Ship's Log

Just took possession of my new (to me) 1981 34' Californian and I'm in the process of figuring it all out.

I'm wondering...what does everybody use for a ship's log or maintenance log? The boat didn't come with either one so I have very limited history. I've seen boats with beautiful, leather or wood-bound books and others with spiral notebooks. I'm sure there are apps, computer programs, and some other ways that I haven't thought of yet. Maybe even ways to attach photos? What about any commercially available books? Are any of them any good?

Also, what do you keep in your logs? Anything specific that you kept but found to be useless? Valuable? What about maintenance?

On my old boat (several years ago), we never kept a log or any kind of a guest roster and I Kind of regret it. As we start with the new boat, I'm trying to avoid those same regrets.

Thanks,

Matt

Also, I apologize if this has been covered. I searched ship's log and "log" is evidently too small to be used as a search term and "ship's"...well, you can imagine...

I have maintained a cruising log since I first launched Tidahapah.
I use " Log Book. Cruising Under Power" by Mellor
I am now on my 5 th volume.
For maintenance I use a spreadsheet on the vessels computer.
4 pages, Hull,Main Engine,Generator, Extras.
There are commercial programmes available and as a Chief Engineer at sea have used numerous versions but feel that they are too comprehensive for a pleasure boat .
Cheers
Benn

As a cruising log I like to use a spiral notebook
for maintenace I use a looseleaf binder with pages printed with a home made form including; the component, hours, service performed, hours to next service, part number, etc.

I'm old fashioned... a bound book with numbered pages is legal. Go to Amazon and look for a Record Book -- or your local office supply store. About $30 at Office Depot but $20 or so on Amazon.

Starting on Page 150 I have maintenance.
The rest is just written notes, with dates/times, compass headings, anchorages and even interesting things seen. I have folks sign it too -- just like we did ours when growing up.

Some folks sign their names, others write notes which is of course fun to look back on.
When you go into that office supply house find a book that holds business cards. They have them (similar to the ones for baseball cards you probably have see) -- you'll want one for the boat cards you'll collect over time.

The one thing I have not done is write all the routine maintenance checks (batts, smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, bilge pumps, running lights etc.) and I should do that. When something is out of the ordinary occurs I do make a note of the resolution.

Because I check my batts individually on the first of each month I was able to detect the bad one so the others were not damaged. And I have long hair so every week I check the one bilge pump that is lowest for hair removal. The other two 2k pumps are exercised on the first (float switches and On Switch) just to make sure they will work.

I was questioned once by a LEO (law enforcement officer) as to when I came into state waters. The log book had the date and he accepted it as truth.

In the margins I write the engine hours (and which fuel tank I've used)
Also that allows me to keep track for oil changes.

The Log Book has the coordinates when I lower the anchor. It also has my radius at each point of the swing allowing me to confirm that I'm sitting tight.

For me I prefer open (lined but no columns) as I tend to ramble. Or I might draw a picture of what I've seen. It doesn't have to be perfection, so almost anything you do is better than nothing. That said, you'll not regret the detail you put into the things you see, your impressions or that dolphin that followed you for a time. Someday, this will be your look back in time. Make it informational.

Here's a snippet from mine:


IMO, of course.

I use a daily log book just to record the basics when we're cruising and fishing, but not for running out to check the crab pots or fueling up, etc. We Log departure, arrival, and who's on board, also fishing spots and results.

We made a separate boats log book which is a three ring binder, a plastic sheet protectors for each category.

Categories are:

Boat registration,
insurance information,
boat operators license,
Coast Guard certification letter Microphor septic system,
life preserver inventory/inspection report
Flare gun and signaling device inventory/inspection report
Fire extinguisher inventory/inspection report
Engine and generator maintenance
Miscellaneous maintenance and upgrades.

If you're boarded, they appreciate you having your documentation organized, current and in order. Simple but neat and all in one place.

We keep three logs: (1) Deck log to record navigation particulars, fueling details, guests aboard, weather, etc., (2) General maintenance log, (3) Machinery maintenance log for propulsion engines and generators and their respective batteries. You are very smart to research this question and begin keeping logs, the more detailed the better. Nothing quite so valuable both to you and to the next skipper who buys your boat!

The PO kept spiral note books with a mixture of cuising log and maintenance info (lite on the maint data). He also kept every reciept he had. I took the note books and reciepts and reconstructed a maintenance and upgrade history in an excel spreedsheet. Its been a useful tool and gave me a good feel for the care of the boat from PO. I purchased an new hard bound ledger and started our new cruising long where I log all cruising journal items and about 75% of the maint data. I keep I the spreadsheet.

I work on my boat all the time. It's a boat There is always something to fix up grade, repair, renew.
If ,I wrote down everything I did to my boat I would have more paper than a paper mill.
I figure I did the work. I know when I did It. I don't plan on selling the boat and if I do I'll just tell the guy what I did recently. She is running and in top shape if it isn't I fix it. I fix it now.
To me it is what is going on with the boat now not 2 or 3 years ago. I like to think on my feet handle the problems when they come up.

