First Mate is the capable second-in-command your boat has been missing. It reads your manuals, keeps your log, and remembers the zincs.

UPLOAD YOUR MANUALS, ASK ANYTHING Add the PDF manuals for your engine, electronics, and systems. First Mate reads them — including scanned paper manuals — and answers your questions from what they actually say, with the manual name and page number cited on every answer. Oil capacity, impeller part numbers, error codes, torque specs: if it's in your documentation, it's one question away. If it isn't, First Mate says so instead of guessing.

TROUBLESHOOT STEP BY STEP Engine won't start? Strange noise at idle? Describe the problem and work through it one check at a time, guided by your own service manual. Every suggested cause carries an honest confidence level — High means your manual documents it, Low means it's general knowledge and worth a professional's eyes. Snap a photo of a part or a problem and First Mate identifies what it's looking at.

A SHIP'S LOG THAT WRITES ITSELF Say "log an oil change" and it's recorded — date, engine hours, parts, cost. Your service history builds the maintenance picture: First Mate reads the service intervals in your manuals, tracks your engine hours, and tells you what's due before it's overdue. A documented maintenance history also holds its value when it's time to sell.

CONDITIONS BEFORE YOU CAST OFF Wind, gusts, and wave forecasts for your home port, plus tide predictions from the nearest NOAA station. Forecasts, not certainties — the final call is always the captain's.

WORKS WHERE BOATS LIVE Spotty marina Wi-Fi and dead zones offshore are expected, not exceptional. Your boats, manuals, and service history stay readable offline, and nothing logs you out just because the signal dropped.

BUILT FOR OWNERS, NOT ENGINEERS Setup is a conversation. Tell First Mate about your boat and it handles the rest — no forms to decode, no jargon. Adding your engine takes a sentence.

WHAT FIRST MATE IS NOT It is not a substitute for a qualified marine technician, and it will tell you so whenever fuel systems, gas, rigging, or shore power are involved. It answers from your manuals — which means it's only as good as what you upload. That's the point.

From Sea Strong. Fair winds.