you". I want an app specific to the job.

Cheers!
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Old 03-02-2024, 08:46 AM   #20
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Logging App Wanted

Would like to keep this thread alive to see what others are using…

Quote:
Originally Posted by kthoennes View Post
Boy, that's a lot of stuff -- an awful lot of tracking and data entry I mean…
After I built the app in Access, all I do is enter the systems and periodic maintenance (PM) intervals once. After that just record the PM for the system, the next PM is computed based on the cruise logs that record engine(s) start and stop times, or dates (change the oil every 200 hours or six months).

Would really like something like this for my iPad and iPhone…

Any ideas?
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