First Mate

First Mate is the app every boat owner needs for a reliable and enjoyable boating excursion.

First Mate is the first app using advanced Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering calculations and tow tank test data to provide you with vessel duration, range, and engine output without the need for expensive integrated management systems. This app compliments your navigation equipment and gauges to calculate the information needed to plan or update the journey in real time.

Input the fuel and vessel speed; First Mate will calculate: 
• Hours to empty
• Distance to empty
• Estimated engine RPM, fuel burn rate, brake horsepower
All calculations update when user updates the app.

Typically trip planning is done using rough estimates using data from the vessel manufacturer. Integrated management systems can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, require installation, and only provide basic information about engine performance and maintenance. First Mate is a robust app that accounts for drag, weight, and engine performance to accurately plan excursions and spontaneously change plans while underway.

The user interface is designed to allow anyone, regardless of boating knowledge, to easily set up and use the app. Because this app covers all planing monohulls, information about the vessel must be input under the “Vessel” tab. Information about the vessel is available at the manufacturer’s website. It is very simple to use for beginner or advance users. Once the Vessel tab is filled out, print it as a backup and keep a copy in the vessel log book.

The “Dashboard” tab provides the user with all the information to estimate range based on the speed, weight, and current fuel readings. Other important information is displayed on this tab includes: engine RPM, fuel burn rate, and brake horsepower (BHP). The environmental input is used to calculate the seastate and the effect it will have on the range. Departure fluid levels and weights are used to estimate the total vessels displacement.

There are several reference tables on the “Tables” tab to help estimate the remaining fluid levels based on gauge readings and seastate based on Beaufort Wind Scale.

The app can be updated when the engine or propeller is upgraded without the need to buy anything. If you want to know how an engine or propeller upgrade will change the performance of the vessel, th