Company and Product Information

Product Description

Since 2010 Boating Suite: Logbook & Expense Tracker has been the #1 boating logbook on the Apple App Store. In that time, the app has seen three major updates and interface changes but has always maintained its intuitive interface and easy to use workflow.

BOATING SUITE is a full-featured app for iPhone and iPad that is designed to help you manage all aspects of your boating life. But it’s not just a boating app. It’s the first and only logbook app designed by boating enthusiasts, for boating enthusiasts.

Boaters benefit from BOATING SUITE by having a single, convenient app at their fingertips to log their trips plus track their fuel, maintenance, expenses and manage their boat(s). BOATING SUITE also helps the boater remember stuff with handy To-Do and Shopping Lists.

BOATING SUITE is SEVEN apps-in-one: It’s comprised of seven modules plus several customizable reports. Each module performs a specific function, but all modules are integrated to give boater’s a complete picture of their boating activities and expenses.

What’s New

BOATING SUITE has been re-written from the ground up to support all iOS devices and screen sizes running iOS 13 or later
New Dashboard Interface: Provides boaters with quick views of current weather details and a year-to-date trip summary
Track Recording: Boaters can now record and save a trip route with the logbook entry
Weather Integration: Weather data is automatically filled in for new log entries
One-Button Trip Logging: Simply click Start Trip and the app fills in the basic details including weather and will optionally start recording a track
Dark Mode: Beautiful dark mode interface allows you to safely use the app in low light conditions
Native iPad Support: BOATING SUITE now supports the iPad natively with beautiful, full screen interface

Features of BOATING SUITE include:

Log Book: Maintain detailed records of every trip. From engine hours to air temp, from crew members to weather conditions.
Fuel Log: Keep track of all fuel purchases plus track fuel economy.
Expense Log: Maintain detailed records of all boating related expenses…whether it’s engine oil or life jackets.
Maintenance Log: Detailed maintenance history at your fingertips.
Vessel Log: Keep track of every detail including serial numbers, registration, insurance, fluids, batteries, etc.
Shopping List: Enter the stuff you need when it runs out or when it pops in your head. Now you won’t forget when you’re at the marine store.
To Do List: Owning a boat means a never-ending to-do list. This module will keep it together.
Reports: Get detailed usage and expense reports instantly. Select the date range and information that you want to see. It’s that simple.

BOATING SUITE has support for an unlimited number of engines, batteries, generators and fuel tanks, the ability to backup and restore data, landscape mode and a Getting Started screen on initial launch.

BOATING SUITE was designed to be familiar and easy to use. While out on the water or about to get underway, the boater needs to enter information efficiently. BOATING SUITE’s screens are easy to read without any unnecessary clutter so entering information is streamlined and straightforward.

Founder’s Bio

Rob Anonen is the founder and President of Boating Suite, LLC and the visionary behind Boating Suite: Logbook & Expense Tracker. Rob’s professional background is in Business and Management consulting and this background, combined with his passion for boating, gives him a unique perspective to the company.

Rob is a true boating enthusiast but to label him as “just” an enthusiast would be an understatement because boating is more than just a hobby for him. It’s a passion that he likes to share with his family and friends. A passion that led him to found Boating Suite, LLC. and to create Boating Suite: Logbook & Expense Tracker.

Rob has owned several vessels over the years – from 20’ bowriders to 32’ day cruisers and everything in between. Rob’s current boat is a Cobalt 232.

Press Release

For Immediate Release

April 16, 2020

BOATING SUITE Releases Major Update – Latest Release for iOS NOW Available

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — April 16, 2020 — Boating Suite, LLC today announced Boating Suite: Logbook & Expense Tracker is now available on the Apple App Store. Version 2020.1 is a major update to Boating Suiteand represents the third major iteration of the app. Not only has Boating Suite been completely re-written from the ground up, it delivers many new features including a completely new interface and dashboard, track recording, weather integration, native iPad support, one-button trip logging, dark mode support and more.

In March of 2010, Boating Suite, LLC launched the original Boating Suite, the first iOS-based logbook app for boaters. Since then, Boating Suite has remained the #1 boating logbook on the Apple App Store.

“This is a major step for Boating Suite and a glimpse of what the future holds for the app. For example, the track recording and weather integration will be integral features going forward and we’re excited to get customer feedback in these areas to really make them robust,” said Rob Anonen, founder and President of Boating Suite, LLC. “For more than 10 years, we given boaters the best, and most convenient app to log their boating activities and expenses and we’ll continue to do so because it’s our customers who guide us. We have the most loyal and passionate users and their input is what drives us.”

Seven Apps in One

Boating Suite consists of seven individual, yet integrated modules plus several customizable reports. The seven modules are; Log Book, Fuel Log, Expense Log, Maintenance Log, Vessel Log, To Do List and Shopping List. The robust reporting provides the user with information about each trip along with fuel usage and fuel cost, total cost of ownership and much more.

