Managing Vessels

Learn how to add, edit, and manage your boat information, photos, and specifications in VesselVault.

Adding Your Vessels

Get your boats into VesselVault quickly and accurately. The more complete your vessel information, the better VesselVault can serve your maintenance tracking needs.

Ways to Add a New Vessel:
šŸ  From Dashboard

Dashboard ā†’ "Add Vessel" button

Quick access when you're already logged in
āš“ From Sidebar

Sidebar ā†’ "āš“ Add Vessel"

Always visible quick action
šŸ§­ From Navigation

Top Nav ā†’ "Vessels" ā†’ "Add New Vessel"

Traditional navigation route
šŸ”— Direct URL

/boats/add

Bookmark for quick access
Required vs Optional Information:
šŸ“ Required Fields
  • Vessel Name - What you call your boat
That's it! Everything else is optional but recommended.
ā­ Highly Recommended
  • Vessel type (sailboat, motor yacht, etc.)
  • Builder/manufacturer
  • Year of build
  • Length overall
  • Current location/marina
Form Sections:
  • Basic Information: Name, type, builder, model, year
  • Hull Details: Hull ID, build number, colors
  • Dimensions: Length, beam, draft, displacement
  • Engine Information: Make, model, power, hours
  • Systems: Water/fuel tankage, equipment
  • Location & Registration: Home port, current location
Vessel Photos

A good photo makes your boat easy to identify and looks professional if you later list it for sale.

Photo Requirements:
  • File Types: JPG, JPEG, PNG, or GIF
  • Size: Automatically resized to 800x600 pixels
  • Quality: Higher resolution photos look better after resizing
  • Orientation: Landscape (horizontal) photos work best
Photo Tips:
āœ… Good Photos
  • Full boat profile shot
  • Good lighting (daylight preferred)
  • Clean boat and surroundings
  • Shows boat's character
  • Recent photo (within 1-2 years)
āŒ Avoid
  • Dark or blurry photos
  • Photos of other boats
  • Cluttered backgrounds
  • Very old photos
  • Photos with people's faces
When to Upload Photos:
  • During Initial Setup: When first adding your vessel
  • After Major Work: Show off upgrades and improvements
  • Before Selling: Fresh photos help attract buyers
  • Annual Updates: Keep your vessel gallery current
Editing Vessel Information

Keep your vessel information current as you make upgrades and changes.

How to Edit Vessel Details:
  1. Go to your boat's detail page
  2. Click "Edit Vessel Details" button in the page header
  3. Modify any information in the form
  4. Click "Save Vessel Details"
  5. Changes appear immediately throughout VesselVault
Common Updates:
  • Engine Hours: Update after each season
  • Location: When boat moves to new marina
  • Equipment: After installing new gear
  • Photos: Show off improvements
  • Registration: If boat changes registration
  • Colors: After painting or refinishing
  • Tankage: If tanks are modified/replaced
  • Specifications: After modifications
Permission Requirements:
  • Owner Role: Can edit all vessel information, add/remove users
  • Engineer Role: Can edit technical specifications and maintenance data
  • Viewer Role: Can view but not modify vessel information
Managing Multiple Vessels

VesselVault makes it easy to manage fleets of boats, whether for personal or commercial use.

Viewing All Your Vessels:
Dashboard Tabs:
Switch between vessels using tabs in left column
Vessels Page:
Nav ā†’ "Vessels" for complete vessel list
Dashboard Efficiency:
  • Quick Switching: Click vessel tabs to change active boat
  • Individual Contexts: Each tab shows that boat's specific information
  • Separate Maintenance: Quick maintenance tasks are boat-specific
  • Local Services: Service providers based on each boat's location
Organizing Your Fleet:
  • Naming Convention: Use clear, distinctive names
  • Photos: Ensure each boat has a unique, recognizable photo
  • Locations: Keep current berthing locations updated
  • Roles: Assign appropriate access levels to crew/partners
Boat Detail Page Layout

VesselVault's boat detail page is organized for efficiency with actions placed where you'd expect to find them.

