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Features · At the dock

The check-in inspection of a rental boat, on a phone

Without a check-in and check-out inspection signed at departure and on return, the boat is deemed accepted as it stands: damage noted after the customer has left can no longer be withheld from the security deposit. The inspection report signed by both parties, with its dated photos, is the proof. With SunSea Hub, the inspection is carried out on a phone with the Check app: a photo plan specific to each boat, checkpoints, the equipment inventory, fuel and engine hours, at departure and then on return. The customer signs electronically, and the return is compared against the departure.

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The dock’s day on one screen

Check opens on the day’s departures and returns: the time, the customer, the boat and the status of each operation (to do, ready). One tap calls the customer; another reports a problem outside any rental to the workshop.

The Check home screen: today’s departures and returns.
Today’s departures and returns. Screenshots using demo data.
The departure photo plan: one photo per zone of the boat.
The photo plan, zone by zone.
Taking the security deposit at the dock by card pre-authorisation, contactless.
The security deposit: a pre-authorisation, not a charge.

Departure, step by step

StepWhat the dock agent does
1. ID documentsPhotographs the ID document; surname, first name and date of birth are read automatically.
2. LicenceChecks the boating licence when the boat requires one.
3. Boat inspectionAnswers the checkpoints specific to this boat and takes the photo plan.
4. EquipmentTicks off the inventory handed to the customer: life jackets, anchor, cool box, rented extras.
5. SignatureThe customer signs the contract and the check-in inspection on the phone, before paying.
6. Security depositTakes the card pre-authorisation contactless.
7. BalanceCollects the amount still due, if there is any.

When the last payment is confirmed, the departure closes on its own, and the customer receives their contract, check-in inspection report and invoice by WhatsApp and by e-mail.

What the inspection report contains

ItemAt departureOn return
PhotosOne per zone of the plan: sides, stern, bathing platform, deck, engine…The same zones, compared with departure
CheckpointsThose that apply to the boatThe same, plus cleanliness
EquipmentInventory handed to the customerInventory returned, missing items and breakage
FuelLevel at departureLevel on return, shortfall calculated
Engine hour meterHours at departureHours on return, never lower
SignatureContract and check-in inspectionCheck-out inspection

A guided photo plan

Each boat has its own photo plan: Check asks for each zone one after the other, and the departure cannot close while a required photo is missing. A zone that does not apply is marked “not applicable”, with a reason.

The photo plan: port side, starboard side, stern and bathing platform.
The photo plan at departure. Screenshots using demo data.
A return photo flagged by the automatic check.
On return, damage flagged.

Photos checked automatically

Each photo is analysed: does it really show the requested zone? On return, is any damage visible compared with departure? The analysis suggests, the agent decides: it blocks nothing and accuses no one, it opens a flag that the agent confirms or dismisses. Only the image is analysed, without the customer’s name or the booking number.

Checkpoints specific to each boat

The checklist follows the boat: there is no cabin check on a boat without one, undeclared equipment is not offered, and a boat that requires a licence adds its navigation lights and its anchor light. The rental company adjusts the list boat by boat from the boat’s record.

The return: check-out inspection, washing, fuel

The return takes three operations. The check-out inspection (the check-out, in Check), with the customer: photos, checkpoints, engine hours, inventory, fuel and signature. Then washing and refuelling, by their own teams, in whatever order suits them. The last of the three closes the return. As soon as the check-out inspection starts, the boat cannot go out again until the return is closed.

Check compares the return with the departure: return time, fuel, engine hours, checkpoints, photos and equipment returned. Anything missing or changed becomes a line to recharge — see return charges.

Departure compared with return: time, fuel, engine hours, checkpoints, equipment.
Departure versus return: late return, missing fuel, new defect.
A flagged return photo: damage visible compared with departure.
A scratch absent at departure, flagged on the return photo.

The return compared with the departure

Check puts side by side the scheduled time and the actual time, fuel, engine hours, checkpoints, photos and equipment. The agent sees at a glance what changed during the rental, with the customer still on the pontoon.

Departure versus return comparison in Check.
Departure versus return.

Signed, sealed, attached to the booking

The customer electronically signs the check-in inspection at departure, together with their contract, and then the check-out inspection. The signed documents are kept in the booking as evidence, and a closed inspection report can no longer be changed. Anything missing or changed becomes a line to recharge — see return charges.

Who uses Check

Dock agents for departures and check-out inspections, the washing team and the fuel team for their return operations, and skippers, who can do everything. Each person sees only the actions of their own role.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to install an app to carry out the check-in inspection?

No. Check opens in the browser on the dock agent’s phone.

Can a check-in inspection be corrected afterwards?

Not once the return is closed: the inspection report becomes evidence. Damage spotted later is handled as a claim, not as a return charge.

Can the automatic check block a departure?

No. It flags; the agent decides. Only a missing required photo prevents closing.

Do I need a payment terminal at the dock?

No. The security deposit and the balance are collected contactless with the Viva app, on a compatible phone. The payment status comes back into Check as soon as the payment institution confirms it.

Can the customer leave if the security deposit has not been taken?

No. The departure closes only with a signed check-in inspection, the balance collected and a security deposit that is authorised and not expired.

Can a boat be rented out again before the return is finished?

It can be booked, but it cannot go out again: as soon as the check-out inspection starts, a new departure of the same boat is refused until the return is closed.

Read next

  • Security deposit

    A contactless card pre-authorisation at the dock: authorised, not debited. At return, amounts due are taken; otherwise released within 12 hours.

  • Return charges

    At the return of a boat rental, the inspection becomes amounts due: fuel, missing items, breakage, cleaning, lateness, taken from the security deposit.

  • Online contract

    The customer confirms the quote with one tap from WhatsApp, SMS or email, pays the advance by link, then signs the contract and inspection at the dock.

  • Comparison

    SunSea Hub, Nauticoncept, Nautic Manager, SeaBook and Boat Rental Manager on 17 criteria: deposit, inspection, GPS, pricing, no minimum term.

Fleet, Check, Fix and Sup — the office, dock, workshop and owner apps — are in French today. What your renters read is in English, French and German: the booking widget, quotes, payment links and messages. The rental contract is in English and French.