Boaters benefit from Boating Suite by having a single, convenient app at their fingertips to log their trips plus track their fuel, maintenance, expenses and manage their boat(s). Boating Suite also helps users remember stuff with handy To-Do and Shopping Lists. And its intuitive interface allows for efficient entry of information.

Features of BOATING SUITE include:

Log Book: Maintain detailed records of every trip including a recorded track. From engine hours to air temp, from crew members to weather conditions.
Fuel Log: Keep track of all fuel purchases plus track fuel economy.
Expense Log: Maintain detailed records of all boating related expenses. Whether it's engine oil or life jackets.
Maintenance Log: Detailed maintenance history at your fingertips.
Vessel Log: Keep track of every detail including serial numbers, registration, insurance, fluids, batteries, etc.
Shopping List: Enter the stuff you need when it runs out or when it pops in your head so you don’t forget when you're at the marine store.
To Do List: Owning a boat means a never-ending to-do list. This module will keep it together.
Reports: Get detailed usage and expense reports instantly. Select the date range and information that you want to see. It's that simple.

Available on the iTunes App Store

Boating Suite is available on the Apple App Store as a one-time purchase for only $4.99.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/boating-suite/id1501874071?ls=1

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About Boating Suite, LLC

Boating Suite, LLC was founded in 2009 and the original version of Boating Suite launched on March 23, 2010. Boating Suite, LLC is dedicated to serving passionate boating enthusiasts and the boating community throughout the world.

Our mission is to enhance and promote the boating lifestyle through innovative mobile applications and web services.

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For more information, press only:

Robert Anonen, 763-634-1820, rob@boatingsuite.com

Full Press Release PDF: http://www.boatingsuite.com/mediakit.zip

For more information on Boating Suite: http://www.boatingsuite.com

Boating Suite is on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/boating-suite/id1501874071?ls=1

BoatingSuite.com, Boating Suite, “Mobile Apps for Boaters”, “Serving the Boating Community” are trademarks of Boating Suite, LLC

Interview Script

Boating Suite / Rob Anonen

Introduction

[Rob, please introduce yourself]

My name is Rob Anonen and I’m the creator of the Boating Suite app currently available for the iPhone and iPad. I’m from the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and I do the majority of my boating on Lake Minnetonka, our largest metro lake that’s located just west of the Twin Cities. The great thing about boating in Minnesota is the number of lakes we have – more than 10,000 as many people know. If I’m not on Minnetonka, I try to get “up north”, as we refer to it, and will spend time boating on Gull Lake in the Brainerd Lakes area (about 2 hours north of the Cities).

History of the Boating Suite App

[How did you come up with the idea for Boating Suite? Why did you create it and when did you launch it?]

The original app launched on March 23, 2010. We bought our first boat, a brand-new Sea Ray 240 Sundeck in 2008 and I indirectly created the app to justify for my wife that owning a boat wasn’t a waste of money.

It originally started when I created a spreadsheet to log all of our boating activities so I could show my wife that we actually got use out of the boat. I logged each trip, all of our expenses such as fuel, maintenance, winterizing, etc., friends that joined us on the boat, the weather conditions, what day of the week we went out… everything.

My spreadsheet was great but not convenient because I would write down the trip info on paper while out on the boat then transfer it to the spreadsheet at a later time. Once I had handful of trips scribbled on paper, I’d spend an hour entering the info at a later time. This was fine, but again, not convenient.

The real inspiration for the app was I mishap I had on the boat one afternoon. I was out by myself and had written down on paper the starting engine hours for that trip, the air temp, water temp, what time I departed that day, etc. Then I stuffed the note in my pocket. This note also had 10+ previous logs on it. When I got to my favorite bay on the lake and decided to take a quick dip. I dove in and realized the note was still in my pocket. I lost more than 10 entries!! I was not happy. I grabbed my iPhone and searched for a logbook app. I figured someone had created one, but keep in mind this is 2009 and the App Store was pretty new back then. I couldn’t find a boating app to log my trips so right then and there I started sketching out the app in a notebook that I kept on the boat.

I basically put a user interface around my Excel spreadsheet in the form of an app. It was that simple. My spreadsheet had separate tabs to log trips, fuel, maintenance, and miscellaneous expenses, and I also kept a shopping list and to do list. The spreadsheet also had a tab for summary reports. My professional background is business consulting, so my spreadsheet was fairly detailed.

From that initial sketch, I documented every detail of the app in a Word doc by translating my spreadsheet into something a developer could work with. I also spent countless hours in Photoshop refining the interface. I then found a great developer through a referral, hired him, and the rest is history, so to speak.

Initial Reception

[How did the app sell? Was it an instant success?]

