Case Studies

Avoiding Catastrophic Breakdowns In Remote Locations; How Vessel Vanguard Helps Trawler Owners

Bill Deertz, a a seasoned retiree, understands the importance of maintaining his trawler well. That's where Vessel Vanguard comes in to help.

April 12, 2024

Top 3 Benefits

Reduced Paperwork By 100%: Using Vessel Vanguard has allowed Bill to no longer rely on dated papers to keep track of his maintenance and documents, as the system stores all his boat’s data.
A Look Into The Future: Vessel Vanguard aids Bill in understanding exactly what will be needed to complete maintenance ahead of time, allowing him to order any spare parts and services he needs before it’s too late.
Peace Of Mind: Vessel Vanguard gives Bill peace of mind, as he knows exactly what is coming due, what has been completed on the boat, and full transparency into what his boat needs so he no longer worries about being blindsided by mechanical issues.

Nobody likes to do maintenance, let us be truthful about it. But Vessel Vanguard helps make it a little bit easier and more enjoyable in terms of documenting and having everything ready to go. So yes, it has been a godsend for us."

Bill Deertz, Kadey Krogen Owner

Reactive Maintenance Is Not Optimal

Bill Deertz, a seasoned retiree, has used his downtime to focus on his boating hobby. Bill and his wife spend over half of their year out on the water, cruising in their 2012 Kadey-Krogen 52, Bagus. The couple prioritizes the journey over the destination, embarking on extensive voyages along the Gulf Coast, the Keys, and Florida’s east coast, with plans to explore the Bahamas and the Chesapeake Bay. Before owning their current boat, Bill owned a 20-year-old trawler vessel, which came with its challenges. Bill found that many parts of the vessel he came across while completing maintenance or repairs were not part of the original building or were not found in the owner’s manuals. This was quite a challenge as it made maintenance much more time-consuming and difficult for him. Bill expressed, “A boat of this size has many systems and complexities, and it can be a bit daunting at first. The worst thing you want to do is be in a remote area and have some type of mechanical breakdown and have to have a part flown in or be towed to some repair facility.”

Like most trawler owners, Bill completes the maintenance himself, whether they are currently traveling the seas or offshore during the off seasons. Tracking the entire vessel’s maintenance, inventory, documents, and equipment meant lots of paperwork that was taking up storage space on the boat. However, when Bill acquired his recent boat, Bagus, there was something different about it. This new vessel had a special software system set up already, Vessel Vanguard.

Vessel Vanguard Gives Bill The Power To Be Better

When Bill learned Bagus had Vessel Vanguard already set up and ready to go, he was quite excited to dive deeper into the system. “When we purchased the boat, it was already set up with Vessel Vanguard, which really made it easy because all the systems and manuals were already there. The previous owner kept his maintenance on a manual log, so I went back and added that to the Vessel Vanguard, and now I have a complete history since the boat was launched.” Bill stated.

One of Vessel Vanguard’s many great features is the ability to forecast maintenance. Bill found that knowing what maintenance was coming due allowed him to properly prepare beforehand. He could order critical spare parts he would need during his voyages and schedule any services needed in advance. This eliminated the worry of breaking down in a remote location for Bill as now he had the tools he needed to properly address those issues, as he notes, “When we’re away from the dock for six months at a time, having that reliability and predictability is important to my wife and I, so we know that we’re not going to break down in some far-flung place,”

Another feature Bill found himself using quite often was the software’s capability to be accessed from anywhere, anytime. “I could be sitting at home in my armchair. I do not have to run down to the boat to look at what model number I have or this or that because it is all there, readily available in the cloud.” remarks Bill. This has streamlined his process of ordering anything and everything he needs to run his vessel, making it an efficient and hassle-free experience.

Beyond Vessel Vanguard’s real-time assistance, the app documenting and storing all the maintenance data and history recorded on the boat has been a godsend for Bill. This transparency gives Bill and anyone looking into the boat the chance to understand exactly what is happening and what needs to be done. Bill knows this will be especially helpful in the long run, noting that this will lead to a higher resale value later in the boat’s lifetime.

Reliability Gives Strength To Trawler Owners

As Bill has mentioned many times, reliability and predictability is his number one priority, and he is not alone in that opinion. Many other trawler owners need to have reliability and predictability as they run their vessels for over 6 months at a time. Making a journey easier for these individuals is of upmost importance, and Vessel Vanguard does just that.

Bill is now going onto his 5th year of using Vessel Vanguard, and he could not be happier to renew, claiming, “The software makes my life much more enjoyable.” Bill also noted that the updated interface is much more user-friendly, saying “The new Vessel Vanguard has a new refreshed interface, which I think is a good improvement. The new interface is very intuitive.” The predictability and reliability the software has offered Bill has offered him an invaluable sense of peace during his extended journeys on the water. Bill concluded, “Nobody likes to do maintenance, let us be truthful about it. But Vessel Vanguard helps make it a little bit easier and more enjoyable in terms of documenting and having everything ready to go. So yes, it has been a godsend for us.”

About Vessel Vanguard

Vessel Vanguard, a leading marine safety and maintenance software provider, is dedicated to revolutionizing the maritime industry. Committed to innovation, we deliver solutions to streamline operations and enhance vessel performance. Our proactive maintenance approach reduces downtime, ensures warranty compliance, schedules preventive maintenance, and keeps parts ready. Protect yourself, your crew, your operation, and asset value with Vessel Vanguard.

To learn more, schedule a demo today at www.vesselvanguard.com/demo.