What a boat maintenance app must do: reminders by date, engine hours or distance, whichever first, with a starter list of 12 jobs and an honest comparison.
A boat maintenance app should remind you by date, by engine hours and by distance or sailing time, whichever comes first, and restart each interval from the day you actually did the job. It also needs to keep the history, work offline at the mooring and hold more than one boat. Choosing one is mostly about whether it can watch usage as well as dates. The rest of this guide is what to check, which jobs suit which trigger, and a plan you can set up in an hour.
What a boat maintenance app must do
| Requirement | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Triggers by date, by engine hours, or both | Oil and impeller jobs have both limits. Whichever comes first is what manuals such as Volvo Penta's and Yanmar's specify |
| Trigger by distance or sailing time | Sails and rigging wear with use, not engine hours |
| Restart from the completion date | A late job shouldn't shorten the next interval or stretch it either |
| History per job | Find what was done last time and what part fitted |
| Photos on each record | Before and after, and part numbers |
| Offline use | A reminder or record must not depend on marina WiFi |
| Multiple boats | Boats sold, a second boat or a tender |
| Export or backup | The record has to outlast the app, and go to the next owner |
| Sharing with a co-owner | Two people working from one list. Check how this is handled, since not every app does it |
Which job suits which trigger
| Job type | Best trigger | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Engine fluids and filters | Engine hours or date, whichever first | Oil and filter |
| Things that age regardless of use | Date only | Flares, gas hoses, lifejacket service |
| Sails and rigging | Sailing time or distance, or date | Sail inspection |
| Drive and sterngear | Hours or date | Gearbox oil |
| Hull | Season or date | Antifouling, anodes |
| Survey and paperwork | Date only | Insurance, survey |
Two triggers on the same job are often better than one. A cruising boat that motors 60 hours a year will reach the date limit first, but a season of motoring through a calm summer could reach the hours limit, and you want a reminder either way.
A starter list of 12 jobs
Treat these as starting values, based on common templates. Your engine manual, service agent and local rules come first, and the sibling guide to engine service intervals has what specific manuals say.
| Job | Starting interval | Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Engine oil and filter | Yearly or 200 h | Hours or date |
| Fuel filters | Yearly or 250 h | Hours or date |
| Raw water impeller | Yearly | Date |
| Coolant | 2 years | Date |
| Gearbox oil | Yearly or 200 h | Hours or date |
| Valve clearance | 1000 h | Hours |
| Saildrive diaphragm | 7 years | Date |
| Standing rigging check | Yearly | Date |
| Replace standing rigging | 10 years | Date |
| Life jackets | Yearly | Date |
| Flares | 3 years | Date |
| Gas hoses | 5 years | Date |
Rules for flares, liferafts and gas differ by country and product, so check what applies. For lifejackets, intervals vary by manufacturer; see life jacket servicing.
Setting up a yearly plan in an hour
- Ten minutes: collect the engine manual, last invoices and the dates you know.
- Fifteen minutes: enter the current engine hours and the 12 jobs above, adjusting to the manual.
- Ten minutes: set a real "last done" date for each. If you don't know it, mark the job as due now.
- Fifteen minutes: add what's special about your boat: watermaker, heater, generator, outboard.
- Five minutes: choose when reminders should reach you, and pick a quiet month for the big annual work.
- Five minutes: walk the boat with the list and see what you missed.
Then stop. The rest gets added during the season as you notice it.
Calendar, spreadsheet or dedicated app
| Calendar app | Spreadsheet | Dedicated app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date reminders | Yes | Only with extra work | Yes |
| Engine hours trigger | No | With formulas, needs manual hours entry | Depends on the app |
| Restart from completion | You edit each one by hand | Formula, if you enter the date | Usually built in |
| History and photos | No | Links, and it gets clumsy | Yes |
| Offline | Mostly | Mostly | Check it |
| Effort to run | Low | Moderate | Low after setup |
| Reasonable choice if | You have a small boat and few jobs | You like spreadsheets or need your own columns | You want hours triggers and history in one place |
A calendar is honest for a day boat with an outboard and four jobs. Past that, restarting intervals by hand is what makes people give up. A spreadsheet gives you complete control, as in our logbook template, but it won't tell you anything unless you open it. A dedicated app costs some setup time and depends on its maker staying in business, which is why export matters.
Apps worth looking at
Availability and features change, so check the App Store or Play Store before deciding. As of November 2026, Logbook Suite from 2K Yachting (iOS) offers ship management with maintenance intervals, inventory lists and crew management, and is the closest dedicated alternative. Manta, on iPhone and iPad, is described below. If you use Android, look in the Play Store, as neither of these runs there, and read the store listing for how reminders work. Our app comparison covers logbook apps in general.
Maintenance reminders in Manta
The maintenance log holds every entry per boat. Fuel and engine-hour logs are free. Other work logs and reminders are Pro. Each job can be triggered by date (once or repeating), by engine hours for engine, drive and fuel system jobs, by sailing time or distance for sails, rigging, deck and hull, or by date and use together, whichever comes first. A coloured chip shows the time left. Setup offers about 35 usual jobs with typical intervals by boat type, all editable. Marking a job done writes a log entry and restarts the interval from that day. Notifications come on the morning a date is due, and once when a usage value is reached. Everything works offline, and the whole logbook backup file carries your boats and maintenance. Keep the actual record in the boat maintenance log.
Questions
What is the best boat maintenance app?
One that reminds you by date and by engine hours, whichever comes first, restarts the interval when you finish a job, keeps a history with photos and works offline. Whether you need several boats or a shared record narrows it further.
Can a calendar app do the job of a boat maintenance tracker?
For date-based jobs, yes. A calendar can't watch engine hours or restart an interval from the day you actually did the work, which is where it breaks down.
How long does it take to set up a maintenance plan?
About an hour once you have the manuals to hand. Start with the dozen jobs that matter, and add the rest over the season.
Should reminders restart from the due date or the date done?
From the date you did it. If you changed the oil six weeks late, the next one counts from the actual change.
Manta does this for you
Maintenance reminders for your boat Pro
Get reminded when a job on your boat is due, by date, engine hours, sailing time or distance.
