On the water

Safety Notice

What this app can help with, what it cannot, and what to do when something goes wrong. The short version: it is an aid, not an authority.

Last updated August 4, 2026

Read this before you leave the dock

Navi Wake is an aid to awareness, not a certified navigation system. Do not use it as your only means of navigation. Carry official charts, keep a proper lookout, and trust your own eyes over this screen.

Everything the app shows you is an estimate assembled from public datasets and reports from other boaters. It can be out of date, and it can be wrong. The water in front of your bow is the authority.

In an emergency

Call the US Coast Guard on VHF Channel 16, your local marine patrol, or 911. Do not use Navi Wake to summon help in a life-threatening situation.

The assist feature shows your breakdown to other boaters who happen to have that lake open on their phone. Nobody is on duty. Nobody is obliged to respond. It is useful when you are out of fuel on a busy Saturday; it is worthless at dusk on an empty lake, and it is never a substitute for the Coast Guard.

A float plan is not filed with any authority. It only shows your plan and last position to whoever holds the link you sent.

What the data can and cannot tell you

Depth and shoals: Modelled from survey data that may be years old. Lake beds shift, sediment moves, and levels change daily. Clearing a depth check is not a promise of water under your keel.
Water level: Reservoir levels can move several feet with no notice when a dam is operated. A route that was safe last week may not be today.
Hazard pins: Reported by other boaters. Unverified. A floating log drifts; an expired pin does not mean the hazard is gone, and no pin does not mean the water is clear.
Routing: A suggested line across water we believe is open. It does not know about today's debris, a moored barge, a swimmer, or a regatta.
Weather and tides: Forecasts from public services. Conditions on the water change faster than any forecast updates.
Nav aids: Charted positions of markers. Buoys drag, get moved, and go missing.

Your phone is not marine equipment

GPS accuracy degrades near bluffs and bridges. Batteries die, especially with the screen lit and GPS running. Phones overheat in direct sun, and they do not float.

Carry a charged VHF radio, life jackets for everyone aboard, and a paper chart. Tell someone ashore where you are going and when you expect to be back — the float plan feature helps, but a phone call works too.

Operating the boat comes first

Do not stare at this app while under way. Set your route before you leave the dock, then run the boat. If you need to study the chart, slow down or stop.

Obey no-wake zones, posted speed limits and local rules whether or not the app shows them. Give way as the rules of the road require. If you are ever unsure, slow down.