bolo - boaters on the lookout

Boloboats LLC

About this app

Real-Time Boater Awareness.

bolo is a free boating awareness app for real-time hazard reports, marine fuel prices, wildlife sightings, and crowdsourced waterway alerts.

bolo is not a routing, chartplotter, or turn-by-turn navigation app. It is a crowdsourced awareness layer for boaters who want to know what is happening on the water before they get there.

With bolo, boaters can:
• Report hazards like floating debris, shoaling, submerged objects, obstructions, crab pots, speed and no-wake zones, closures, and unsafe conditions
• Check and share nearby marine fuel prices
• Post wildlife sightings, manatee zones, oyster reef observations, and local waterway notes
• See community reports around marinas, ramps, harbors, rivers, bays, and coastal waterways
• Help other boaters stay aware on the water

What you can report or add a note on:

Hazards: floating debris, submerged objects, shallow water, fixed obstructions, and bridge closures

Underway activity: congestion, crab pots, trap lines, speed and no-wake zones, bridges, locks, buoys, anchor spots, and moorings

Conditions: rough seas, poor visibility, strong winds, strong currents, and changing local conditions

Social: sandbar gatherings, raft-ups, dock parties, and local boating activity

Wildlife: dolphins, whales, sharks, sea turtles, manatee zones, oyster reefs, and more

Services: fuel prices, marina updates, pump-outs, waterfront restaurants, boating stores, boat rentals, boat ramps, and more

Other boaters can confirm reports or add tips to services. Share a report with a tap, and get push alerts when something is reported nearby.

How it works:

Tap the map to drop a pin or add a location. Your observation is geotagged and visible to nearby boaters.

bolo weighs reports by reporter reputation, so trusted boaters' observations carry more weight.

Features:
• Live map with real-time community reports
• NOAA weather alerts for your location
• Nautical chart overlays with buoys, beacons, bridges, and other marine markers
• Confidence scoring as more boaters confirm reports
• Reputation levels from Newcomer to Expert
• Proximity alerts for nearby hazards
• Free to use

Good for:
• Recreational boaters
• Sailors
• Powerboaters
• Jet skiers
• Anglers
• Marina and fuel dock users
• Yacht clubs and boating clubs
• Harbor and local waterway communities

Situational awareness, not navigation:

bolo does not replace official nautical charts, NOAA publications, Coast Guard resources, AIS, radar, weather, local notices, or safe seamanship. Use bolo alongside your normal navigation and safety tools.

Download bolo and help make your local waterway more useful for everyone.

What’s new

New Speed Zone report — flag a speed limit or no-wake area, with the limit shown right on the map pin.
Long-press a speed zone pin and drag to fine-tune its spot; confirming one keeps it fresh.
Water taxi pickup locations now appear on the map so you can find your ride on the water.
Proximity alerts now cover every report type by default, with a tighter 0.5 nm default radius.
Assorted reliability fixes.