You know what you charged. Do you know what it cost you?
A long-running study of charter boat operators found that once real costs were counted, only about this many were actually turning a profit for the season.
It's not that captains aren't watching their numbers. Revenue is easy to see — it lands in the bank. Costs are the problem: fuel, bait, ice, dock fees, and mate pay that changes trip to trip all get lumped into one generic expense line instead of tied to the trip that caused them.
That's how a trip type can feel profitable all season long and actually be running at a loss.
If someone asked whether your Tuesday half-days are more profitable than your weekend offshore runs — could you answer with a number, instead of a guess?
The same job a charter bookkeeper does by hand — automated
Specialized bookkeepers who work with charter operations do exactly this: track income and costs trip by trip, categorize fuel and bait spend, and watch cash flow through the season. It works well — and it typically runs $300 to $1,500 a month.
| What gets tracked | Hiring it out | BilgeLine |
|---|---|---|
| Income logged trip by trip | Yes | Yes |
| Costs categorized by trip — fuel, bait, ice, dock, crew | Yes | Yes |
| Profit or loss per trip | In a monthly report | The moment you log it |
| Exportable to a spreadsheet | Sometimes | Always |
| Works across your phone, tablet, and computer | N/A | Yes |
| Monthly cost | $300 – $1,500 | $14/mo or $129/yr* |
Built to take about a minute, dockside
Log the trip
Pick a trip type — half-day, full-day, inshore, offshore, or your own label — then enter what you charged and what it cost. Seven fields, no jargon.
See the number
Your profit or loss for that trip appears the moment you save it. No spreadsheet, no formulas, no math in your head.
Watch the pattern
Every trip you log sharpens the picture of which trip types, days, and routes are actually worth running.
No apps to configure, no accounts to set up beforehand. If you can fill out a paper log book, you can use this.
What a clear number per trip actually gets you
Trip planning
Know before the season starts which trip types to book more of — and which to quietly phase out or reprice.
Route & fuel efficiency
Spot when a route or distance is quietly eating your margin in fuel, even when the trip books well.
Bait & ice costs
See how much day-to-day cost swings really move your bottom line, instead of guessing at an average.
Crew pay clarity
See the real all-in cost of day rate plus tips, trip by trip, instead of assuming a flat number.
Season-end clarity
Head into the off-season already knowing which trip types actually paid for themselves this year.
Built around how captains actually keep their books
BilgeLine is organized around the same categories a specialized charter bookkeeper tracks by hand — not a generic budgeting app repurposed for boats. We're building this by talking to working captains, not guessing from a spreadsheet template.
Be the first to try it
Join the waitlist and we'll email you the moment BilgeLine is ready. Early members get founding-member pricing, locked in for as long as they stay subscribed.
No card, no commitment — just an email when we launch.
Questions captains ask
Do I need to be good with computers?
No. If you can fill out a paper trip log or send a text message, you already have the skills you need. There's nothing to configure and nothing technical to learn.
Will this replace my bookkeeper?
No — and it's not meant to. BilgeLine handles trip-level operating decisions: which trip types make money and which don't. Tax filing, payroll compliance, and year-end accounting still belong with a bookkeeper or CPA. Many captains will use both.
Can I get my data into a spreadsheet or QuickBooks?
Yes — every trip you log can be exported as a clean spreadsheet file at any time, from day one. A direct QuickBooks export is planned for a future update.
Does this work on my phone, tablet, and computer?
Yes. Log a trip on your tablet at the dock, and see the same data from your phone or computer later — everything stays in sync.
What will it cost?
We're finalizing pricing, but expect it to run a small fraction of what a monthly bookkeeping service costs. Waitlist members will see the price first and get founding-member rates.