Float plan: what to include, who gets it, and a free template
A float plan is a written note of who’s aboard, what the boat looks like, where you’re going and when you’ll be back. You leave it with a reliable person ashore, not with the Coast Guard. If you don’t return or check in as planned, that person calls for help and hands rescuers the details.
“Always leave behind a float plan with a responsible person.” “A Float Plan contains critical information about [your] whereabouts for local marine police or the Coast Guard.”
USCG, “A Boater’s Guide to the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats” (rev. Nov 2023)
Who to leave it with
- A reliable person who can be depended on to notify the Coast Guard or another rescue agency if you don’t return or check in as planned. That’s the official USCG Float Plan’s own instruction.
- Not the Coast Guard: the form says “Do NOT file this plan with the Coast Guard.”
- If your plans change or you’ll be late, tell the person holding your plan. When you’re home, close the plan. If they already reported you overdue, tell the rescue authorities you’re safe.
- On inland water, the person ashore calls 911. Minnesota’s DNR boating guide, for example, advises having someone call 911 if you don’t return on time.
What a float plan should include
The official USCG Float Plan asks for these sections:
Vessel
Name and hailing port, registration or documentation number, HIN, year, make and model, length, type, draft, hull material, hull and trim colors, prominent features. Tip from the USCG Boater’s Guide: include a photo of your boat.
Communication
Radio call sign, DSC MMSI number, radios and the channels you monitor, cell or satellite phone, email.
Propulsion and navigation
Engine type, number and fuel capacity (main and auxiliary); compass, radar, GPS, depth sounder, charts and maps aboard.
Safety and survival gear
Visual distress signals (flares, flag, electric light, signal mirror, smoke), sound signals, EPIRB and its UIN, anchor, dewatering device, exposure suits, fire extinguisher, flashlight, raft or dinghy, food and water.
People aboard
Operator: name, address, phone, age, experience with this boat and area, whether they wear a life jacket and carry a PLB. The same for each passenger.
Vehicle and trailer
Year, make, model and license number of the car, whether there’s a trailer, and where it’s parked.
Contacts
Two contacts with phone numbers, and the rescue authority to call (the Coast Guard, or 911 on inland water).
Itinerary
Departure date, time and place; each stop or waypoint with arrival and departure times; and the check-in time after which your contact should act.
Free printable float plan
Fill it in on screen or print it blank. It stays in your browser: nothing you type is sent anywhere or saved. Based on the USCG Float Plan sections; for the official form, use the Coast Guard Auxiliary’s fillable PDF.
Where VesselSOS fits in, and where it doesn’t
VesselSOS doesn’t file float plans with anyone, and nobody is alerted automatically if you’re late. The return-time check only asks “Are you OK?” on your own phone. Automatic texts to your contacts aren’t built yet.
What it adds: a live link you text to the person holding your float plan (Plus, free during the beta). It opens in any browser and shows your position, speed, course, phone battery and last update. If you’re overdue, they can see where you actually are, or where the phone last had signal, and give that to rescuers.
Write the link on the plan, and tell your contact that the plan, not the app, is what tells them when to call.
iPhone only, in invite-only TestFlight beta. Not in the App Store yet, no Android.
Quick answers
Can you file a float plan with the Coast Guard?
No. The official USCG Float Plan says “Do NOT file this plan with the Coast Guard.” Leave it with a reliable person who will notify the Coast Guard or another rescue agency if you don’t return or check in as planned.
What should a float plan include?
Your boat (name, registration, HIN, make, length, colors), communication (VHF, MMSI, phone), safety gear, everyone aboard, your car and trailer, contacts, and the itinerary with a check-in time, as in the USCG Float Plan.
Sources
- USCG Float Plan, Coast Guard Auxiliary (Rev 2012.5.28), PDF
- Float Plan Central, Coast Guard Auxiliary
- USCG, “A Boater’s Guide to the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats” (rev. Nov 2023)
- Minnesota DNR Boating Guide
Checked October 2026.