Check-in guide

Bareboat charter checklist: the check-in, item by item

Updated 2026-09-28

At check-in you sign for the boat as it is. Whatever you do not record that afternoon, you may be asked to pay for a week later. This checklist is the walk around a charter yacht in the order that works on the pontoon, with what to photograph at each point and why. It is the same order the Dockproof app follows.

Why the check-in is where the deposit is decided

The deposit is large, and it is yours to lose. Sunsail, for example, publishes a security deposit of $5,080 for a 35 to 39 ft monohull and $8,005 for a 42 to 44 ft catamaran when you do not buy its damage waiver (Sunsail, Yacht Damage Waiver). With the waiver the deposit is lower, but the waiver does not cover damage caused by negligence: Sunsail's terms say that you are then "liable for the full extent of the loss suffered", and The Moorings uses the same wording (The Moorings, Yacht Damage Waiver).

At the end of the week the base looks at the boat again. PlainSailing, a UK charter agency, describes the usual return: the boat comes back to the marina the evening before check-out, a diver inspects the hull overnight, and staff inspect the boat in the morning (PlainSailing check-in and check-out guide). Any mark they find is compared with what the check-in recorded. If your record is a signature on the base's inventory and a few photos in your camera roll, it is hard to show that a mark was already there.

Before you step aboard

• Arrive with a charged phone and some free storage. The checklist below asks for at least 69 photos across 57 items, and most skippers take more. Marina wifi on changeover day is slow, so do not count on uploading anything.
• Read the deposit and waiver terms in your contract first. Note the deposit amount, what the waiver excludes, and the deadline for reporting defects. Those three facts decide what matters most to photograph.
• Ask the base when the check-in is and who will do it with you. A walk-through with the base manager is the moment to point at a mark and have it written on their inventory.
• Check-in with the light behind you. Raking light along the hull shows scrapes that a straight-on photo hides. Late-afternoon sun is ideal for the topsides.

The walk around the boat, in order

The order is fixed for a reason: you start where damage is most expensive and least visible from on board, and you finish with the loose items that are easiest to count. Doing it in the same order at check-in and check-out also means each photo has a partner photo a week later.

1. Hull and topsides, from the pontoon

• Each side of the hull: one photo of the whole side and one raking shot from the bow. If the boat is moored alongside, take the side against the pontoon from the dinghy, or ask before you leave.
• Bow thruster tunnel: both openings. The tunnel rim is low at the bow and gets knocked when berthing. If there are marks, take a close shot with your hand for scale.
• Transom and bathing platform: one straight shot of the transom and one with the platform lowered. Look at the hinges and the teak or non-slip.
• Rudder, keel and waterline: photograph what you can see through the water, even if it is murky. They are out of sight from on board, and the diver at check-out looks at them from below.
• Anchor, chain and windlass: pay out a couple of metres, check the windlass control, and photograph the anchor stowed.
• Fenders and mooring lines: count them and get them in one photo.

2. Deck

• Two overall deck photos, one from the bow aft and one the other way. Look for star cracks around deck hardware.
• Stanchions and lifelines: walk the side deck pushing each stanchion. Photograph any that move.
• Passerelle: extended, with its mounting. It bends when people step off in a swell.
• Hatches and portlights: open and close each one. Photograph scratches, crazing, and catches that do not hold.

3. Rig and sails

• Mast and boom: the mast foot, one photo looking up the mast, the gooseneck and the mainsheet fitting.
• Standing rigging: run your hand along the shrouds at handrail height. A broken strand is felt before it is seen. Photograph the turnbuckles.
• Mainsail and genoa: unfurl the genoa at the berth if the wind allows and photograph the sacrificial strip on the leech. For the main, photograph the clew and luff, or the battens and cars.
• Gennaker or spinnaker, if on board: pull it far enough out of the bag to see the cloth and photograph the bag with its label.
• Winches: turn each one by hand in both gears. Count the handles and photograph them together.

4. Cockpit and helm

• Sprayhood and bimini: set them up and photograph the plastic windows, the seams and the zips. Canvas is expensive to replace.
• Wheel, binnacle and compass: turn the wheel lock to lock, check the brake holds, and photograph the compass.
• Cockpit cushions, lockers and table: count the cushions and lift them; open every locker; unfold the table and check its hinges.
• Emergency tiller: ask where it is and photograph it in place.

