General headings and sub-headings are comprehensive. For instance, under the heading "At the Dock," you'll find parts and equipment shopping lists, inventory and locations; maintenance schedules; automated to-do lists generated from maintenance schedules; fuel and oil maintenance records; a contact directory designed for marine communications; and many other functions.

BOATEXECBoatExec is vessel management software that goes beyond simple log functions. The database captures a variety of information.

With BoatExec, you license a database for $225. When you sell your boat, you can leave a copy of the database with the new owner, who can then download and install BoatExec for use on their own computer. The new owners can continue to use the BoatExec database with that boat. When you buy your new boat, you'll add the new boat to your license at a reduced fee, currently $50. You can add an additional license for your dinghy at a reduced price, if you want to keep separate records.

You can also create your ship's log from data supplied by one of the large navigation software packages, such as Nobeltec. The company's Visual Navigation Suite is an electronic charting program designed for use as a navigation resource. A GPS data feed from the boat records data every few minutes, which can then be combined with notes to provide essential data for a ship's log.

Nav suites don't come cheap. Visual Navigation Suite sells for about $430 and a more fully-featured suite called Admiral costs about $1,000. Clearly, a navigation suite isn't the program of choice if you want a ship's log only. But if you already have a navigation suite or plan to purchase one, you may find it a good fit that prevents having to purchase additional software for your log.

USING A LOG

Don't imagine that keeping records is only for the pros. A ship's log is useful for a host of reasons. Sure, it's nice to think in terms of keeping a journal to provide a written "snapshot" of where you've been, but there are practical reasons, too. Indeed, a log can help you manage your boat.

Maintenance is a good example. A properly-kept log can help you monitor fuel levels, let you know when it is time to change the fuel filters and tell you when it is time for a 50-hour engine service. It can also help you avoid impending difficulties. When did you last check your steering fluid or the hydraulic fluid in your trim tabs? How about charging your fire extinguishers or having the rigging inspected aloft? Have you had the life raft inspected and re-packed? A log can tell you all these things, saving you from having to rely on memory.

If you are studying to earn a captain's license from the Coast Guard, you must provide documentation of the time you have spent on the water. You will need to prove that you have operated a specific type of vessel for a set number of days, which varies according to the type of license you are seeking. A well-documented ship's log can provide that proof.

A log can also be a major asset if you are involved in an accident or have to file an insurance claim. Whether a logbook or database will be admissible in court as evidence is debatable, but it can help you reconstruct events, remember dates and details and provide other helpful documentation.

The more thorough your log, and the more consistent you are in filling it out, the more helpful it will be.