Shared Ownership & Syndicates
One boat, one shared record - invite co-owners, crew and engineers, and keep the boat kitty in plain sight.
Many boats aren't owned by one person. Syndicates, families, partnerships and sailing clubs share their vessels - and now they can share the boat's VesselVault record too. Every member sees the same maintenance history, Captain's Log, documents and scheduled tasks, so nobody is chasing WhatsApp messages to find out when the engine was last serviced.
One Boat, One Truth
When a co-owner logs an oil change or an engineer records a repair, everyone in the syndicate sees it instantly - with each entry attributed to the person who logged it.
Every member of a boat has one of four roles. The Primary Owner holds the helm - every boat has exactly one, and only they can make the big decisions.
Primary Owner
Full control. The only member who can invite co-owners, remove members, transfer or archive the boat, or hand the helm to someone else.
Co-owner
Day-to-day management: maintenance, documents, scheduling, the Boat Fund, and inviting engineers or viewers.
Engineer
Logs maintenance, Captain's Log entries and inventory. Cannot edit boat details or see any financial information.
Viewer
Read-only access to the boat, its logs, documents and reports. Perfect for family or prospective buyers.
| Action | Primary | Co-owner | Engineer | Viewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| View boat, logs, documents, reports | ||||
| Log maintenance, Captain's Log, inventory | ||||
| Edit boat details, schedule tasks, upload documents | ||||
| View and add Boat Fund entries | ||||
| Invite engineers and viewers | ||||
| Invite co-owners, remove members, revoke invites | ||||
| Transfer, archive, or list the boat for sale |
Open Crew & Owners
From your boat's detail page, open the Crew & Owners page. You'll see everyone who currently has access, plus any pending invites.
Enter Their Email and Choose a Role
Type the person's email address and pick their role. Owners can invite engineers and viewers; only the primary owner can invite co-owners.
They Receive a Secure Invite Link
VesselVault emails them a secure link that's valid for 7 days. You can revoke a pending invite at any time from the Crew & Owners page.
You can't invite an email address that already has a role on the boat, and duplicate pending invites to the same address are blocked - so there's no risk of accidental double invites.
When your invitee clicks the link in their email, what happens depends on whether they already use VesselVault:
- Already have an account? They log in and see a confirmation screen showing the boat, the role offered, and who invited them. One click to accept (or decline) and the boat appears on their dashboard.
- New to VesselVault? The link walks them through creating an account first, then brings them straight back to the confirmation screen. They can even register with a different email address than the one you invited - the secure link is what counts.
Expired, revoked or already-used links show a friendly explanation rather than an error - just send a fresh invite if needed.
Every syndicate has a kitty - now yours has a ledger. The Boat Fund records money in (contributions) and money out (maintenance, mooring, insurance and more), with a running balance that always adds up because it's calculated from the entries themselves.
- Owners only: the fund is visible to the primary owner and co-owners. Engineers and viewers never see any financial information.
- Categories: tag each entry as a contribution, maintenance, mooring, insurance, or other - so you can see where the money goes.
- Your currency: amounts display in your preferred currency, set in your account preferences.
The Boat Fund is a shared record book, not a payment system. It doesn't move money or split costs between members - it keeps everyone honest about what's in the kitty and where it went.
Handing over the helm
The primary owner can promote a co-owner to primary from the Crew & Owners page. The helm passes in one step - useful when the person who set the boat up steps back from running it.
Leaving a boat
Co-owners, engineers and viewers can leave a boat at any time from the Crew & Owners page. Their past maintenance and log entries stay with the boat, attributed by name. The primary owner can't leave while holding the helm - a boat can never be ownerless - so hand over first.
Removing a member
Only the primary owner can remove members. The removed member loses access immediately; their historical entries remain part of the boat's record.
Selling or transferring the boat
Transferring ownership dissolves the syndicate. The new owner becomes primary owner of a fresh start: all other members lose access and the Boat Fund ledger is deleted. The maintenance history goes with the boat - the money doesn't. The transfer screen warns you before any of this happens.