5. Engine and engine bay

• Engine hours: photograph the hour meter with the ignition on. Fuel and generator charges are worked out from it.
• Engine: open the access and photograph the whole engine and the tray under it. Old oil stains and fresh drips look different a week apart.
• Oil, coolant and belt: photograph the dipstick level and the coolant tank.
• Bilge: lift the covers and photograph the bottom. Run the pump on manual.
• Seacocks: check each one turns. Record one that is already seized.
• Tank gauges: photograph fuel and water levels. Fuel is billed on return, and the level at check-in is half of that sum.

6. Cabins, heads and galley

• Saloon: two photos from opposite corners. Lift the cushions and photograph any stains underneath.
• Each cabin: one photo with the light on, both sides of the mattress, the headlining, and the hatch above the bunk.
• Heads: flush each toilet in front of the base manager. With electric heads, a blockage becomes an argument about whether it was already there.
• Galley: light the burners and oven, check the fridge cools, and put the crockery, glasses and pans on the table for one photo.

7. Electronics and electrics

• Chartplotter and instruments: switch everything on and photograph the screens lit. Check that log, depth and wind all read.
• Autopilot: engage it at the berth and check the wheel responds both ways.
• VHF: switch it on, check channel 16, and photograph the unit.
• Batteries and panel: photograph the switch panel and the voltmeter reading.
• Shore power: photograph the cable coiled with its plug and any adapters.

8. Safety equipment

• Liferaft: the raft in its cradle and the label with the service date.
• Lifejackets and harnesses: all of them together, counted. Check the cartridges on automatic ones.
• Flares, first aid and extinguishers: the flare expiry dates and the gauge on each extinguisher.

9. Dinghy and loose inventory

• Dinghy: inflated, inside and out, with the serial number. Check the floor and the tube seams.
• Outboard: start it at the pontoon with the base manager watching. Photograph the serial number and the fuel tank.
• Oars, pump and painter: together in one photo.
• Booked extras: a SUP, kayak, or snorkelling gear, each in its own photo.
• Documents and keys: the boat papers, the crew list, and the full set of keys.

How many photos, section by section

The counts are from the generic monohull checklist in the Dockproof app. A catamaran adds a second hull, a second engine, a trampoline and davits, so its check-in is longer: see the catamaran check-in guide.

How to take a photo that still helps a week later

1. One item, one photo, then a close-up. A wide photo shows where the mark is; the close-up shows what it is. Put your hand or a coin next to it for scale.
2. Use raking light on the hull and the gelcoat. Hold the phone low along the surface, not square to it.
3. Include something that fixes the place. The bow cleat, a hull window, or the name on the transom lets anyone see which side and which boat the photo shows.
4. Photograph gauges and labels straight on, so the number is readable: engine hours, fuel, the liferaft service date.
5. Keep the check-in photos together and apart from your holiday photos. A photo in the camera roll has no context, and its date can be edited.

Report what you find before you leave the pontoon

Show the base manager each mark you find and ask for it to be added to the base's own inventory before you sign. PlainSailing puts it plainly: "If there's anything missing, now is the time to shout out" (PlainSailing). Your photos do not replace the base's inventory; they are your copy of the same moment.

If you have deposit insurance, keep the check-in photos with your policy. Insurers decide claims on documents such as damage photos and an itemized repair invoice; the deposit insurance guide lists what each one asks for, with links.

At check-out, walk the same order again

Photograph the same items from the same places. When the base points at a mark, you can put the check-in photo of that item beside it. If the mark is new, you know it at once; if it was there, you have the photo from the first afternoon.

Doing the check-in with Dockproof

The Dockproof app turns this list into one screen per item, with the hint for your boat model and four answers: OK, damage, missing, or not applicable. It works in airplane mode on the pontoon, and the photos stay on your phone. Each photo is saved with its time, its position, and its SHA-256 digest. When you close the check-in with a connection, the app sends the digests (never the photos) to the server, which records its own time. That shows the photos already existed in that exact form at that time; it does not show when they were taken. The result is a record neither party can change after the fact, and a PDF report ordered by section with damage first.

There are model checklists for the Lagoon 42, Bavaria 46 Cruiser, Beneteau Oceanis 46.1, and Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 440, among others. For any other boat, the generic monohull or catamaran checklist covers it.