bolo - boaters on the lookout
Real-Time Boater Awareness
Free · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
Free boating awareness app for hazards, fuel prices, wildlife sightings, and local reports. Simple map-tap updates, not routing or charting.
bolo is a free boating awareness app for real-time hazard reports, marine fuel prices, wildlife sightings, and crowdsourced waterway alerts.
bolo is not a routing, chartplotter, or turn-by-turn navigation app. It is a crowdsourced awareness layer for boaters who want to know what is happening on the water before they get there.
With bolo, boaters can:
• Report hazards like floating debris, shoaling, submerged objects, obstructions, crab pots, speed and no-wake zones, closures, and unsafe conditions
• Check and share nearby marine fuel prices
• Post wildlife sightings, oyster reef observations, and local waterway notes
• See community reports around marinas, ramps, harbors, rivers, bays, and coastal waterways
• Help other boaters stay aware on the water
What you can report or add a note on:
Hazards: floating debris, submerged objects, shallow water, fixed obstructions, and bridge closures
Underway activity: congestion, crab pots, trap lines, speed and no-wake zones, bridges, locks, buoys, anchor spots, and moorings
Conditions: rough seas, poor visibility, strong winds, strong currents, and changing local conditions
Social: sandbar gatherings, raft-ups, dock parties, and local boating activity
Wildlife: dolphins, manatees, whales, sharks, sea turtles, oyster reefs, and more
Services: fuel prices, marina updates, pump-outs, waterfront restaurants, boating stores, boat rentals, boat ramps, and more
Other boaters can confirm reports or add tips to services. Share a report with a tap, and get push alerts when something is reported nearby.
How it works:
Tap the map to drop a pin or add a location. Your observation is geotagged and visible to nearby boaters.
bolo weighs reports by reporter reputation, so trusted boaters' observations carry more weight.
Features:
• Live map with real-time community reports
• NOAA weather alerts for your location
• Nautical chart overlays with buoys, beacons, bridges, and other marine markers
• Confidence scoring as more boaters confirm reports
• Reputation levels from Newcomer to Expert
• Proximity alerts for nearby hazards
• Free to use
Good for:
• Recreational boaters
• Sailors
• Powerboaters
• Jet skiers
• Anglers
• Marina and fuel dock users
• Yacht clubs and boating clubs
• Harbor and local waterway communities
Situational awareness, not navigation:
bolo does not replace official nautical charts, NOAA publications, Coast Guard resources, AIS, radar, weather, local notices, or safe seamanship. Use bolo alongside your normal navigation and safety tools.
Download bolo and help make your local waterway more useful for everyone.
New Speed Zone report — flag a speed limit or no-wake area, with the limit shown right on the map pin.
Long-press a speed zone pin and drag to fine-tune its spot; confirming one keeps it fresh.
Water taxi pickup locations now appear on the map so you can find your ride on the water.
Proximity alerts now cover every report type by default, with a tighter 0.5 nm default radius.
Assorted reliability fixes.
The developer, PROJATEC LLC, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
- Contact Info
- Identifiers
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
- Location
- User Content
- Usage Data
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- PROJATEC LLC
- Size
- 76.2 MB
- Category
- Navigation
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 15.1 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 15.1 or later. - iPad
Requires iPadOS 15.1 or later. - iPod touch
Requires iOS 15.1 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 12.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- Contains
User-Generated Content
- Copyright
- © bolo boats llc