Our Trip Logbook

We keep a Vessel Logbook for our boat. Each day we enter our data into a paper version when we finish cruising for the day. We enter data from our engines, generator, and the price we paid for various items. Then, every few days, I transfer that data into a Google Spreadsheet that calculates a bunch of statistics for us.

Click Here for the up-to-date version

Here are the data points we track:

• Date (one entry per day unless we stop somewhere for an extended period
• Where we are traveling to that day
• When we left the dock
• When we arrived at our next stop
• The total engine hours (from our Hobbs meter)
• The time we were “Moving” (from our Trip Odometer)
  _{^{(This does not include the time we are stopped waiting for bridges, locks, or while fueling, etc.)}}
• Nautical Miles traveled (from our Trip Odometer)
• Average Speed (from our Trip Odometer)
• Generator hours (from the Generator Hobbs meter)
• Gallons of Fuel Added
• Total paid for the fuel (Including taxes/discounts)
• Total Slip Fee, including electric and water for our entire stay
• Number of nights at a Marina (for multi-day stays)
• Number of nights at Anchor or Lock Wall (any place without electric or services)
• Number of Locks we went through that day
• Number of Bridges we had to have opened to fit under that day
• A Record that we Pumped Out our black water tanks and any fees paid

Based on this data, the spreadsheet calculates:

• Total Trip Time Dock to Dock (End Time – Start Time)
• Engine Hours (Current Hobbs – Previous Hobbs)
• Fuel Used (A calculation based on Average Speed, Distance, and Generator runtime)
• Price per Gallon of Fuel (Total paid/number of gallons)
• Fuel Remaining in our tanks. (Prior Remaining – Fuel Used + Fuel Added)
• % Fuel Remaining (Gallons Remaining / 396 gallons) a cross-check for our gauges
• Generator Hours (Current Gen Hobbs – Prior Gen Hobbs)
• Average Fee Slip Fee per Night (for multi-night stays)
• Slip Fee Per Foot

It also tracks:

• Fuel Usage in Gallons Per Mile (I use a last 500-mile average to track trends)
• Fuel Usage in Gallons Per Hour (I use a last 500-mile average to track trends)
• Hours until next service on:
  ^{(with colored reminders (Green Good, Yellow Soon, Red Past Due)}
  • Engine Oil/Filter
  • Transmission Oil/Filter
  • Generator Oil/Filter
  • Engine Zincs
    

The spreadsheet has evolved over the past six years since we purchased our boat, and we find it very helpful when looking back at our trips! We are working on a public version that we can share.

They are available below if you would like to download copies of our log pages.