Boat Buddy Support
Help, troubleshooting, and launch support for Boat Buddy.
Get in touch
The fastest way to reach the Boat Buddy team is by email. We read every message and reply within a few business days.
When emailing, it helps to include:
- Your iPhone model and iOS version
- The Boat Buddy version from Settings
- Whether Demo Mode is on
- A short description of what happened and screenshots if useful
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers for trip recording, tides, privacy, and safety.
Is Boat Buddy a replacement for nautical charts or marine navigation equipment?
No. Boat Buddy is a planning and logbook companion. Always verify tides, charts, weather, hazards, and local rules with official sources and carry proper safety and emergency communication equipment.
Why does Boat Buddy ask for location permission?
Location powers the map, trip route recording, speed, heading, distance, waypoints, catch location, nearby tide stations, and anchor watch. When you enable background location, Boat Buddy can continue an active trip or anchor watch while the app is not frontmost.
Does Boat Buddy work offline?
Trips, waypoints, catches, boat records, checklists, maintenance, exports, and previously cached tide data work offline. Fresh NOAA tide station searches and prediction refreshes need an internet connection.
Where does tide data come from?
Boat Buddy downloads tide station and prediction data from NOAA CO-OPS. Tide predictions may be delayed, unavailable, cached, or different from real-world conditions, so always verify with official sources before making boating decisions.
How do tide reminders and anchor drift alerts work?
They are local iOS notifications. Tide reminders are scheduled before a selected tide event. Anchor drift alerts are generated on-device if your boat appears to move beyond the radius you set. They are helpful reminders, not certified safety alarms.
Can I export my trips and fishing logs?
Yes. Boat Buddy can export trip and catch records as CSV, route data as GPX, and trip reports as PDF. Exports are created locally and shared only when you choose where to send or save them.
How does catch photo species suggestion work?
When you attach a catch photo, Apple's on-device Vision framework can suggest possible species. The suggestion is only a helper; verify the species yourself. The photo is not uploaded to QnSub.
How do I delete my data?
Open Boat Buddy Settings and use Delete All Data, or uninstall the app. Because the app is local-first and has no account server, deleting local data removes the records Boat Buddy controls.
Where is the privacy policy?
You can read it here: Boat Buddy Privacy Policy.