Pre-departure checks
Work through your required safety check before every trip, on your phone, in a couple of minutes. Every completed check is logged automatically with the date, time, and who was aboard.
Vessel Management System
bosun
/ˈboʊ·sən/ noun, also bo's'n, boatswain
Historically: the crew member responsible for the vessel, its rigging, its safety equipment, and making sure everything that needs doing, gets done.
Today: the system that makes sure everything that needs doing on board, gets done.
Focus on the water.
bosun handles the rest.
Pre-trip checks, maintenance records, and safety documentation, all in one place. Protect your vessel, your passengers, and your licence, without the desk work.
A look at bosun
Built for the dock, not the office.
Everything you need to stay compliant, laid out simply, whether you're at your desk reviewing the week or running a pre-departure check at the ramp.
Home dashboardPre-departure check (mobile)Early preview, subject to change
The reality
Running a business on the water is complicated enough.
You're managing passengers, crew, weather, bookings, and a vessel that needs constant attention. Somewhere underneath all of that is a stack of required paperwork: inspection records, maintenance logs, trip documentation, and safety plans, that Transport Canada expects to be current and ready to produce on demand.
And beyond compliance, there's your vessel itself, likely the most valuable asset in your operation. A missed service interval or an untracked defect doesn't just put you offside with regulators, it puts your engine, your hull, and your season at risk.
bosun puts all of it in one place, on your phone, and keeps it current as you operate, so nothing slips through the cracks.
What bosun does
Everything that needs doing... done.
Maintenance records
Your vessel is your most valuable asset. Log service, defects, and repairs as they happen, bosun tracks what's been done and flags what's coming due, so you catch small issues before they become expensive ones.
Safety documentation
The safety plans, drill records, and crew certifications Transport Canada requires are stored in one place, always current, and ready to produce when you need them. No binder required.
Crew management
Track crew certifications and keep an accurate record of who has been aboard and in what role. Essential if you need to produce those records, and good practice regardless.
Trip logs
Record departure, return, destination, passenger count, and conditions for every run. Build a clean operating history that shows your vessel is being managed properly over time.
Compliance
bosun is built around what Transport Canada requires from small commercial vessel operators. You don't need to know the regulations, bosun guides you through what matters and keeps your records in order.
Getting started
We get you set up. Then you just operate.
You shouldn't need to know Transport Canada's regulations to use bosun. We translate the rules into a setup that fits your operation, so from day one you're working with a system built for how you actually run.
01
Tell us about your operation
Name, class, certification, and how you operate. bosun uses this to build your compliance profile, the specific requirements that apply to your vessel and operation type, pulled from Transport Canada rules automatically.
02
We configure your requirements
No reading regulations. No guessing what applies to you. bosun builds your Safety Management System (SMS), setting up pre-departure checklists, maintenance schedules, and crew certification tracking based on your vessel class and operation.
03
You operate, bosun keeps up
From there, bosun runs in the background. Flag a defect, log a trip, complete a check, it's all recorded, timestamped, and ready to produce if Transport Canada comes aboard. Your job is to run the boat.
Built for
Operators on the water, not administrators at a desk.
Fishing guides & lodges
You're on the water every day with clients aboard. bosun handles pre-trip checks, trip logs, and required documentation, so your operation stays compliant without adding to your morning routine.
Charter & eco-tour operators
When passengers are aboard, you are responsible for their safety and accountable for your records. bosun makes it simple to demonstrate that your vessel and operation are run to standard, every trip.
Water taxis
High trip frequency means more records to maintain. bosun keeps pre-departure checks, maintenance logs, and crew certifications current automatically, so your compliance keeps up with your schedule.
Crew transfer & marine logistics
Moving people and equipment between sites demands reliable records. bosun tracks passenger manifests, vessel condition, and crew qualifications, giving you a clear operational history for every run.
Environmental & survey vessels
Field operations run on tight schedules with rotating crews. bosun keeps your vessel paperwork in order in the background, so your team can focus on the work, not the binder.
Any small commercial vessel
If you operate a small commercial vessel in Canadian waters and Transport Canada's requirements apply to you, bosun is designed for your operation, regardless of what that operation looks like.
“The paperwork isn't the job. It's just what has to happen so you can keep doing the job.”
Transport Canada's requirements for small commercial vessel operators are real, and they are not going away. bosun is built to make sure you meet them with the least possible disruption to the way you already work, simple enough to use on the dock, thorough enough to satisfy an inspection.
About bosun
Built by people who understand what it means to run a vessel.
Built on the water, not in a boardroom. We know what small commercial operators in BC actually deal with, and we built bosun to handle it quietly in the background.
The team behind bosun has a background in vessel design and engineering, with hands-on experience operating in BC coastal waters. We know what it looks like when vessel records are not in order, and what the consequences can be. bosun is built to make sure the things that actually matter on board are tracked, current, and easy to produce when it counts.
We are a small team, building something we would want to use ourselves. If you operate a small commercial vessel in BC and want to shape what bosun becomes, we want to hear from you.
Questions or early feedback, info@bosun.systems
Get early access
Be first on the water with bosun.
bosun is in active development. Register now for early access and help shape what gets built, from people who actually run boats for a living.