Clean Header (Top of Page):
  • Back to Dashboard - Return to main dashboard
  • Edit Vessel Details - Modify boat information (owner/engineer only)
  • Listed for Sale - Marketplace status and management (owner/engineer only)
Left Column - Quick Actions:
  • Captain's Log - Access your sailing journal with speech-to-text
  • Document Vault - Manage boat documents and certificates (owner only)
  • Export PDF - Generate boat profile or maintenance history PDFs
Left Column - Maintenance Actions:
  • Schedule Task - Set up recurring maintenance reminders (owner/engineer only)
  • Log Maintenance - Record completed maintenance work (owner/engineer only)
These buttons appear in the Scheduled Maintenance Tasks section
Right Column - Information & History:
  • Boat Specifications - Complete vessel details and technical information
  • Maintenance History - Recent maintenance logs with "View All Records" button
  • Local Services - Service providers near your boat's current location
šŸ’” Pro Tip: Contextual Actions

Actions are placed where you'd logically expect them - maintenance buttons near maintenance content, document actions near document areas, and history actions in the history section.

User Access Management

Share your boats with crew, partners, or service providers while controlling what they can access.

User Roles Explained:
šŸ‘‘ Owner
  • Full access to everything
  • Edit vessel details
  • Manage maintenance
  • Add/remove users
  • List boat for sale
  • Delete vessel
šŸ”§ Engineer
  • Edit vessel specifications
  • Log maintenance
  • Schedule tasks
  • Upload documents
  • Request service quotes
  • Cannot delete vessel
šŸ‘€ Viewer
  • View vessel details
  • See maintenance history
  • View documents
  • Read-only access
  • Cannot modify anything
  • Perfect for crew/family
Common Access Scenarios:
  • Spouse/Partner: Owner role for shared decision making
  • Regular Crew: Engineer role to log maintenance they perform
  • Family Members: Viewer role to see boat status and history
  • Service Providers: Temporary engineer access for specific projects
  • Brokers/Agents: Viewer access to see maintenance history for sales
Security Note: User access management is currently being developed. For now, the boat owner (person who added it) has full access, and additional user management features will be available soon.
Quick Actions
Information Checklist

Maximize VesselVault's value by including:









Where to Find Info
šŸ“‹ Documentation:
  • Owner's manual
  • Survey reports
  • Registration documents
  • Insurance papers
šŸ” Physical Inspection:
  • Hull ID plate (usually starboard transom)
  • Engine nameplate
  • CE marking plate
  • Builder's plate
šŸŒ Online Resources:
  • Builder's website
  • Boat databases
  • Previous listing information
  • Marina records
Archiving Vessels

Archive boats you no longer actively use while preserving all historical data.

When to Archive:
  • Sold Vessels: When you've sold a boat but want to keep records
  • Seasonal Storage: Boats not in active use during off-season
  • Fleet Cleanup: Simplify your dashboard by hiding inactive vessels
  • Business Records: Maintain historical data for tax or insurance purposes
How to Archive:
  1. Go to Vessels ā†’ View All Boats
  2. Find the boat you want to archive
  3. Click the Archive button (only shown to owners)
  4. Confirm the archive action
What Gets Preserved:
āœ… Preserved Data
  • All maintenance logs
  • Captain's log entries
  • Scheduled tasks
  • Document library
  • Boat specifications
  • Photos and images
šŸ”„ What Changes
  • Hidden from dashboard tabs
  • Not shown in boat listings
  • Scheduled tasks paused
  • Removed from service requests
  • No new activity notifications
Viewing Archived Boats:

Navigation: Vessels ā†’ Archived Boats
Features: View details, access all historical data, restore to active status

Restoring Archived Boats:

Easy Restoration: Go to Archived Boats ā†’ Click Restore ā†’ Boat returns to active status immediately

šŸ’” Pro Tip: Archiving is completely reversible and preserves all data. It's a safe way to declutter your dashboard without losing any important maintenance history.

Related Help