Importing Your Data

The Basics

Import is on the web version only. It takes a CSV file (a spreadsheet saved as comma-separated values) built from a template you download first, and adds the rows to one boat.

You can import seven kinds of records: Boat Details, Mechanical (engines, generators and other hour-metered systems), Inventory, Equipment, Maintenance (past maintenance logs), Tasks and Notes.

Not importable: expenses, cruise logs, checklists, provisions, readings, crew, contacts, documents and photos. Those are entered in the app.

How to Import

1. On the web version, open My Account and click Import Data.
2. Choose the boat. Boats shared with you read-only are not offered.
3. Choose the type of data.
4. Download the template. It is a CSV with the header row only.
5. Open the template in a spreadsheet program, fill one row per record, and save it as CSV.
6. Pick the file and click Import. Rows are added one at a time; when it finishes you see how many succeeded, and the boat’s data refreshes.

The Rules the File Must Follow

• Keep the column headings exactly as the template has them. Columns are matched by their heading text. A renamed, retyped or reordered heading is treated as blank, with no warning.
• Columns marked (Required) must be filled.
• Pick-list columns must use an option the app already has, spelled the same way (capitals do not matter). That covers Type, Location, Manufacturer, Fuel Type, Country, Hull Type, Hull Material, Shorepower and Voltage, depending on the data type. One unrecognised value stops the whole import before anything is added, with a message naming the row, the column and the value. If a make or model is not in the app yet, ask support to add it first (see the Catalog article).
• Dates are MM/DD/YYYY, for example 03/15/2026.
• Yes/No columns take exactly Yes or No.
• Tasks are forgiving: an unknown Type becomes Other and an unknown Priority becomes Medium instead of stopping the import.
• The file must be under 30 MB.

What Each Template Contains

• Boat Details: HIN, Year, Manufacturer, Brand, Model, Country, Port, USCG Number, Registration Number, IMO, MMSI, Callsign, EPIRB, Use Metric Units, Beam, Length, Draft, Air Draft, Displacement, Shorepower, Shorepower Qty, Voltage, Hull Type, Hull Material. This one updates the chosen boat from a single row; it does not create boats.
• Mechanical: Type, Location, Manufacturer, Year, Model, Serial Number, Part Number, Fuel Type, Horsepower.
• Inventory: Name, Type, Location, Position, Quantity Required, Quantity On-hand, Part Number, URL, Notes.
• Equipment: Type, Location, Manufacturer, Model, Position, Serial Number, Deployed Date, Notes.
• Maintenance: Log Title, Type, Date, Equipment Location, Engine Hours, Notes. Imported logs are not linked to a specific engine or piece of equipment; open them afterwards to link them if you want them in that item’s history.
• Tasks: Name, Type, Due Date, Priority, Due Hours, Details, Recurring, Recurring Interval, Recurring Interval Type. Imported tasks are assigned to you.
• Notes: Name, Type, Details.

Troubleshooting

• “Invalid value for … is not a valid option.” — A pick-list column holds something the app does not have. Fix the spelling to match an option in the app, or ask support to add the make, model or type, then import again.
• The import stopped part-way with an error from the server. — Rows are added one at a time and the import stops at the first row the server rejects. The rows before it were added; fix the row named and import the rest.
• A column I filled in came through empty. — Its heading no longer matches the template exactly. Download a fresh template and copy your data into it.
• The file was rejected as empty. — It needs the header row plus at least one data row.

Frequently Asked

See Also

• Exporting and Sharing Your Records — getting data out.
• The YACHTWAVE Catalog — why makes and models are chosen from a list, and how to get one added.