BOATING SAFETY APP · LIVE TRACKING + 111 SCRIPT · FREE iPHONE BETA

The worst day on the water, already handled.

The people at home watch you move with just a link. And if something goes wrong, your position, your boat and a one-tap 111 call are already on one screen.

Get the free beta Safety gear by boat

Boating somewhere else? AustraliaNew ZealandUSAEurope

Boat tracking app live link: your boat's position, speed and phone battery on a map, shared with whānau ashore · VesselSOSBoating trip tracking: trip under way with return time and who can see you live · VesselSOSCall 111 from a boat: the call script says “Police. Boat emergency, I’m on the water” and reads your position out in words · VesselSOSWaiting for Coastguard rescue: checklist until help arrives and a text with your live location link · VesselSOSCoastguard NZ breakdown help: engine failure or flat battery: one tap calls the Coastguard non-urgent line · VesselSOS
SAFETY GEAR · BY BOAT

What do you take out?

The new lifejacket rules →

Harbour run, early start, back for lunch. Someone at home knows exactly where you are.

LIFEJACKET
Lifejacket, worn WEAR IT · LAW FROM 9 OCT 2026
From Friday 9 October 2026, everyone on board recreational craft 6 m or under must wear a lifejacket while underway, drifting included. Kayaks, SUPs, jet skis and tenders count.
Phone in a waterproof case
Phone in a waterproof case TAKE TWO WAYS TO CALL
One of your two ways to call for help. Maritime NZ: mobiles “are only helpful if kept dry and when used close to land.”
VHF marine radio
VHF marine radio TAKE TWO WAYS TO CALL
Channel 16 is monitored 24/7 by Maritime NZ’s Maritime Operations Centre. You need a VHF certificate to use one, except in a distress.
BAILER
Bailer GOOD PRACTICE
A tinny takes on water faster than you’d think in a short, steep chop.
The tinny basics National law, Maritime NZ guidance and good practice. Your regional bylaw may add more.
The new lifejacket rules →

The lifejacket law is from Maritime NZ; “two waterproof ways to call for help” is guidance from Maritime NZ and Coastguard, checked Oct 2026. Regional navigation safety bylaws add their own rules, and rules change, so check yours with the harbourmaster before you go. More detail: the new lifejacket rules · boating rules by region.

Works offline.
GPS needs no mobile signal. Your position is always on screen.
Coast, harbour, lake or river.
One-tap 111 on all New Zealand waters, with RCCNZ listed for offshore.
Nothing to install ashore.
Your people open a link. That’s it.
LIVE TRACKING

Ashore, they see you. Live.

Tap “Going to sea” and text your chosen people a link. It opens in any browser and shows position, speed, course and battery, until you tap “I’m ashore”.

→ Nothing to install, no account on their end→ You decide who sees it, and the link expires on its own

On the water, where are you, exactly?

The 111 operator asks which service you need, then where you are, and “off the point” isn’t a location. If you carry a VHF, channel 16 is still your first call. When all you have is a mobile, the first minute decides how fast help finds you.

WITHOUT THE APP
1
You call 111
“Which service?” Then: where are you? You’re somewhere off a shoreline you can barely see.
2
You describe the scenery
A headland, a channel marker, a bit of beach, in the wind, with a wet phone in one hand.
3
They work out who responds
Police task Coastguard close to shore; further out, RCCNZ takes the search.
4
Meanwhile, you drift
Every minute spent on “where” is a minute nobody is on the way.
WITH VESSELSOS
1
Your position, ready to read
Latitude and longitude spelled out in words, ready to read to the operator.
2
One question, then it dials 111
Is a life in danger? Yes, and the app calls 111 at once. Offshore it also lists RCCNZ, the Rescue Coordination Centre.
3
The words are already written
“Police. Boat emergency, I’m on the water,” then where, what happened and how many on board, line by line.
BY POSITION, NOT SIM CARD COAST · HARBOURS · LAKES · RIVERS

Life at risk, or just a dead motor?

THE APP ROUTES YOU TO
111 · VHF channel 16

With a radio, a Mayday on channel 16 reaches Maritime NZ’s 24/7 watch and every boat listening, and the app shows the script. By phone, it dials 111 with your position and a word-for-word script on screen, starting with “Police”. It never gets between you and help; it makes the call faster.

Boating safety app NZ: SOS button with 111 for New Zealand waters · VesselSOSMarine SOS in New Zealand: is anyone's life in danger? Yes dials 111, no opens Coastguard help · VesselSOSVHF channel 16 MAYDAY: distress call script filled in with your boat's name, call sign and position · VesselSOS
THREE STEPS

Nobody remembers coordinates in a panic.

01
Press SOS

One big red button, on every screen. Your coordinates are ready, no mobile signal needed.

02
Answer one question

Is anyone’s life in danger? Yes dials 111 at once. No shows Coastguard’s non-urgent line.

