Frequently asked questions
Honest answers about the Workboat Code, the product, and getting set up. Where we state what the Code requires, we cite the section - and we never tell you whether you’ll pass. That’s your surveyor’s call.
Do I legally need a safety management system on my workboat?
Yes. The Workboat Code Edition 3 came into force on 13 December 2023, and under it every small commercial workboat needs a safety management system. What that SMS must contain is set out in the Code itself.
Workboat Code Edition 3, Appendix 8, section 1.1
What must my SMS actually include?
The Code lists ten elements: a Safety and Environmental Protection Policy; a Risk Assessment for Safe Working; a Health and Safety Protection Policy; responsibilities of the Master and Personnel; training of Personnel; procedures for safe operation; emergencies; reporting of accidents; maintenance of the vessel and equipment; and review. SMS Workboat gives each one a home and the record to prove it.
Workboat Code Edition 3, Appendix 8, section 1.1
What is a Designated Person Ashore?
The Code requires you to designate a person ashore responsible for monitoring the safe operation of the vessel, with sufficient authority, knowledge and resources to fulfil the role. SMS Workboat has a Person Ashore surface where you record who that is.
Workboat Code Edition 3, Appendix 8, section 6
Do my crew need any training or familiarisation?
Yes - before the first occasion of working on the vessel, each worker must receive appropriate familiarisation training and instruction in on-board procedures. SMS Workboat keeps a per-crew familiarisation register, and a login-holding crew member can countersign their own record.
Workboat Code Edition 3, Appendix 8, section 7
Do I have to record drills?
Yes. Exercises in the identified emergency situations must be carried out and recorded, including the names of those who took part. SMS Workboat records each drill (with a photo if you want one) against those names.
Workboat Code Edition 3, Appendix 8, section 10
What about maintenance records?
The Code asks you to develop documented inspection and maintenance procedures - you set the frequency - and to record all inspections and maintenance. SMS Workboat is a maintenance log that derives its own due dates and keeps an append-only record of what was done.
Workboat Code Edition 3, Appendix 8, section 12
What happens at an inspection or survey?
A surveyor reviews your SMS and its records. SMS Workboat gives you an inspection pack that is ready any day, and a read-only inspector link - four hours, one boat, no app - that shows you when it has been opened and can be revoked any time. Whether you comply is your surveyor’s or Designated Person’s decision, not ours.
How long does it take to set up?
From nothing to a working SMS in an afternoon, on your phone. You photograph certificates you already have and Nova reads the details off the picture so you just confirm them; your documents start from Workboat-Code templates rather than a blank page.
What does it cost?
£49 a month per boat at launch, everything included - no tiers, no per-user charges, nothing gated behind a “Pro” plan. Right now we run a Founding Skippers programme: 10 boats use SMS Workboat free while we finish it together, then keep a permanent founder’s discount that stays below our public price.
Does it work offline, out on the water?
Yes. Open it once with a signal so it loads onto the phone, and after that it keeps working out at sea with no signal: record drills, snap evidence and sign crew on. It saves on board and syncs itself when you are back in range - and it stays honest about which is which: a photo you take offline reads “On board”, not “Saved”, until the server confirms it, so you can always see what has actually landed. The only limits are the very first load (that needs a signal, to load the app onto the phone) and a very long stretch fully offline, after which it will ask you to sign in again when you are next in range.
How does crew sign onto a boat?
You invite a crew member once; they sign in on their own phone - no app to download - then scan the wheelhouse QR sticker to sign onto the boat, and can put their signature on the risk assessment or documents they need to acknowledge. Crew read and self-sign; they don’t change your records. (The no-login links are for inspectors, not crew signatures.)
I only have one boat - is this overkill?
No. With one boat there is zero fleet clutter - just your boat. The fleet office (overview, the what’s-needed-where feed, the switcher, crew, per-boat QR and inspector links) only appears when you add a second boat.
What if I run a fleet?
Add a second boat and the fleet office appears automatically. The price stays flat at £49 per boat - the features that arrive as you grow are already included, which is the fleet discount.
Can I get my documents out - do I own my data?
You can download your whole SMS as a PDF document pack any time, and the inspection pack is assembled and ready any day of the year. Your records are yours.