Thats my story and I am sticking to it.

sd

A loose leaf notebook with custom pages made with Microsoft Excel.

S.Dude has a good point but I do maintain a log, several of them.

One three ring binder for boat mtce. Including the drivetrain.

I use graph paper for the engine mtce, noting dates, eng hrs.

Down the L.H side is the list of things to be done under headings with a split out beneath , oil chgs and filters, gear oil, eng & gear zinc chge, On the top of the page is the eng hr and date. All in columns.

I use a pattern of X for checked, R for repair/replace, S for service[adjustments, lube]. This does include all the gear, anchor, rode, run lgts, tanks,pumps, fridge, etc. Almost everything.

This is just the checks for routine common stuff and then in the forward part of the book 3 ring foolscap to make the specific notes about what was done, why, parts list, $, time worked, and how something was done.

There are pages for CCG checks and equipment.

Sound like more than it is but it has stood me in good stead over the years.
For routine but infrequent items I maintain a page for longer term mtce with note about what and the suggested date and/or hours so I don't miss or forget.

I used to maintain a radio log but gave up.

My wife maintains the activities log in a separate book but it also includes fuel log, people and boats, places, run times when remembered.
and diagrams.

I'm working on the electrical system, labelling ALL junctions, busses, fuses. I've ignored it for years although all works well and I've been through it many times but once in a while I get caught. Making dwgs, not fancy though.




You won't get it all immediately. Just keep notes about what you want as items come up and it won't take long. Use Excel to help. I did most of mine before the P.C. were around and the pages still work well. The newer pages are done on Excell. Maybe if I live long enough I will do all the older ones on Excell too, I'm looking at it.

Go through the mtce. manuals and make notes about oil chgs, necessary checks, , etc. and work out a page .

One thing I wish I had done was separate mechanical mtce from the hull/deck house/tanks, etc., mtce in the check and notes pages.

Got to my boat one weekend and nothing that used 12 volt worked. Plus anything that had condensers, etc such as the AC controls. My first thought was a lightning strike but there was no evidence of a strike outside or inside of the boat.
When the marine surveyer sent by BoatUS determined that there had been some sort of electrical mishap he asked if I kept a log and if so could he see it.
Right there in my log I had noted on my last entry from the week before that we had docked the boat just before a huge thunderstorm and glad to be safely back in port. I had also noted that I had done my departure checklist and all systems were functioning properly. When he called me a day later he said that there was record of a large storm and hundreds of lightning strikes in the surrounding area that coincided with my boat logs. They decided that that storm caused my damage even though there was no evidence of a strike. The electrical surge was thought to have been from a strike in the water near my boat that traveled through the keel and backwards through the grounding system.
Bottom line is it's a good idea to keep logs regardless of your system. Made my claim resolution much easier as well.

Thanks for all the replies. It certainly seems as if a log (or perhaps log(s) is a better term) would be a good idea.

Captain K, I know exactly what you mean. I certainly wish I had a maintenance log from the previous owner....

Bill, you bring up a very good point that I hadn't thought of before.

In some ways, I'm kind of a traditionalist so I think I'm leaning toward a hand-written log and guest book at this point. I'll also have a separate excel-based maintenance log that I can save in multiple locations so I can access it when I'm at the parts house and need to know what part number or fluid I used last time.

Does anybody use any type of a digital log for their actual ships log?

Bustle-we do use a digital logbook, Intelligent Logbook. Cost about $40. A very complete setup that you can use as much or as little as you choose. Sometimes ends up being a good bit of typing, but we find it useful. Very good to be able to go back and search or organize previous entries.

The electrical surge was thought to have been from a strike in the water near my boat that traveled through the keel and backwards through the grounding system.

With a pair of electric injected diesels , your ins co might be forking over $10K to $20K!

skipperdude said:

I work on my boat all the time. It's a boat There is always something to fix up grade, repair, renew.
If ,I wrote down everything I did to my boat I would have more paper than a paper mill.
I figure I did the work. I know when I did It. I don't plan on selling the boat and if I do I'll just tell the guy what I did recently. She is running and in top shape if it isn't I fix it. I fix it now.
To me it is what is going on with the boat now not 2 or 3 years ago. I like to think on my feet handle the problems when they come up.

Thats my story and I am sticking to it.

sd

Click to expand...

I'm with you skipperdude. I guess because all day long in my work as a quack, I have to keep meticulous records, so on my boat, not keeping a log was sort of a reaction to that. My wife assures me she has all the bills and what they were for on her computer, though...I ask her to not tell me what it adds up to..I might loose some sleep. It will come in handy when we sell however, showing what has been done.
Sometimes I regret not keeping a sort of running cruising log, so we could look back on it one day after we sell to bring back memories, but it's too late now.