03
Read it out

Step by step: “Police”, then who you are, where, what happened. On the radio, the official Mayday with your callsign in the NATO alphabet.

The SOS screen is free. Forever.

Calling for help never sits behind a paywall. Plus adds live tracking and your contacts.
FREENO ACCOUNT
$0
FOREVER
SOS screen with your positionOne-tap 111 call with a word-for-word scriptMayday script + position by text message
PLUSFREE DURING BETA
$0
IN BETA · ACCOUNT NEEDED
Text your SOS and a live link to your contactsBoat profile goes into the call scriptLive tracking, return-time check, trip history
PROCOMING LATER
Later
NO NZ PRICE YET
Everything in PlusFamily sharing, up to 5 peopleNot available yet, so no payment now

During the beta, Plus is free with an account, and we never ask for payment details. If paid plans come later, the price will be shown in the app before you buy anything.

What VesselSOS does not replace.

A beacon is a beacon, and a radio is a radio. This is the backup that’s always with you, and in plenty of tinnies the only thing there.
EPIRB Satellite beacon, registered (free, and the law) Anywhere, far offshore included Cospas-Sarsat satellites → RCCNZ See the gear
PLB Personal beacon worn on you Anywhere with open sky Same satellites, tied to a person See the gear
VHF-DSC Marine radio with a digital distress button Within radio range of the coast and other boats Maritime NZ’s 24/7 watch + boats nearby See the gear
VesselSOS The phone that’s with you anyway Wherever you have mobile coverage 111 and your people Get the free beta
BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE RAMP

Four minutes, once.

01
Your mobile number
A text code instead of a password. It also goes into the call script, so rescuers can call you back.
02
Add the boat
Name, type, length, colour, MMSI, callsign: the first things you’ll be asked.
03
Choose your people
As many as you like, each set to None, Emergency or Live.
04
Allow location
“Always”, so tracking works with the phone locked. Used only during a trip.

Questions boaties actually ask.

Does the app call Coastguard? +

Not directly. In New Zealand waters, “Yes, a life is in danger” dials 111, and the script opens with “Police”: that’s what Coastguard, Maritime NZ and NZSAR all tell boaties, and Police then task Coastguard. Offshore, the app also lists RCCNZ (0508 472 269). If nobody’s in danger, it shows Coastguard’s non-urgent line. The app isn’t connected to Police, Coastguard or RCCNZ: it dials the call and shows you the words.

Does it log a Coastguard trip report? +

No. It doesn’t log trip reports or bar crossing reports, and nobody is alerted automatically if you’re late. Log a trip report with Coastguard as well (by VHF, *500 or the Coastguard app), and a bar crossing report by VHF or *500 before you cross. VesselSOS adds a live link for your people and the call script in your pocket.

What changes on 9 October 2026? +

From Friday 9 October 2026, everyone on board recreational craft 6 m or under must wear a lifejacket while underway, on lakes, rivers, harbours and the open coast. Drifting counts as underway, and kayaks, SUPs, jet skis and tenders are covered. Penalties haven’t been set yet, but the rule applies from that day.

When does the New Zealand version arrive? +

New Zealand support (111, the “Police” script, RCCNZ offshore, Coastguard’s non-urgent line) is in version 1.5 of the iPhone beta (October 2026). If you have an older build, update it in TestFlight first. The app is a TestFlight beta by invite: it isn’t in the App Store yet, and there’s no Android version.

Does it replace a VHF radio or a beacon? +

No. Maritime NZ says mobile phones “are only helpful if kept dry and when used close to land”, and not to rely on apps “as your only means of communication”. Carry two waterproof ways to call for help, a VHF first. VesselSOS is the fast backup that’s there when the radio and beacon aren’t, and the only option on many small boats.

How much battery does it use? +

Ashore, none: the app doesn’t track you outside a trip. During a trip it reports in the background at the interval you choose (every 30 seconds by default, roughly 4% an hour by our estimate), and slows to every 5 minutes below 20% battery. The people watching see your battery level.

What if I don’t come back on time? +

Set a return time when you leave. If you haven’t ended the trip by then, your phone asks you “Are you OK?”. That’s all it does today: nobody else is alerted automatically. Automatic texts to your contacts are planned but not built yet. Coastguard only follows up a trip report if someone reports you overdue, so make sure someone ashore knows when to raise the alarm.

Who can see my position? +

Only the people you send the link to. It stops when you tap “I’m ashore” (a quick share link lasts one hour), and we never sell or share location data.

Be aboard first.

We’re testing on iPhone now. We’ll email you the day VesselSOS opens to everyone in the App Store. Android comes later.

Launch email always included. Never shared or sold, one-click unsubscribe. Privacy notice

IMPORTANT

VesselSOS is an aid, not a rescue service. It doesn’t replace a VHF radio, an EPIRB or PLB, a lifejacket, or a call to 111, and it depends on your phone’s battery, GPS and coverage.

SUPPORT

A human answers within one working day.

support@vesselsos.com