DeckVaktQuestions skippers ask before they sail
Crew size, signal, accounts, Swedish versus four on four off, rest hours, whether you need the desk app, and when the app actually ships. Short answers; the guides do the rest.
Short answers to the questions people type. The long versions live in the guides.
How small a crew does DeckVakt work with?
Three upward. Below about five, no system gives everybody six hours, and the app shows the cost rather than pretending. Two-handed watch system.
Does it work without mobile signal?
Yes. Rota, alarms, board and log live on the phones. Sharing is a code in the saloon. Sailing watch app.
Do I need the desk app?
No. The whole system is usable on iPhone and Android — plan, generate, stand the watch, write the log. The desk app is optional: a wide screen for convenience, plus extra statistics — fairness, rest hours, sleep debt, system comparison. You never need it to run a passage.
Do the crew need an account or to pay?
No. They join as crew, pick their name, and never need an account or payment. The skipper can optionally support DeckVakt after a completed passage.
What is the difference between a watch rota, watch bill and watch schedule?
None that matters at sea. How to build a yacht watch rota.
Swedish or four on four off?
Six in rotation, long passage: Swedish. Four crew or a delivery that already knows the pattern: four on four off with dog watches. Compare the five.
Does four on four off pass MLC rest hours?
Usually not — enough total rest, no six-hour block. Hours of rest.
Do private yachts need rest-hours records?
Often not by law. Often yes for deliveries, coded yachts and training boats. Delivery skippers.
Is DeckVakt an ISF Watchkeeper alternative?
Only if your job is an offshore yacht passage, not fleet compliance. Honest comparison.
Can I keep the rota I already use in Excel?
Yes. Build it as custom. The question is what runs it after slip time. Paper and Excel vs the app.
When can I download DeckVakt?
It is in development. The waitlist is the route to the App Store and Google Play. The desk app is optional and included — the desk app is never required. Why we are opening it now.
Is it really free?
Yes. Plan and test as often as you need, then deliberately start a real passage. After you finish, DeckVakt asks whether it earned support. Say yes, say not now, or never pay; every feature behaves the same.
How do I move or back up my passages?
DeckVakt saves on the device you are using, not on a DeckVakt server. Export a DeckVakt file to continue on another device or keep your history, then import it whenever you need it. That local design gives you complete privacy and reliable use without signal. After every trip, save an export to your own cloud drive, computer or memory device because we do not hold a copy that we can restore for you.
We built this for our own watches. The waitlist is how we open it to other skippers.
Join the waitlist
