Summertime is around the corner and as the temperatures increase so does the desire to cool off on the water! If you own or operate a marina, then this is great news—but there are some inherent challenges and risks to your marina operations. Particularly in the area of passenger and boat safety, both of which are your top priorities to continue successful marina operations in your area.
Consider GPS tracking for your boats and the many benefits that leveraging telematics technology can bring to your marina! From preventing boat theft to ensuring passenger safety and keeping your watercraft on a regular, preventative maintenance schedule, GPS tracking can tremendously help your marina operations run smoothly.
Keep reading to learn more!
For people who go to marinas for fun and relaxation on the water, the ideal experience is that they don’t have to worry about much. For marina operators, however, there are a few key challenges and risks that must be mitigated every day to ensure success and safety. Such challenges might include:
Thousands of boats and watercraft are stolen every year, resulting in thousands of dollars of lost assets and revenue. In 2019 alone, there were more than 4,200 thefts. Obviously, if your marina were to be the victim of theft, that could be devastating to your revenue cycle and damage the trust your customers have in your business. Mitigating the chance of theft at your marina is essential to continuous operations and ensuring your customers keep returning to your business!
Boater and passenger safety is also, naturally, top of mind when it comes to your marina operations. It’s in your best interest to ensure that your customers are safe and practice good boating behavior, but there are some situations that are simply out of your hands, especially if you don’t have an employee aboard each watercraft.
For example, boaters might be unfamiliar with the area or unaware of dangerous currents that aren’t safe for swimming. Mitigating these risks is a daily challenge for your marina operations to ensure boater safety and fun.
One more common challenge for marina operators is that of boat maintenance—particularly sticking to a routine, preventative boat maintenance schedule that helps ensure the longevity of your watercraft. Whether your marina has just a few boats and watercraft or dozens of them, it’s important that they stay well-maintained and regularly serviced to ensure they’re safe for operation.
Tracking these metrics manually can be incredibly time-consuming and inconsistent, not to mention liable to human error or forgetfulness. Following a preventative maintenance schedule is imperative for your marina operations!
Since these aspects of boat safety are cornerstones of your marina operations, how can you best optimize your strategy for managing them? GPS tracking is the ace up your sleeve and can help:
Thieves typically go after easy targets and avoid assets that advertise they’re under surveillance and are kitted out with GPS tracking technology. Don’t leave the boats and watercraft at your marina sitting ducks for thieves to easily get in and get away—leverage the power of GPS tracking to keep your assets protected. In the event that your boats are stolen, they’ll be swiftly located with accurate GPS coordinates; this is crucial to your marina’s safety, especially since only 1 out of 10 stolen boats is ever recovered. Don’t let your marina fall victim!
Want to ensure passenger and boater safety without having to assign an employee to be on every single watercraft? GPS tracking is the perfect solution.
No matter how frequently your customers have been to your marina and the surrounding waters, it’s a good idea to have GPS tracking on every watercraft for unexpected situations that might come up. For example, if there are any prohibited waters that your boaters should stay clear of, then you can establish a geofence to alert them to such an area. Geofencing can also be leveraged to alert your boaters to dangerous waterways or rip currents unsuitable for swimming, which further keeps your boaters safe!
You want to get the most life and use out of your watercraft, right? Preventative maintenance is a surefire way to keep your boats running efficiently and safely. With regular servicings that inspect your boats’ features and condition, you’ll be able to catch any issues that might be developing. This saves your marina time and money, and ensures boat safety!
GPS tracking for your boats dovetails with your maintenance schedules in terms of tracking service history, setting alerts for when services are needed, and gaining insight into your marina operations both in terms of individual watercraft and as a whole. This helps you make informed decisions in the future!
Operating a marina is no easy task—with so many moving parts, there are plenty of responsibilities and tasks to keep track of. GPS tracking can help streamline your marina operations and keep your boats, boaters, and passengers safe.
Secure your marina with GPS tracking solutions powered by Rastrac! We’ve got decades of experience tracking billions of dollars worth of assets and we’re eager to help optimize your marina for the best customer experience possible.