Member help
Member guide — start your account and keep the boat memory current
Warm, plain steps for new members: magic-link sign-in, boat profile, asks, history, and account basics. This is separate from the marine Top 10 Guides.
1. What the portal is for
The member portal is where you keep a living picture of your boat, ask for guided troubleshooting and repair solutions, and come back to past cases without re-explaining the same fridge, inverter, or autopilot every time.
You sign in with a passwordless magic link — no password to forget at sea. Your session stays in a secure cookie in the browser.
2. Create an account & sign in
- Open portal/login.
- Choose Sign up (new) or Log in (returning).
- Enter the email you want tied to the account.
- Tap Email me a sign-in link.
- Open the message, click the link, and you land in the portal — account created on first successful verify if you were new.
Email delivery for magic links is being wired for production. If a link does not arrive, wait a minute, check spam, then try again — or write [email protected]. We will not ask you for a password.
Plan labels on the sign-up screen are display-only until billing is fully connected. Starting an account with a magic link does not charge a card.
3. Member home
After sign-in you land on Member home. Typical pieces:
- Open & active — cases still moving, with status chips (Open, In progress, Awaiting you, and so on).
- Recent history — short previews and outcome tags (Fixed, Workaround, Call a pro, …).
- Boat quick-pick — switch which vessel’s context you are looking at, then jump to edit the profile.
- New ask — shortcut into the intake form.
Use the left (or mobile) portal nav: Home, Ask, History, Boat, Account — plus this Help page.
4. Boat profile
Open Boat. Fill what you know; you can refine later. Good boat memory makes every ask sharper.
Basics
- Boat name, year, make, model, LOA
- Propulsion / engine notes
- Electrical / battery bank
- Shore power / inverter notes (voltage and 50/60 Hz when it matters)
- Optional last haul-out or survey date
Hull ID (private)
Your Hull ID is the HIN or builder serial — VIN-like for this vessel. It stays private to your boat profile. It is not shown in any shared case library or cross-member view. Use it so history and manuals stay tied to the exact hull.
Model ID (sister ships)
Model ID is an optional catalog key for make / model / year band (examples you may see seeded: beneteau-oceanis-38, catalina-36). It helps match anonymized fixes from similar boats. Matching uses model and systems — never your Hull ID. Leave blank if you are unsure.
Major systems + manufacturer / model
Check systems you have aboard, then add manufacturer and model for each (for example Victron MultiPlus 2000, Raymarine EV-200). That feeds gear-level matching across vessels.
Systems include everyday gear and instruments / comms: watermaker, fridge, HVAC, nav, plumbing, steering, autopilot, generator, inverter/charger, depth, wind, radar, AIS, VHF, Starlink, Iridium, SSB/HF, and more as the list grows.
Where catalog typeahead is available, type a few characters and pick the known manufacturer + model so the next member (and the agent later) sees the same gear identity. If your exact unit is missing, enter it by hand — “other / add new” is how the catalog grows from real boats.
Save when you are done. Revisit after haul-outs, refits, or gear swaps.
5. Submit an ask
From Ask (or New ask on home / history):
- Choose the boat.
- Pick a system category (Electrical, Plumbing, Propulsion, Nav, Rigging, HVAC, Other).
- Describe the symptom — what is happening, when it started, what you already tried.
- Set urgency: Routine, Underway, or Safety concern.
- Add optional location context (marina, anchorage, underway) and recent work or changes.
- Submit. You will get a case you can follow on History and the case thread.
Photo / video upload may still be stubbed while the portal hardens — describe what a photo would show if you cannot attach yet.
Guided agent replies deepen as the specialist agent comes online. Early on, cases still capture your intake and thread so nothing is lost.
6. History & case threads
History is your searchable archive. Filter by status and search questions, boats, or categories.
Open a row to reach the case thread: chronological notes from you and replies from the agent side, plus status and outcome when set (Fixed, Workaround, Call a pro, Inconclusive, and similar).
When a case is Awaiting you, reply with the measurements or checks requested — short, concrete updates keep the next step honest.
7. Account basics
On Account you will see your member email, plan badge, and (as billing connects) payment and invoice tools.
- Sign out from the header when you leave a shared machine.
- Plans — Free Deckhand, Lifetime Dockside, Harbor Pilot, Ocean Watch — are described on Pricing. Checkout links go live when Stripe is wired; until then treat portal plan labels as display, not a live charge.
- Need a human? Email [email protected].
8. Keep your profile updated
After any meaningful change aboard, spend two minutes on the boat page:
- New fridge, inverter, chartplotter, or antenna? Check the system and set manufacturer / model.
- Replaced the house bank? Refresh electrical notes.
- Changed shore power habits (50 Hz travel, pedestal amps)? Say so in shore / inverter notes.
- Sold a boat or added another? Use boat quick-pick / profile entries so asks attach to the right hull.
Updated gear identity is what lets sister-ship and same-equipment cases help you later — without exposing your private Hull ID.
9. Safety & expectations
Guidance here is experience-based for education and DIY planning. Safety-critical or unfamiliar electrical, gas, or structural work: verify with a qualified marine professional.
If urgency is a true safety concern, stabilize the situation first — then use the portal for structured follow-up when it is safe to do so.
This Member Guide is versioned at the top. When portal screens change, Charlotte updates this page. See also Site map and the marine Top 10 Guides.