Float plan
Float plan template — leave it with someone ashore.
Vessel, route, everyone aboard, safety gear and who to call if you're overdue, on one page.
For day trips, overnights, offshore runs, shared boats and clubs with a safety policy.
A float plan is the cheapest safety equipment on the boat. If you don't come back on time, it tells rescuers what to look for, where, and how many people are aboard. The Coast Guard does not accept filed float plans — you leave it with a reliable person ashore. Print the free template below, or file it digitally in EZ BoatShare, which shares it with your contact and alerts them automatically if you're overdue.
Free printable PDF
Free float plan template (PDF)
A complete one-document float plan: person in charge, vessel description, route and timing, an eight-person manifest, a twelve-item safety gear checklist and overdue instructions.
- Captain and vessel description with registration, colors, fuel and radio channels
- Departure, destination, route, stops and expected return
- Eight-row manifest with ages, phones, emergency contacts and medical notes
- Safety gear checklist and clear 'if we are overdue' call list
No email required. Print it, fill it in by hand, or keep the whole thing automatic inside EZ BoatShare.
Automate This via EZ Boat ShareWhat you get
Automatic overdue alerts
File the plan in the app and your shore contact is notified the moment you pass your return time without checking in.
Shared by link
Your contact opens a simple page with the trip details — no account and no app to install.
Pre-filled from the boat
Vessel details, safety gear and the crew list come from your boat's record, so filing takes a minute.
Built for the way you run it
Every day trip
A two-minute habit that matters most on the ordinary trip nobody expected to go wrong.
Offshore and overnight runs
Route, waypoints and planned stops give searchers a track instead of an ocean.
Clubs with a safety policy
Require a float plan on trips beyond a set range, and see at a glance who is out and due back when.
Guests aboard
The manifest captures who's on board with emergency contacts and medical notes for each person.
Common questions
Do you file a float plan with the Coast Guard?
No. The Coast Guard does not accept or hold float plans. You leave a completed plan with a reliable person ashore and tell them who to call if you're overdue.
What should a float plan include?
Who is in charge and how to reach them, a full vessel description including registration and colors, departure point and time, destination and route, expected return, everyone aboard with emergency contacts, safety gear carried, and who to call if you're late.
How late should someone wait before calling?
Agree a specific window in advance — commonly one to two hours past your expected return for coastal day trips — and write it on the plan so your contact isn't guessing.
Can the app tell my shore contact automatically?
Yes. File the plan, add your contact, and if you haven't checked in by your return time the app notifies them with the trip details.
Two minutes before you cast off.
Print the free template for the glovebox, or file it digitally so your shore contact gets alerted if you're late.