Vessel Document Management That's Actually Useful Onboard
FirstMate is a vessel document management system for yacht owners, engineers, and crew. Upload your manuals and technical documents, ask questions grounded in that documentation, and connect every answer to maintenance tasks and service history.
Know your vessel. Stay ahead of maintenance.
What it does
From manuals to maintenance — in one system.
Multi-format document upload
Upload PDFs, manuals, technical drawings, and service records into your vessel's workspace. No specialist preparation needed — start with what you already have.
Structured and searchable
Documents are organised by your vessel, not by folder convention. Find what you need without knowing exactly where it was filed or which manual covers which system.
Ask questions from your documents
Use the chat feature to ask technical questions and get answers drawn directly from your uploaded documentation — not from generic marine information that may not apply to your systems.
One workspace per vessel
Documentation, chat history, maintenance records, and planning in one place for each vessel you manage. No switching between tools or searching across separate systems.
See it in the app
Real screens from a working vessel record
What makes it different
Not a folder. Not a shared drive.
Cloud storage doesn't help you find answers
Dropbox and SharePoint store your PDFs but don't help you understand what they say. FirstMate makes your documentation something you can query, not just retrieve.
File organisation breaks under pressure
Folder conventions only work if everyone follows them consistently. FirstMate structures documents by vessel and system so answers are findable regardless of how files were originally organised.
Generic tools aren't built for technical manuals
Vessel technical documentation has specific structure and purpose. FirstMate is designed to work with engine manuals, schematics, and service records — not general business documents.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Start with engine manuals, electrical schematics, and equipment installation guides. Add service records, safety equipment documentation, and crew handover notes as you build the workspace. FirstMate works with whatever documentation you already have.
Yes. FirstMate accepts PDF uploads, including scanned documents. Searchability depends on the quality of the scan, but most marine technical manuals are available as proper digital PDFs from manufacturers.
Documents form the knowledge base for your vessel workspace. When you ask a question using the chat feature, answers are grounded in what your documents actually say — not from a general knowledge base that may not reflect your specific equipment.
Yes. Charter operators benefit from having all documents, safety certificates, and maintenance records in one accessible place. It also supports crew onboarding and consistent handovers between charters.
The Essential plan includes 5 GB of storage. The Professional plan includes 20 GB. Most vessels are comfortably within the Essential limit for core technical documentation.
Get started
Ready to bring your vessel record together?
Upload your documentation, ask questions grounded in your manuals, and build a maintenance record that works.