The app sold surprisingly well right out of the gate. It was only $5 but I wasn’t expecting huge sales because I wasn’t sure how many boaters would be interested in an app. I created an email list of all of my friends and family and did my best to locate contact information for anyone I could think of in the boating industry… magazines, blogs, dealers, manufacturers, and so on. My list wasn’t long but I emailed everyone and it kind of took off from there. It was a pleasant surprise.

I think it was a hit because it was the first app of its kind for boaters, so word of mouth spread pretty fast…again, this was 2009, not a lot of competition for me on the App Store. I was thrilled because I just wanted an app for myself. If other people bought it, that was a bonus. The app got picked up by several boating magazines and blogs and that really helped too. I remember looking at my sales report one morning and sales went through the roof all of a sudden. Turns out I was mentioned in two national publications in the same week. The response validated for me that I in fact created a really useful tool for boaters.

The App Lifecycle

[Talk about the app over the years. It’s been through some changes. Is it still successful?]

The current release of the app is the third major update and a complete code re-write. Apple has made a ton of improvements to iOS over the years and it can be a challenge to keep up at times. Especially for someone like me. I’m not a huge organization. I still own a consulting firm as my day job, and I manage Boating Suite on the side. It’s really just me and a developer that I pay on a contract basis.

The initial app was very skeuomorphic, as they say. It looked like the original iPhone operating system in that I tried to make aspects of the app look like elements from real life. It had buttons arranged around a life preserver and the buttons were three dimensional looking, they looked like they popped out of the phone screen. That’s how apps looked in 2009.

The next major facelift came in 2013 when Apple changed the iOS interface drastically. Apple went from lifelike textures and patterns to a flatter appearance. I’m not a designer but I went back to Photoshop and did my best to create a flat interface that matched Apple’s new styling. It didn’t win design awards but it was an improvement from the original design and my users seemed to like it. Along with an interface change, we had to completely re-write the app to make it compatible with the latest architecture and data technology. We also added a vessel log, support for multiple engines, generators, batteries and so on. When I created the app, I had a single screw day cruiser… it didn’t occur to me that others had different configurations for their boat! My users gave me great feedback and I did my best to incorporate it.

[Is the app successful?]

The app has always been successful but there was a long period recently where I felt that I let my users down. I got really busy with my life outside of the app – work, family, etc. – and I didn’t give the app the attention it deserved, or that my users deserved. I always prided myself on being responsive to my customer’s questions and support emails, but my responses started to lag. The app began to languish and was severely outdated.

This forced me to make a decision in the summer of 2019, was I going to support the app and give it the long overdue update it needed, or was I going to throw in the towel? There was no chance that I was shutting it down, so I got to work on an update.

[Talk about this latest release, what’s new?]

I got serious and literally took out a blank piece of paper and started from scratch. I looked at what was good about the app, what was outdated, and what was missing. Mostly though, I looked at a day in the life of me using my own app. What was my workflow? When I head out on the water, the first thing I do is check the weather before I set out, then I start a new log entry in Boating Suite and enter everything that I can; weather, engine hours, start time, etc. I save a draft entry then I open a different app to create a track so I could track my distance, time, speed, etc.

Aside from using my own app, what struck me was that I was missing the two things I do most often when boating; I check the weather and I create a track. This was the basis for the interface re-design – important information and functionality at your fingertips. Quick and easy. Now when you create new trip, the app automatically logs the current weather conditions and you have the option to record and save a track with your log entry.

This first iteration of track recording is a beta. I have plans for the next update to track recording, but I want to get user feedback before I add more functionality. It’s currently limited and simply records a track. It’s doesn’t record distance, time or speed but it will. The weather is also somewhat beta. I wanted quick access to current conditions, but the next update will provide more details. You will be able to see the 7-day forecast and hourly predictions.

Since the beginning, my goal has always been to make the app efficient and easy to use. As we add features I will always stick to this goal and avoid making the app too cluttered. I’m a user myself and I want the app to be the best it can be but also quick and easy.

Future

[What does the future look like for Boating Suite?]

First of all, I intend to have the app will live as long as I do. I love my users and the boating entire community. Creating this app has allowed me to meet so many great people and I’ve made some great friends as a result.

With that said, I’m committing to regular updates – at least twice a year going forward. I learned from these past couple years and have put plans in place to allow for regular updates.

As for specific features. The next update later this year will expand on the track and weather. From there, I have a long list of customer requests that need to be fulfilled.

Current Boat

[Finally, tell us about your current boat]

I’m on my fourth boat since my original 240 Sundeck back in 2008. My current boat is a 1997 Cobalt 232 with a Mercruiser 502 MAG engine and Bravo 1 drive. It’s white with a red stripe and it’s in nearly mint condition. You can see it on the website in the homepage banner. It’s the perfect size for the lakes that we boat on. It’s roomy and comfortable with 6 people aboard, easy to trailer but what I like the most is the power. The boat really gets up and flies with the 415 HP motor!