Float Plan Generator

A float plan tells someone you trust ashore where you are going, who is aboard and when to call for help if you don’t come back. Fill in the form above with your boat, people, route and return time, then print the plan, save it as a PDF, or copy or download the text, and give it to that person before you leave. Skip anything you don’t know: empty fields are left off the plan.

What Should a Float Plan Include?

A float plan should describe your boat, everyone aboard, where you are going and when you expect to be back, how to reach you and the safety gear you carry, so rescuers know what and whom to look for. The Coast Guard’s official float plan asks for:

• The boat: name, registration or documentation number, hull identification number (HIN), year, make and model, length, type, hull and trim colors, prominent features, engines and fuel capacity.
• The people aboard: the operator’s name, age and phone number and whether they know the boat and the area, plus the name and age of every passenger. Add any medical conditions that would matter if the group were stranded.
• The trip: where you leave from, your destination and planned stops with dates and times, your check-in times and when you expect to return.
• Communications: radio call sign, DSC MMSI number, the radios and channels you monitor, cell or satellite phone numbers, and the unique ID numbers (UIN) of your EPIRB and personal locator beacons.
• Safety and navigation gear: visual and sound distress signals, anchor, bailing gear, fire extinguisher, flashlight, life raft or dinghy, exposure suits, food and water, compass, GPS, depth sounder, radar and charts.
• Your vehicle and trailer: year, make and model, license plate and where they are parked.
• Who to call: your contacts and the local rescue authority (police, sheriff or other first responders) with phone numbers.

The Coast Guard also strongly recommends a recent photo of your boat, which helps rescuers identify it quickly, so send one along with the plan.

Why File a Float Plan?

In an emergency there are too many details to rely on memory. Without a float plan, rescuers depend on a friend or family member to remember what your boat looks like, who went out and where you were headed. A float plan gives the person ashore a clear time to raise the alarm and gives search and rescue crews the facts they need to narrow the search area.

It is not just for big boats. The Coast Guard says a float plan is as important for a 10-foot kayak or a flat-bottom skiff as for a 48-foot express cruiser, and its list of boaters who should prepare one runs from kayakers and stand-up paddlers to anglers, hunters, personal watercraft riders, sailors and power boaters.

Who Should Hold Your Float Plan?

Give your plan to a reliable person who will notice if you are late and can be counted on to call the Coast Guard or another rescue agency: ideally a relative, friend or neighbor who knows you. Agree how you will check in (call, text or email) and when, and make sure they know where the plan says what to do if you are overdue.

Don’t leave a printed copy in your car at the ramp, either. Float Plan Central, the Coast Guard Auxiliary’s float plan site, warns that a plan left in a vehicle tells a thief exactly how long you will be away.

What to Do If a Boat Is Overdue

If the boat is not back and nobody has checked in by the time on the plan, the Boating Emergency Guide on the official USCG float plan tells the person holding it to work through these steps. The plan this page creates prints them too:

1. Call the contacts on the plan, such as the marina you left from and anyone at your destination, to find out whether anyone has heard from the boat.
2. If you are still concerned, call the Coast Guard or the local rescue authority on the plan and say you are reporting a late return or check-in by the people on the boat.
3. Give them the facts from the plan. Don’t speculate: wrong information can mislead the search.
4. Keep your phone free so rescuers can reach you.

The Coast Guard’s boater’s guide also says to call 911 or the Coast Guard on VHF channel 16 when there is immediate danger to life. Coast Guard rescue coordination centers answer around the clock; their regional numbers are listed on the Coast Guard’s search and rescue contact page.

Changing and Closing Your Float Plan

If your plans change or you will be late, tell the person holding your plan right away, because rescuers will search where the plan says you are. When you get back, close the plan: tell that person, and anyone else who has a copy, that everyone is home safe, so nobody starts a needless search. Make it the first thing you do. If they already reported you overdue, also tell the rescue authorities that you are safe.

The Official USCG Float Plan Form

The U.S. Coast Guard’s own float plan is a free, fillable PDF from the Coast Guard Auxiliary’s Float Plan Central site, linked from the Coast Guard’s float plan page. It has room for 12 passengers and 21 waypoints and ends with the Boating Emergency Guide for the person holding your plan. This generator is a quicker alternative made by BoatCalculators, not an official form; use whichever suits your trip.

Plan the Trip Before You Write the Plan

Your return time is only as good as your trip estimate. Find the underway time for your route with the Boat Travel Time Calculator, or work out time, distance and arrival from your own numbers with the Speed, Distance and Time Calculator. Check fuel for the round trip with the Boat Fuel Calculator, and see distances and times for popular trips on our Boat Routes pages. Allow for stops, weather and currents before you set the time to call for help.

Frequently Asked Questions